Why do people hate new builds?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am an architect and I just want to clarify a few things:

- the new builds people on here are talking about are in most cases extremely well constructed and energy efficient. The giant behemoth often uses less energy than much smaller '40's house.

- the ugliness is often not the architects fault. Often we will draw something proportionally correct only to have the developer change everything until it's a whitetrash monstrosity

- I personally believe neighbors should live and let live. Worry about your own house/yard and MYOB

That's easy to say until the developer has cut down a 200 year old tree to cram two enormous homes where once there was one. Blocking neighbors sunlight and killing their gardens.

Then buy the lot next door and quit your bitching.

THIS.

You say you have money, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate the new build next door to mine, since it completely doesn't fit the neighborhood (4x the size of every house here, on an 1/8th acre lot), isn't very attractive, was graded to funnel all rain water to MY yard and couldn't sell at list price so the project manager and her workmen moved in. It's not exactly my dream to live next to a bunch of random construction workers and their seven work vehicles in a neighborhood where the median house price is probably $900K.

I don't like giant, ugly, boxy new builds that aren't an actual architectural style. I don't mind many new builds. Some are quite nice. I'd buy new (in a recognizable architectural style, and not gigantic), if I could afford it in my chosen location.

Don't worry. In a few years, the old, smelly houses will be the minority in your neighborhood, like every other neighborhood.

You will be outnumbered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am an architect and I just want to clarify a few things:

- the new builds people on here are talking about are in most cases extremely well constructed and energy efficient. The giant behemoth often uses less energy than much smaller '40's house.

- the ugliness is often not the architects fault. Often we will draw something proportionally correct only to have the developer change everything until it's a whitetrash monstrosity

- I personally believe neighbors should live and let live. Worry about your own house/yard and MYOB

That's easy to say until the developer has cut down a 200 year old tree to cram two enormous homes where once there was one. Blocking neighbors sunlight and killing their gardens.

Then buy the lot next door and quit your bitching.

THIS.

You say you have money, right?

Don't be an idiot

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always love this debate on DCUM, from people in a city with no fashion sense who look like cookie cutter office dwellers in neutral uniforms, bad haircuts, and no makeup. But yet you are all arbiters of architectural "taste" and "aesthetics.". Give me a break.

^^Agreed. New construction and flips are tasteless and lack character in the DC area. I actually believe that the green designs and asthetic coming out of the Pacific Northwest will be the next big design wave (like arts and crafts or MCM). It's so functional, beautiful and conducive to living in this century.

Examples??

https://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/7316-12th-Ave-NW-98117/home/61440135?from_mobile_app=true

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always love this debate on DCUM, from people in a city with no fashion sense who look like cookie cutter office dwellers in neutral uniforms, bad haircuts, and no makeup. But yet you are all arbiters of architectural "taste" and "aesthetics.". Give me a break.

^^Agreed. New construction and flips are tasteless and lack character in the DC area. I actually believe that the green designs and asthetic coming out of the Pacific Northwest will be the next big design wave (like arts and crafts or MCM). It's so functional, beautiful and conducive to living in this century.

Examples??

https://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/7316-12th-Ave-NW-98117/home/61440135?from_mobile_app=true

We have those here and they don't sell well
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2504-Buckelew-Dr-Falls-Church-VA-22046/2124952705_zpid/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always love this debate on DCUM, from people in a city with no fashion sense who look like cookie cutter office dwellers in neutral uniforms, bad haircuts, and no makeup. But yet you are all arbiters of architectural "taste" and "aesthetics.". Give me a break.

^^Agreed. New construction and flips are tasteless and lack character in the DC area. I actually believe that the green designs and asthetic coming out of the Pacific Northwest will be the next big design wave (like arts and crafts or MCM). It's so functional, beautiful and conducive to living in this century.

Examples??

https://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/7316-12th-Ave-NW-98117/home/61440135?from_mobile_app=true

The homes only an architect could love, they basically look like coked up trailer homes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always love this debate on DCUM, from people in a city with no fashion sense who look like cookie cutter office dwellers in neutral uniforms, bad haircuts, and no makeup. But yet you are all arbiters of architectural "taste" and "aesthetics.". Give me a break.

