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.

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.

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.

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"

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!

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?

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.

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

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.