Anonymous wrote:I hate that textured stuff they put in new houses (and promptly paint stark white). Looks like the interior of a Holiday Inn Express and it costs a FORTUNE to replace.

Not sure what you're referring to. You mean textured interior walls?

NP here. We live in a close-in, infill house which has some of the features mentioned earlier. We didn't choose these features; we bought because of the neighborhood. Some features we like, and others we wish our house didn't have:

--LOVE pavers. Certainly prettier than concrete or asphalt.
--Don't love Hardiplank, but it is the sturdiest choice, cost-benefit-wise
--Dislike 2-story foyers; wish ours didn't have it, but it wasn't a deal-breaker
--Understand why others don't like WTW carpeting, but on an individual level, I like it--to me, hardwood floors are cold and unappealing, whereas I find carpet warmer and cozier. Since we realize that most people prefer hardwood, though, we installed carpet over hardwood flooring throughout, so for resale we have the hardwood.
--We have a formal living room and dining room in front, which we use everyday, although not for those purposes (turned dining room into office/homework area; living room into music room where three DCs practice their respective instruments); am delighted to have those dedicated spaces instead of having to turn the family room into a room for those purposes
--Have no idea what kind of windows we have

I hate that textured stuff they put in new houses (and promptly paint stark white). Looks like the interior of a Holiday Inn Express and it costs a FORTUNE to replace.

Anonymous wrote:Garage doors in the front are efficient use of space and easiest to drive in and out from requiring the least amount of space and turns. They are logical but not always aesthetically pleasing. I am an engineer

As a student of urban planning, I disagree with this view point because this comment about "efficiency" is devoid of the human and social context of homes. When garages, rather than welcoming front porches, assume the largest focal point of the front of the home, the emphasis is upon the car-dependent commute, and not upon the human interaction of homes on a street. (Historically, garages were only placed in the front of the home when suburbs exploded in the US in the 50s and 60s.) In older neighborhoods, garages were placed behind the home with the garage door facing an alley. Trash cans were picked up by garbage trucks in the back alley. Front facades of homes often had generous, sometimes covered, porches with seating areas and sidewalks to encourage interaction with neighbors.

Besides, talking about space efficiency is ridiculous when people believe that a family of 4 "needs" a home larger than 2000 sq ft.

Anonymous wrote:pp, I must agree w/ the engineer. Not that you have to be one to know that there is a balance between form and function. I would rather see garage doors than see stuck on shutters (no function, questionable form).

I'd rather have/see neither.

pp, I must agree w/ the engineer. Not that you have to be one to know that there is a balance between form and function. I would rather see garage doors than see stuck on shutters (no function, questionable form).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Garage doors on the front of a house is utterly HIDEOUS and tacky. The garage doors can NOT be on the front of a house.

Hate all to wall2wall carpet (crapet). Having a mice carpet (like a pretty wool Stark) bound and used as an area rug or cut to a rooms dimensions with a few feet of wood flooring showing in a border is very pretty though.

And, of course the houses with an more $$ material on front (brick or stone) and nasty siding on the other 3 sides. Also, too much mixed material on the outside of a home (stone and brick and clapboard and raw deck wood etc....).

Drywall. Sadly though its unavoidable these days. Our houses have all had plaster walls but you can not avoid drywall if there is an addition or renovation.

Low ceilings

Most of this stuff is only found on new houses and I (usually only) like older house.

Agree w/ most of this except that some lots are not big enough to have garage doors elsewhere. If they are made of wood they are not an eyesore.
Don't mean to get all shaker practical, but what is the point of the 2 feet of floor showing.
Ceiling heights are going up again.

If my lot were that small or awkward, I would prefer no car garage at all and a separate mini-garage in back for bikes, sports gear, etc... Any Engineering PP, yes, of course that is why they do it but it doesnt excuse/mitigate the awful appearance. Use that engineering degree to try another option.

I hate glass block.
I hate columns on the front of a house.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please, all you PPs with such highclass taste: post pictures of your own stunning abodes so we can all bask in your glory.

Well, I dont have a picture of my house on my computer (really, who does?) but it is a 1900s American Four Square in NWDC and it is gorgeous and not too big, not too small, with an appropriate addition and updated bathrooms and kitchen, nice big yard, detached garage in back, basically the perfect house IMHO BUT that doesnt mean I would expect you to think so. If you live a new house with faux brick front and two big garage doors and vinyl siding on all the rest with a big fat deck off the back, and lots of nylon pile wall to wall, and you are happy with it, then great for you. That is why there are so many different kinds of architecture and neighborhoods and interior design styles. I have yet to see anyone use the word "class" besides you.

