Why do people in the DC area hate newer and larger homes?

[Anonymous]

I live in a beautiful Victorian on Capitol Hill. Wouldn't trade it for all the mansions in Virginia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People in the DC area love newer and larger homes. That's why there are so many teardowns in DC and the close-in suburbs and new developments further out.

There are a few fanatics on DCUM who hate them. Their days aren't complete until they've started a new thread where they can talk about "craftsmanship," "taste" and "aesthetics," their linguistic security blankets.

Those people should not be confused with the majority of the population.

I'm only concerned about walkability .

Go!

[Anonymous]

If you could tease the new construction apart from location and size, you'd probably find that most people like new houses, big closets, central air, all that stuff. But most of us want to live closer to work, and yes, it's nice if you can walk or bike to some things. I don't think most people confuse their housing preferences with religion or politics.

What do you care, OP? Everything in DC is moving, new, old, teardown, empty lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I live in a beautiful Victorian on Capitol Hill. Wouldn't trade it for all the mansions in Virginia.

What about beautiful Victorians in Virginia?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love in a very comfortable, big enough 1960s house in a neighborhood slowly being filled with new houses. The house don't bother me as much as the people who buy them. They, not the houses, have ruined our neighborhood.

What did they do to ruin the neighborhood? Add landscaping?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love in a very comfortable, big enough 1960s house in a neighborhood slowly being filled with new houses. The house don't bother me as much as the people who buy them. They, not the houses, have ruined our neighborhood.

What did they do to ruin the neighborhood? Add landscaping?

Well, it is certainly not the piss poor attitudes of the bitter old house owners that are ruining the neighborhood, that's for sure!

Sarcasm.

If you don't like it, leave. If you can't afford to leave, then STFU. No one cares about you and your uneducated criticisms of new construction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People in the DC area love newer and larger homes. That's why there are so many teardowns in DC and the close-in suburbs and new developments further out.

There are a few fanatics on DCUM who hate them. Their days aren't complete until they've started a new thread where they can talk about "craftsmanship," "taste" and "aesthetics," their linguistic security blankets.

Those people should not be confused with the majority of the population.

I'm only concerned about walkability .

Go!

There's a widespread desire for walkability. However, when push comes to shove, most will trade it for space and good schools if they have families. DCUM skews towards people who can afford it all, or who will not sacrifice walkability even if it means a crappy house or lousy schools. It is not a representative group, and posts here seem to drive some people who don't realize that crazy, at least until they have a chance to check recent sales data and see how quickly reasonably priced homes in car-dependent areas with good schools get snapped up.

[Anonymous]

jealousy - plain and simple.

jealous that newer homes have open floor plans, are well insulated, have 2 car garages, real basements, large closets, cook top vents that vent OUT, new plumbing, efficient windows and HVAC....

By the way, I don't live in a newer home because I want to live inside the beltway and cannot afford a new home in Bethesda or Chevy Chase....so I live in a tiny, drafty house "with charm"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:jealousy - plain and simple.

jealous that newer homes have open floor plans, are well insulated, have 2 car garages, real basements, large closets, cook top vents that vent OUT, new plumbing, efficient windows and HVAC....

By the way, I don't live in a newer home because I want to live inside the beltway and cannot afford a new home in Bethesda or Chevy Chase....so I live in a tiny, drafty house "with charm"

it cracks me up that people generally are referring to crappy inefficient 50s-70s houses when referring to "old" houses around here. NOT well built, not efficient and not safe. My house was built in 1979 and is not well built. It is going to take some time to update it the way I like. New windows and new interior doors to start.

[Anonymous]

I like pre-WWII houses. I like the design, I like the layouts, I like the real masonry, I like the beautiful detailing, I like the plaster walls and solid doors. I like the cross ventilation and the placement of windows on all four sides, flooding the house with light. Find me a new house built with real masonry, real plaster and lathe, old growth wood floors and doors, stained wood trim, glass door knobs, little nooks and crannies, built-ins, and lots of windows (no big windowless exterior walls please) and I would happily live in it as long as it was NOT a completely open floor plan.

