Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh if I had a pet peeve with new builds it'd have to be new homes that are built on old lots, but the house is setback so far that there's practically zero backyard.

That's probably my #1 pet peeve. They look great from the front w/ a ton of curb appeal, but unless you wanna have a redneck BBQ or party in your front yard, it destroys the backyard.

Again, clearly most people don't care about a backyard and prefer more space inside (since the places are selling), but that's my personal pet peeve with a lot of new builds.

This is why we bought a lot and then hired a builder for the house. We wanted an actual yard, and felt that the 3,500 sq ft we got was more than adequate for our needs. If a builder had done a spec house on this lot, it probably would have been nearing 5,000 square feet, with hardly any yard. Instead, we have a nice-sized patio, swing seat, separate fire pit area, and room for the kids to play soccer.

Land is expensive - building (even building well), is cheap by comparison.

If you build 3500 SF when you could have built 5,000, it is highly likely that you destroyed value.

How did they "destroy" value, as opposed to just not maximizing it?

Another owner may add an addition on the back but it would've been better to build a house that was the same size as the new builds in the neighborhood.

There's no such thing as "better". Every family decides what's better for them. If a 5,000 sqft house doesn't work for a particular family, it doesn't work.

People will one day look at the home and say... "Wow what a lovely home that a family cherished and grew their family in. And look! They have a wonderful outdoor space! Gosh, all of these terrible homes from the early 2000's have no green space. I really wish people at that time hadn't built over sized monstrosities"
Of course that will be decades from now, because it is their forever home- that they built to work for their family now.

We did something similar with our new build in North Arlington -- didn't maximize the size, just built something optimal for our family. We lived here for years before (starter home in young 20's) and building new was the option that made most sense for us versus moving.

We lived in a tiny house for years with teardowns and new builds and I appreciated what it has done for property values.

Downsides? While our two immediate neighbors were happy with our new home, and happy for our growing family -- some in the neighborhood have displayed resentment. Some older residents resent the more affluent, younger newcomers and the higher property tax as teardowns continue to happen in our neighborhood.

Also -- one etiquette point for living in a neighborhood with varied housing (ours has townhouses, $1M+ new builds, small old houses like our previos 2BR 700 sfhouse).
When I attend neighborhood parties, it is a pet peeve when people ask *EXACTLY* where someone lives right after meeting them. If asked I'll say X Street and then get pressed for exactly where and which house. This bugged me when we had a tiny old house and it bugs me now that we have a gorgeous larger new home. The question strikes me as somewhat divisive when our neighborhood includes such a mix, the size of home is not one of first 2-3 interesting lor relevant things I'd want to know about a family when first meeting them.

Id like a custom stone house with a slate roof, copper gutters, a separate garage, an alleyway to the garage, and 1/4 acre backyard min.

Anonymous wrote:Yes! I would love an all brick custom home one day

This.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes! I would love an all brick custom home one day

+1000. Painted brick...a nice shade of light cream or pale grey...with big windows and a modern floor plan inside...

*wakes up, dream rudely interrupted*

Gasp! this sounds gorgeous

Anonymous wrote:

Great point. Also, they can't really put a limit of the kind of house built. Aside from zoning and variance. Even as someone who favors older, lived in properties - I wouldn't want the county doing that.

I would like the height of the house (and measured from actual ground level, not some sort of built-up berm deal) and the amount of lot coverage. Beyond that, I am willing to wince and walk on.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes! I would love an all brick custom home one day

+1000. Painted brick...a nice shade of light cream or pale grey...with big windows and a modern floor plan inside...

*wakes up, dream rudely interrupted*

Red door / black shutters


Heaven

Anonymous wrote:Yes! I would love an all brick custom home one day

+1000. Painted brick...a nice shade of light cream or pale grey...with big windows and a modern floor plan inside...

*wakes up, dream rudely interrupted*

Anonymous wrote:I really don't understand the fascination with paying over a half a million or more for a small crumbling shack. I just would never do it

I think that's a valid point of view. Some of the shacks in my community are too far gone, and were never attractive in their prime. The sellers will eventually come down to reality and realize they are selling the lot.

Anonymous wrote:Yes! I would love an all brick custom home one day

Ok. Yes to this. Very expensive, but it looks it. There are some nice looking custom builds that aren't brick, but it would be be my preference for sure. Someone had written on here the price difference when you go with brick. It was a huge deal.

I really don't understand the fascination with paying over a half a million or more for a small crumbling shack. I just would never do it

Why is there so much interest in what other people can afford? If you don't live in that house, you shouldn't care. Grow up.

Yes! I would love an all brick custom home one day

It depends on what's being built. You can have a custom colonial or craftsman style home built and I think they're lovely. But I don't like the "contemporary" new builds that are typically put up in bulk by developers. I *really* don't like seeing garages as a major architectual feature of the house. Hide that shit behind the house, lol.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/01/29/37-renovations/


"But it is important to note that white people have little or no interest in renovating a suburban home built after 1960 (except in Southern California). All white people dream about buying an older property (“with character”) in a city, and then renovating it so the insides look all modern with a stainless steel fridge."

Dear lord. I am so white. My pinterest board is nothing but renovated farm houses.

Haha - me too!

Anonymous wrote:http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/01/29/37-renovations/


"But it is important to note that white people have little or no interest in renovating a suburban home built after 1960 (except in Southern California). All white people dream about buying an older property (“with character”) in a city, and then renovating it so the insides look all modern with a stainless steel fridge."