That's your opinion many of us younger families want size effeciency and the modern look. It doesn't have anything to do with class. Also there is a reason why your homes are no longer being built because they are last century out of style.

Actually you are wrong on at least 2 counts. 1.) Many of "us younger families" love classic style homes with character and size-efficiency. 2.) Houses that look exactly like mine ARE being newly built and are one of the more expensive style of new house you can buy- both out in the far flung suburbs of Loudon County and closer to town as replacements for tear-down-split-levels and as in-fills. In fact, its quite the popular "new" style because it is so attractive and has stood the "test of time".

I also appreciate and genuinely like some modern architecture and design but not for my personal space and home. I also do not equate the materials I earlier noted that I dislike with true "modern design".

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please, all you PPs with such highclass taste: post pictures of your own stunning abodes so we can all bask in your glory.

Well, I dont have a picture of my house on my computer (really, who does?) but it is a 1900s American Four Square in NWDC and it is gorgeous and not too big, not too small, with an appropriate addition and updated bathrooms and kitchen, nice big yard, detached garage in back, basically the perfect house IMHO BUT that doesnt mean I would expect you to think so. If you live a new house with faux brick front and two big garage doors and vinyl siding on all the rest with a big fat deck off the back, and lots of nylon pile wall to wall, and you are happy with it, then great for you. That is why there are so many different kinds of architecture and neighborhoods and interior design styles. I have yet to see anyone use the word "class" besides you.

That's your opinion many of us younger families want size effeciency and the modern look. It doesn't have anything to do with class. Also there is a reason why your homes are no longer being built because they are last century out of style.

Anonymous wrote:Please, all you PPs with such highclass taste: post pictures of your own stunning abodes so we can all bask in your glory.

Well, I dont have a picture of my house on my computer (really, who does?) but it is a 1900s American Four Square in NWDC and it is gorgeous and not too big, not too small, with an appropriate addition and updated bathrooms and kitchen, nice big yard, detached garage in back, basically the perfect house IMHO BUT that doesnt mean I would expect you to think so. If you live a new house with faux brick front and two big garage doors and vinyl siding on all the rest with a big fat deck off the back, and lots of nylon pile wall to wall, and you are happy with it, then great for you. That is why there are so many different kinds of architecture and neighborhoods and interior design styles. I have yet to see anyone use the word "class" besides you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's one thing to have opinions about what you like and it's quite another to let it eliminate a good house. If you're on this list, you're probably looking at houses that cost $500k or more. Stuck on shutters and pavers seem like really cheap things to fix. If you fall in love with a house you might be willing to pay $10k or more to fix these problems.

For me, I don't like wall to wall carpet, granite counter tops, dark kitchen cabinets and upstairs laundry rooms.

Upstairs laundry rooms are the best!!

How important is this. We are debating first floor vs 2nd

Anonymous wrote:So far this thread has been dominated by the post-1980 crowd. Knock yourselves out, but I live in town and here is what I hate:

A lovely red brick Colonial from 1928 made from real, $$$ material (slate, brick-thru walls, old-growth wood, etc). And what's that cancer incongruously tacked onto the side, back, and jutting out of the 3rd floor? Why, yes, is a super cheap addition made from all the shitty cheap Home Depot-grade materials you can think of.

It's really important that the cheap addition (which contains granite or marble countertops, I -guarantee- that splurge) be Optic, blinding white. Why: so it contrasts as much as possible with the patina on the red brick and tan stone of the original house.

ITA

Anonymous wrote:Garage doors on the front of a house is utterly HIDEOUS and tacky. The garage doors can NOT be on the front of a house.

Hate all to wall2wall carpet (crapet). Having a mice carpet (like a pretty wool Stark) bound and used as an area rug or cut to a rooms dimensions with a few feet of wood flooring showing in a border is very pretty though.

And, of course the houses with an more $$ material on front (brick or stone) and nasty siding on the other 3 sides. Also, too much mixed material on the outside of a home (stone and brick and clapboard and raw deck wood etc....).

Drywall. Sadly though its unavoidable these days. Our houses have all had plaster walls but you can not avoid drywall if there is an addition or renovation.

Low ceilings

Most of this stuff is only found on new houses and I (usually only) like older house.

Agree w/ most of this except that some lots are not big enough to have garage doors elsewhere. If they are made of wood they are not an eyesore.
Don't mean to get all shaker practical, but what is the point of the 2 feet of floor showing.
Ceiling heights are going up again.

Garage doors in the front are efficient use of space and easiest to drive in and out from requiring the least amount of space and turns. They are logical but not always aesthetically pleasing. I am an engineer