^^Agreed. New construction and flips are tasteless and lack character in the DC area. I actually believe that the green designs and asthetic coming out of the Pacific Northwest will be the next big design wave (like arts and crafts or MCM). It's so functional, beautiful and conducive to living in this century.

Examples??

https://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/7316-12th-Ave-NW-98117/home/61440135?from_mobile_app=true

Gorgeous. Bit now show me examples that middle class mortals can afford at half that price point or less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always love this debate on DCUM, from people in a city with no fashion sense who look like cookie cutter office dwellers in neutral uniforms, bad haircuts, and no makeup. But yet you are all arbiters of architectural "taste" and "aesthetics.". Give me a break.

^^Agreed. New construction and flips are tasteless and lack character in the DC area. I actually believe that the green designs and asthetic coming out of the Pacific Northwest will be the next big design wave (like arts and crafts or MCM). It's so functional, beautiful and conducive to living in this century.

Examples??

https://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/7316-12th-Ave-NW-98117/home/61440135?from_mobile_app=true

We have those here and they don't sell well
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2504-Buckelew-Dr-Falls-Church-VA-22046/2124952705_zpid/

The FC home is nowhere near as nicely designed and decorated as the Seattle home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always love this debate on DCUM, from people in a city with no fashion sense who look like cookie cutter office dwellers in neutral uniforms, bad haircuts, and no makeup. But yet you are all arbiters of architectural "taste" and "aesthetics.". Give me a break.

^^Agreed. New construction and flips are tasteless and lack character in the DC area. I actually believe that the green designs and asthetic coming out of the Pacific Northwest will be the next big design wave (like arts and crafts or MCM). It's so functional, beautiful and conducive to living in this century.

Examples??

https://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/7316-12th-Ave-NW-98117/home/61440135?from_mobile_app=true

Gorgeous. Bit now show me examples that middle class mortals can afford at half that price point or less.

Lot Size: 3,750 Sq. Ft.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I don't like is that all new builds are McMansions or multifamily units. You don't see starter homes being built any longer and that sucks.

I see lots of condos being built

Condos are multifamily homes which I addressed. Starter homes that are HOUSES are no longer built. The best you can find are some from the 80's and most in this region seem to be from the 40's-70's. You can't buy a new small SFH.

You're right. So many developers are buying up older, smaller SFHs that a lot of families would love to live in and then tear them down/replace them with giant mansions for the wealthy. Sure, families can buy starter condos, but when so many people aren't buying until their mid-30s, a condo doesn't seem as attractive. Not to mention, a lot of people still want the ability to buy a small detached home, but are getting pushed farther out to do so. What happens is you end up with a bunch of rich people, renters, and manadated affordable housing in places like N. Arlington. Regular middle class families just aren't buying there anymore and I see other areas in N. Virginia going in that same direction.

+1 to all of this. We aren't poor, but we aren't in the $1m+ range either, and that's all we see being built. DH and I always wonder where all the buyers for these homes are coming from. How many rich people can there be!?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I don't like is that all new builds are McMansions or multifamily units. You don't see starter homes being built any longer and that sucks.

I see lots of condos being built

Condos are multifamily homes which I addressed. Starter homes that are HOUSES are no longer built. The best you can find are some from the 80's and most in this region seem to be from the 40's-70's. You can't buy a new small SFH.

You're right. So many developers are buying up older, smaller SFHs that a lot of families would love to live in and then tear them down/replace them with giant mansions for the wealthy. Sure, families can buy starter condos, but when so many people aren't buying until their mid-30s, a condo doesn't seem as attractive. Not to mention, a lot of people still want the ability to buy a small detached home, but are getting pushed farther out to do so. What happens is you end up with a bunch of rich people, renters, and manadated affordable housing in places like N. Arlington. Regular middle class families just aren't buying there anymore and I see other areas in N. Virginia going in that same direction.

