Why do people on dcum hate on new builds?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:why would anyone want to live in a crisp new home vs. an old, moldy, dingy, and cold home?

My house was built in 1939, and is warm, light-filled, and clean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Because of this, for instance. Behold:

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/101-Fardale-St-SE-Vienna-VA-22180/51808023_zpid/

OMG I just vomited.

The Gucci shopping bags in the closest seal the deal for me

Hilarious! At least they’re admitting that house is for the very status/image obsessed buyer. I would be embarrassed to buy something like this regardless of budget!

[Anonymous]

Agree with many PPs about new home hate, but most of these homes are cookie cutter, mass production products. That is the reason We built a 10ksqft custom on a large close in lot. We used first rate materials and skilled labor. Cost was significantly more than a production (or spec) home of similar size If you have the budget, patience, and time a custom built today is in a different league than older homes AND new production homes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I drive a 12 year old Honda Civic and live in an old (renovated house). I also own a large house on the beach that I inherited. I am really struggling to understand why I should move to an ugly new build to show random passersby that I have money.

I’m struggling to understand why you think it’s important to assert on an anonymous forum that you have money. How about you do you and not make assumptions about the motives of others?

I seem to have struck a nerve. Struggling with the mortgage on your monstrosity?

My post addresses the posters above who were calling people “poors,” “poseurs,” and other things.

You appear to be at least one of those things and perhaps several. Must suck to be so ridden with jealousy.

[Anonymous]

Jealous of the nice ones, appalled by the terrible ones I would guess.

Most NIMBYism is driven by jealousy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I drive a 12 year old Honda Civic and live in an old (renovated house). I also own a large house on the beach that I inherited. I am really struggling to understand why I should move to an ugly new build to show random passersby that I have money.

I’m struggling to understand why you think it’s important to assert on an anonymous forum that you have money. How about you do you and not make assumptions about the motives of others?

I seem to have struck a nerve. Struggling with the mortgage on your monstrosity?

My post addresses the posters above who were calling people “poors,” “poseurs,” and other things.

You appear to be at least one of those things and perhaps several. Must suck to be so ridden with jealousy.

Ok sweetie, you did a good job supporting your ad hom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New builds are more typically found in the exurbs and suburban areas with a lot of ugly old teardowns, not desirable close-in neighborhoods. Many people would rather live close in, in an older home, due to reasons of commute, and housing prices reflect that.

Lol no they don't.want to live in an old beat up shack thats worth maybe 150k anywhere else. They do it solely for location. Period.

Stop trying to justify your shitty decision on others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New builds are more typically found in the exurbs and suburban areas with a lot of ugly old teardowns, not desirable close-in neighborhoods. Many people would rather live close in, in an older home, due to reasons of commute, and housing prices reflect that.

Lol no they don't.want to live in an old beat up shack thats worth maybe 150k anywhere else. They do it solely for location. Period.

Stop trying to justify your shitty decision on others.

If you're trying to convince others so strongly that old houses are a terrible choice I have to believe you're trying to convince yourself a little too. Having regrets about your cookie cutter monstrosity?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New builds are more typically found in the exurbs and suburban areas with a lot of ugly old teardowns, not desirable close-in neighborhoods. Many people would rather live close in, in an older home, due to reasons of commute, and housing prices reflect that.

Lol no they don't.want to live in an old beat up shack thats worth maybe 150k anywhere else. They do it solely for location. Period.

Stop trying to justify your shitty decision on others.

If you're trying to convince others so strongly that old houses are a terrible choice I have to believe you're trying to convince yourself a little too. Having regrets about your cookie cutter monstrosity?

+1 As someone said upthread, location, location, location. New build doesn't make up for anything if you're out in the exurbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New builds are more typically found in the exurbs and suburban areas with a lot of ugly old teardowns, not desirable close-in neighborhoods. Many people would rather live close in, in an older home, due to reasons of commute, and housing prices reflect that.

Lol no they don't.want to live in an old beat up shack thats worth maybe 150k anywhere else. They do it solely for location. Period.

Stop trying to justify your shitty decision on others.

You seem furious that people have different preferences than you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New builds are more typically found in the exurbs and suburban areas with a lot of ugly old teardowns, not desirable close-in neighborhoods. Many people would rather live close in, in an older home, due to reasons of commute, and housing prices reflect that.

Lol no they don't.want to live in an old beat up shack thats worth maybe 150k anywhere else. They do it solely for location. Period.

Stop trying to justify your shitty decision on others.

You seem furious that people have different preferences than you.

