Newer Homes (90s and newer), New Home and McMansion Appreciation Thread!

[Anonymous]

Good insulation -> pipes don't freeze

[Anonymous]

No lead based paint
No urea formaldehyde
No asbestos
No radon
No mice
No insects

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can't keep track of what is what so basically any home built in the 90s or newer appreciation thread.

- Open Floor plan
- Walk in closets
- large kitchens
- Garages
- 9 foot or higher ceilings
- Dry livable basements
- Higher resale value
- Lower energy costs / Better insulation
- Aesthetically pleasing (not a square or rectangle box)

I live in a house from the 1890s. It has everything on your list except the walk-in closets and open floor plan. It is pretty "open" even with separate rooms. The energy costs are surprisingly low after we replaced all the windows, added insulation (all over), and weatherproofed door openings. The closets could be improved, but I can't bear to sacrifice bedroom space for bigger closet. I keep out of season clothes in a separate closet instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not being mean here -- I'm asking this as a serious question: how can you stand the smell of the plywood? When I walk by those houses being built and see all that plywood getting wrapped in Tyvek I think it must really smell strong in there....

Are you truly this dim? My new home smells CLEAN, unlike my old row house which had smoke embedded in the plaster from previous owners. It took us years of paint (including entire coats of Kilz), open windows, air purifiers, etc to totally get rid of the smell. Aside from that the only option would have been gutting the place. It's so not worth the money and aggravation to me, when I can just buy new. Sometimes I do miss the charm of an older home, and then I remember the constant cost of maintenance and get over it real quick.

[Anonymous]

As part of the construction process, the wood used in new construction are "aired out" as part of the build process. There is also very few interior areas where the framing is exposed. All the walls are covered with drywall, the floors with pad+carpet or underlayment+wood or baseboard+tile. The new home smell mostly comes from the fresh paint, gypsum dust, carpet, and wood floors.