+1 to all of this. We aren't poor, but we aren't in the $1m+ range either, and that's all we see being built. DH and I always wonder where all the buyers for these homes are coming from. How many rich people can there be!?

Density increases, you either have to livein a multi-unit housing or have a long commute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I don't like is that all new builds are McMansions or multifamily units. You don't see starter homes being built any longer and that sucks.

I see lots of condos being built

Condos are multifamily homes which I addressed. Starter homes that are HOUSES are no longer built. The best you can find are some from the 80's and most in this region seem to be from the 40's-70's. You can't buy a new small SFH.

You're right. So many developers are buying up older, smaller SFHs that a lot of families would love to live in and then tear them down/replace them with giant mansions for the wealthy. Sure, families can buy starter condos, but when so many people aren't buying until their mid-30s, a condo doesn't seem as attractive. Not to mention, a lot of people still want the ability to buy a small detached home, but are getting pushed farther out to do so. What happens is you end up with a bunch of rich people, renters, and manadated affordable housing in places like N. Arlington. Regular middle class families just aren't buying there anymore and I see other areas in N. Virginia going in that same direction.

But it's not like developers have a secret channel to buy these older, smaller SFHs. If the families looking for houses would love to live in them, why don't they buy them? Smaller homes regularly come up in my 22043 neighborhood, and Arlington is certainly full of them, as is McLean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What I don't like is that all new builds are McMansions or multifamily units. You don't see starter homes being built any longer and that sucks.

I see lots of condos being built

Condos are multifamily homes which I addressed. Starter homes that are HOUSES are no longer built. The best you can find are some from the 80's and most in this region seem to be from the 40's-70's. You can't buy a new small SFH.

You're right. So many developers are buying up older, smaller SFHs that a lot of families would love to live in and then tear them down/replace them with giant mansions for the wealthy. Sure, families can buy starter condos, but when so many people aren't buying until their mid-30s, a condo doesn't seem as attractive. Not to mention, a lot of people still want the ability to buy a small detached home, but are getting pushed farther out to do so. What happens is you end up with a bunch of rich people, renters, and manadated affordable housing in places like N. Arlington. Regular middle class families just aren't buying there anymore and I see other areas in N. Virginia going in that same direction.

But it's not like developers have a secret channel to buy these older, smaller SFHs. If the families looking for houses would love to live in them, why don't they buy them? Smaller homes regularly come up in my 22043 neighborhood, and Arlington is certainly full of them, as is McLean.

People do. Not every smaller home is a candidate for renovation/ updating. Some of the older homes in arlington can't be saved. I like seeing new construction in place of old derelict homes. You just hope it's a good design.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I always love this debate on DCUM, from people in a city with no fashion sense who look like cookie cutter office dwellers in neutral uniforms, bad haircuts, and no makeup. But yet you are all arbiters of architectural "taste" and "aesthetics.". Give me a break.

^^Agreed. New construction and flips are tasteless and lack character in the DC area. I actually believe that the green designs and asthetic coming out of the Pacific Northwest will be the next big design wave (like arts and crafts or MCM). It's so functional, beautiful and conducive to living in this century.

Examples??

https://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/7316-12th-Ave-NW-98117/home/61440135?from_mobile_app=true

Gorgeous. Bit now show me examples that middle class mortals can afford at half that price point or less.

https://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/9245-9th-Ave-NW-98117/home/101143?from_mobile_app=true

https://www.redfin.com/WA/Seattle/9048-15th-Ave-NW-98117/unit-A/home/62342258?from_mobile_app=true

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am an architect and I just want to clarify a few things:

- the new builds people on here are talking about are in most cases extremely well constructed and energy efficient. The giant behemoth often uses less energy than much smaller '40's house.

- the ugliness is often not the architects fault. Often we will draw something proportionally correct only to have the developer change everything until it's a whitetrash monstrosity

- I personally believe neighbors should live and let live. Worry about your own house/yard and MYOB

Please explain what happened here:
http://www.redfin.com/VA/Arlington/5213-26th-Rd-N-22207/home/11227675