Far flung commutes are strongly correlated with premature deaths. We bought an older house in NW DC because we didn't want to spend our life in a car. It will literally kill you quicker. And yes, it's much smaller that our in-laws' house in the further reaches of Bethesda. But we are also a lot less stressed than they are, as they rush to do drop-offs/pick-up and fight the traffic. An accident on the road or a flat tire completely derails their week; I've seen it happen.

Further, all of us are dealing with house maintenance issues, whether its a circa 1920s DC rowhouse or circa 1960s Bethesda rambler. It's the nature of housing in this region.

The only nice new builds in this region are architect designed homes built with high-end materials and specialized labor. That's not the McCraftsmen you're seeing sprout up in Bethesda and Arlington. We have friends who own a few of these McCraftsman new builds and they are literally just giant homes. Some already have issues with mold, water damage, and soil shifting. It's a mixed bag when you buy a spec house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because people slapping up 6500 square foot new builds on 10000 sq ft lots in my neighborhood of smaller, older homes is aesthetically atrocious.

5500 on 7300 lot. I already spend 2 hours every saturday on the lawn. I wish the builder would have reduce the amount of grass land.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quality new builds are great.

Here’s what’s not great:

-building right next to freeway entrance ramps, gas stations, medical clinics, etc.

-faux stone in front and siding wraparounds.

-Ornate columns that look picked off the set of a Monty Python film that you use to hold up your sheet metal pediment.

-Stupidly selected landscaping that looks terrible and will die soon (palm trees??? Really????).

-Giant trash castles that are finished in bargain-basement builders’ crap. The quantity over quality places.

-No yards because of monstrosity footprints. Who wants green space when you can breathe plastic composites and cement board fiber all day!?

-Inability to be harmonious with the surroundings. Your faux French castle might look good in France. It looks bad bad bad on a .25 acre lot next to WWI shacks.

-Foyers with stupid compass designs inlaid in the floor. I don’t care what direction North is, where is the bathroom? You’re not Christopher Columbus and the foyer isn’t setting out to discover new lands.

-Oddly shaped and dissimilar windows and dormers that look like they were all bought from different liquidation sales and stuck onto your house to be fancy.

-That disgusting chalk-colored pink brick that makes it look like your house is crying.

-Coffered ceilings in rooms where they don’t make sense.

Damn, what DO you like? lol.

Being an architectural snob.

-np

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New builds are more typically found in the exurbs and suburban areas with a lot of ugly old teardowns, not desirable close-in neighborhoods. Many people would rather live close in, in an older home, due to reasons of commute, and housing prices reflect that.

Lol no they don't.want to live in an old beat up shack thats worth maybe 150k anywhere else. They do it solely for location. Period.

Stop trying to justify your shitty decision on others.

You seem furious that people have different preferences than you.

Far flung commutes are strongly correlated with premature deaths. We bought an older house in NW DC because we didn't want to spend our life in a car. It will literally kill you quicker. And yes, it's much smaller that our in-laws' house in the further reaches of Bethesda. But we are also a lot less stressed than they are, as they rush to do drop-offs/pick-up and fight the traffic. An accident on the road or a flat tire completely derails their week; I've seen it happen.

Further, all of us are dealing with house maintenance issues, whether its a circa 1920s DC rowhouse or circa 1960s Bethesda rambler. It's the nature of housing in this region.

The only nice new builds in this region are architect designed homes built with high-end materials and specialized labor. That's not the McCraftsmen you're seeing sprout up in Bethesda and Arlington. We have friends who own a few of these McCraftsman new builds and they are literally just giant homes. Some already have issues with mold, water damage, and soil shifting. It's a mixed bag when you buy a spec house.

+1 My 1920s home cost 800K less than my neighbor's new build, and my neighbor had to pay mortgage carrying costs for a year during construction. And they had a major roof issue. With the money I saved, I'm not house poor, and we've never had a roof issue.

[Anonymous]

I have a 1940's cape because I wanted to live close-in to DC, and I don't have $1.5M+ to spend on a house. I like my house. I'm not jealous of the new builds.

I love a really good new build. And by "good" I mean "has an actual architectural style", not a mish-mash of random design features. I like a new build that fits the lot and doesn't tower over the surrounding houses, looking out of place. For me, the ideal would be a brand new house that looked old and had old architectural details (floors, doors, moldings, built-ins, etc.), but had all new systems - new plumbing, new electrical, new HVAC, new energy-efficient appliances and windows.

My neighborhood currently is about 25% original houses, 50% added-on houses and 25% infill new builds. The new builds are a mixed bag. Some of them are absolutely gorgeous. A few are horrid. Then again, some of the old builds are gorgeous and some are ugly. (crappy 80's colonials and 70's split levels, I'm looking at you.) There are also a smattering of very modern new builds, which fascinate me, though they don't really fit the neighborhood all that well. I kind of like those too.