FYI, many pre-WWII houses are actually quite large - they were built for large families. Maybe not 6000-10,000 sq ft, but personally that size house holds no attraction to me.
I have no need of a house bigger than 3000 sq ft. And unless I'm living in a rowhouse, I don't want my house to be bumping up to the neighbor's, so I'd prefer a smaller house surrounded by a nice sized yard than a bigger house where you can practically reach out the window and touch the house next door.

So there's your answer from me. I don't go around bashing new, big houses, but since you asked why I don't love and covet one, there you go. It has nothing to do with "jealousy" (pffft) and everything to do with my own personal taste. Also, I like the established feel of my pre-war neighborhood. You can't get that feeling in a brand new development - it takes time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like pre-WWII houses. I like the design, I like the layouts, I like the real masonry, I like the beautiful detailing, I like the plaster walls and solid doors. I like the cross ventilation and the placement of windows on all four sides, flooding the house with light. Find me a new house built with real masonry, real plaster and lathe, old growth wood floors and doors, stained wood trim, glass door knobs, little nooks and crannies, built-ins, and lots of windows (no big windowless exterior walls please) and I would happily live in it as long as it was NOT a completely open floor plan.

FYI, many pre-WWII houses are actually quite large - they were built for large families. Maybe not 6000-10,000 sq ft, but personally that size house holds no attraction to me.
I have no need of a house bigger than 3000 sq ft. And unless I'm living in a rowhouse, I don't want my house to be bumping up to the neighbor's, so I'd prefer a smaller house surrounded by a nice sized yard than a bigger house where you can practically reach out the window and touch the house next door.

So there's your answer from me. I don't go around bashing new, big houses, but since you asked why I don't love and covet one, there you go. It has nothing to do with "jealousy" (pffft) and everything to do with my own personal taste. Also, I like the established feel of my pre-war neighborhood. You can't get that feeling in a brand new development - it takes time.

Most older homes in this area lost their period details if they ever had them to begin with.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I like pre-WWII houses. I like the design, I like the layouts, I like the real masonry, I like the beautiful detailing, I like the plaster walls and solid doors. I like the cross ventilation and the placement of windows on all four sides, flooding the house with light. Find me a new house built with real masonry, real plaster and lathe, old growth wood floors and doors, stained wood trim, glass door knobs, little nooks and crannies, built-ins, and lots of windows (no big windowless exterior walls please) and I would happily live in it as long as it was NOT a completely open floor plan.

FYI, many pre-WWII houses are actually quite large - they were built for large families. Maybe not 6000-10,000 sq ft, but personally that size house holds no attraction to me.
I have no need of a house bigger than 3000 sq ft. And unless I'm living in a rowhouse, I don't want my house to be bumping up to the neighbor's, so I'd prefer a smaller house surrounded by a nice sized yard than a bigger house where you can practically reach out the window and touch the house next door.

So there's your answer from me. I don't go around bashing new, big houses, but since you asked why I don't love and covet one, there you go. It has nothing to do with "jealousy" (pffft) and everything to do with my own personal taste. Also, I like the established feel of my pre-war neighborhood. You can't get that feeling in a brand new development - it takes time.

Most older homes in this area lost their period details if they ever had them to begin with.

They haven't lost the exterior walls built of real masonry, or the interior plaster & lathe walls, and probably not the solid doors and the nice door handles and backplates. Or the nice placement of windows. Or the old wood floors.

[Anonymous]

I lived in a 1940s home for a few years. It was totally redone, but there were drawbacks. It had a lot of piping problems and it could not handle cable tv in some of the rooms, no matter how much we had the wires worked on Comcast said the house was just too old. Quite frankly I don't get this mystique about older homes, cause I sure didn't feel any.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lived in a 1940s home for a few years. It was totally redone, but there were drawbacks. It had a lot of piping problems and it could not handle cable tv in some of the rooms, no matter how much we had the wires worked on Comcast said the house was just too old. Quite frankly I don't get this mystique about older homes, cause I sure didn't feel any.

that was a poor cable install back in the 80s, nothing to do with the original home. an electrician can pull new wire for you. or even DIY if you at all handy.

[Anonymous]

Haves vs have nots. The middle class is shrinking.