Anonymous wrote:The reason they're not brick all the way around is that the brick is just another siding, not actually part of the structure of the house.

Older homes with bump-out additions have this problem, too. There's only so much landscaping can do.

Unless you do your addition in brick, which we did.

The reason they're not brick all the way around is that the brick is just another siding, not actually part of the structure of the house.

Older homes with bump-out additions have this problem, too. There's only so much landscaping can do.

Anonymous wrote:i was shocked when i moved to this area and saw beautiful brick homes that were siding on the side and the back. There are a lot of very, very nice houses (say $900+) in my general area that are like this. I personally think it is ugly and so different from where I grew up (brick all around on sizable houses), but I had come to the conclusion it must be a 'regionally acceptable' thing here...given the size and expense of the houses I saw them on here.

I love my smaller all brick house and much prefer it to a bigger home with siding on 3 sides.

i was shocked when i moved to this area and saw beautiful brick homes that were siding on the side and the back. There are a lot of very, very nice houses (say $900+) in my general area that are like this. I personally think it is ugly and so different from where I grew up (brick all around on sizable houses), but I had come to the conclusion it must be a 'regionally acceptable' thing here...given the size and expense of the houses I saw them on here.

Anonymous wrote:
It is not nonsense. It is true. Sure, you can bring up outliers like the beautiful homes in Wards 7 & 8 that are now surrounded by crime infested neighborhoods but those houses are still more beautiful than any vinyl sided house in Assburn or (gag) Fairfax.

I admire your aesthetic. It takes a certain talent to look past the pathology that exists in many parts of DC and compare them favorably to Ashburn and Fairfax.

Perhaps you envision a 2062 where happy, stable families will crowd the once-shuttered elementary schools in Wards 7 & 8, while low-wage workers are exiled to Fair Lakes and Ashburn, like so many struggling Tunisians and Senegalese living in the outskirts of Paris.

For those of us with less vision, and finite life expectancies, we'll endure a bit of vinyl in the DC burbs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you lived in a better neighborhood it would be a non-issue.

Do the people who post this nonsense just have nothing to do all day? Or is it one person who posts over and over again? Areas where all sides of the homes look nice include most of Wards 7 and 8 in DC. Fairfax County has the largest % of homes I've seen with nice fronts and crappy backs. Is Ward 8 "better" than Fairfax?

It is not nonsense. It is true. Sure, you can bring up outliers like the beautiful homes in Wards 7 & 8 that are now surrounded by crime infested neighborhoods but those houses are still more beautiful than any vinyl sided house in Assburn or (gag) Fairfax.

But it is true that in Europe they take this more seriously. Even the nicest older homes here can be funny looking from the back. I was in Germany and amazed at how the town houses there looked in the back, the back yards were prettier because the house was pretty..

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you lived in a better neighborhood it would be a non-issue.

Do the people who post this nonsense just have nothing to do all day? Or is it one person who posts over and over again? Areas where all sides of the homes look nice include most of Wards 7 and 8 in DC. Fairfax County has the largest % of homes I've seen with nice fronts and crappy backs. Is Ward 8 "better" than Fairfax?

It is not nonsense. It is true. Sure, you can bring up outliers like the beautiful homes in Wards 7 & 8 that are now surrounded by crime infested neighborhoods but those houses are still more beautiful than any vinyl sided house in Assburn or (gag) Fairfax.

You can always get a home that looks nice in the back as well as the front, if you're willing to pay for it.

The people who buy houses that are brick on the front only put their money where their values lie -- in impressing the people who drive by.

Anonymous wrote:I wish that builders would take this into consideration. I saw many lakeside homes in Europe where the back was just as pretty as the front and I always wanted that look. Windows just as large as the front, brick in the back and large framed doorways.
I spend more time in my back yard than in the front.

I doubt Toll Brothers is building lakeside homes in Europe.

It's mullet time!

Anonymous wrote:If you lived in a better neighborhood it would be a non-issue.

Do the people who post this nonsense just have nothing to do all day? Or is it one person who posts over and over again? Areas where all sides of the homes look nice include most of Wards 7 and 8 in DC. Fairfax County has the largest % of homes I've seen with nice fronts and crappy backs. Is Ward 8 "better" than Fairfax?

If you lived in a better neighborhood it would be a non-issue.

Yes, the demand for vinyl boxes outweighs the demand for more all around architecturally pleasing ones. If people could settle for a 3000SF house with quality exteriors instead of 6000SF of vinyl, we'd be set.

Builders would be happy to take this into consideration if people would pay for it. Unfortunately, tract home buyers will not. Custom home builders/buyers often do.

I wish that builders would take this into consideration. I saw many lakeside homes in Europe where the back was just as pretty as the front and I always wanted that look. Windows just as large as the front, brick in the back and large framed doorways.
I spend more time in my back yard than in the front.