People Are Calling Out How Poorly Made Modern Homes Are

Onkel Neal · 11-17-21, 09:13 AM

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/peop...213102155.html

Haha, yes! I actually saw some of my own thoughts reflected in the article. As someone who studies house design and construction, there have been many things I have scratched my head over, glad I am not the only one.

4."No broom closets. Where the hell do people put their mops and vacuum cleaners?"

7."Open concept bathrooms. I don’t need to see you taking a dump from my bed."

10."Removing stair banisters for a crisp look. Like, your drunk friend Brooks is going to fall off the side and die one day. There are building codes for a reason."

3catcircus · 11-17-21, 10:10 AM

It's not even the aesthetics. Why are builders allowed to get away with using OSB instead of 3/4 ply or actual barn board planks, for example? I don't care that "it's good enough to meet code." I want it to not blow away in a stiff breeze.

Other very very simple things that require work but are worth it:

1. having a central supply manifold for the plumbing with the ability to isolate each room - sure, put isolation valves near the faucet, shower, and toilet - but having one location where everything is labeled is more convenient than trying to pop off a facade or break through drywall in the event of a leak to get to the isolation valve.

2. having a maintenance room with ability to access things easily rather than a tiny little closet or having to go to a crawlspace to service the furnace or hot water heater.

3. Explain to me again why we nail drywall to studs where we then have to mud and tape instead of having the ability to mount them on brackets that could attach to the studs, making them easy to remove. I'm thinking fire-rated equivalents to the mounting methods used for cubicle walls. Now - I can confirm that I won't be accidentally putting a hole in a pipe when I go to hang that picture frame. I can fish speaker wires without having to fish them. You get the idea.

4. Explain to me why electrical distribution panels are never properly labeled and why they are always just barely above the requirement. Give me 200 amp service even if I only use 100 amps worth of loads. Make the breakers big enough. I don't need to have the breaker trip for the kitchen outlets when I use the electric kettle at the same time as the toaster oven.

iambecomelife · 11-17-21, 10:34 AM

"I don't care that "it's good enough to meet code." I want it to not blow away in a stiff breeze."

When I was a kid in 1989, Hurricane Hugo collapsed the condos under construction a quarter mile from our own condo's. This should never have happened, because we lived far inland and the hurricane had weakened to about 40-50 mph gusts, at the most.

They were in the same development and the exact same type of building as our home ... flimsy siding, wood like toothpicks, and tissue-paper insulation panels that you could easily stick your hand through. Gives you a nice feeling, eh?

Fortunately no one was hurt, because they were still under construction and all the workers had left bc of the storm. But after that, it was kind of white knuckle moment whenever our county got a tornado or storm warning.

Glad my folks no longer live there, and I live in a sturdy tower on the "Left Coast" these days.

Jeff-Groves · 11-17-21, 11:11 AM

Building to "Code" is the minimum standard!

Skybird · 11-17-21, 11:13 AM

My all time favourite issue with modern houses: in the basement somebody knocks on the wall, and four floors upwards somebody else says "Come in."

Also: the cold, soul-less, hostile-to-Gemütlichkeit, ice-cold looks of modern architecture. Looks that are so sharp that you can slit your wrists with them.

I demand three things to define a fine drey for me: protection/defence, solidity, Heimeligkeit (Coziness? Homeliness?) What I do not like is modern houses with wide open windows from the ceiling to the floor that give the inhabitants the feeling to be goldfish in a glass. Walls made of glass. Terrible.

A small medieval castle is fine with me. Or a badger's burrow with a periscope.

AVGWarhawk · 11-17-21, 12:24 PM

The reason this happens is people accept it. Just like we accept a program with bugs. We now get programs loaded with bugs. In my county builders will drop a home on any spit of land. There are homes whos front doors are 10 feet from the side of the home next to them. People buy these homes. There are homes built but 20 feet from the backyard of the home in front. The back homes front door opens in to the neighbors backyard. People buy them.

There is a good reason for building codes.

Platapus · 11-17-21, 05:21 PM

When we had our previous house built we were amazed at how cheap everything was... except for the price of the house.

Our home inspector found so many code violation it was not even funny.

As he and other building inspectors have told me, if a builder can save $0.50 on something it adds up.

Armistead · 11-17-21, 06:16 PM

When you go with the low bidder today it's usually trouble. They'll cut every corner to make up cost and many that will never turn up until later. I remember at about 20 years ago doing building estimation most all bidders were within 10% of each other, if someone came in much lower their bid was tossed out. Today, bids can be a 50% spread and the low bid always wins, commercial or residential

ET2SN · 11-17-21, 07:38 PM

Oh great, another "people are saying.." thread.

Look, over-pay for your property (which is never really yours), get something slapped together at the lowest possible price, insure it at the bare minimums, then sue like crazy when it falls down and start all over again. Or, flip it so you lose a little (for your taxes) and find a couple of re-fi's to cover your travel expenses.

JUST LIKE THE REST OF US.

Seriously, do you think you're special?

August · 11-17-21, 09:09 PM

Thirteen years ago I bought a house that was built in 1969 and now it's worth about twice what I paid for it. With my new job allowing me to work from home the wife and I are thinking of selling and moving up to Maine a few years early.

nikimcbee · 11-17-21, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by August

Thirteen years ago I bought a house that was built in 1969 and now it's worth about twice what I paid for it. With my new job allowing me to work from home the wife and I are thinking of selling and moving up to Maine a few years early.

Wait Wut? New job? Maine? What about Gronk?

Are you moving into your cabin?

August · 11-18-21, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

Wait Wut? New job? Maine? What about Gronk?

Are you moving into your cabin?

I got a promotion at work to Project Estimator. They tell me I can work from home if I want which unleashes me from Massachusetts. As long as I have access to the internet and a Staples or similar printer fairly close by I can now live anywhere. So we were thinking of accelerating the retirement move up to Maine. It'd be nice not to have to wait until i'm 70. Not intending to live in that old cabin though. We'll probably buy an interim place nearby to live while we're building the new house.

nikimcbee · 11-20-21, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by August

I got a promotion at work to Project Estimator. They tell me I can work from home if I want which unleashes me from Massachusetts. As long as I have access to the internet and a Staples or similar printer fairly close by I can now live anywhere. So we were thinking of accelerating the retirement move up to Maine. It'd be nice not to have to wait until i'm 70. Not intending to live in that old cabin though. We'll probably buy an interim place nearby to live while we're building the new house.

Well, that's totally cool! No Florida then? I guess that's a NY thing? lol No work from home for me as I'm a process tech and have to make samples for the engineers. So is Maine the least expensive place to live in New England? What about New Hampshire?

One of these days, I'm going to make it down to Old Sturbridge village or Fall River, but it is a bit of a drive. Maybe before the snow. OSV looks like the place to be for Patriots Day, if the snow is gone?

My place of employment has a lot invested in me, so there's no jumping ship, but I could go be a ranger at the Saratoga Battlefield, since I'm not too far from there.

August · 11-20-21, 05:30 PM

Not just a New York thing as plenty of New Englanders move to southern climes in their sunset years, but not Mrs August and I, we like the winter.

Best place to be on Patriots day IMO is at Concord Bridge. If you're real hard core you can start the day at nearby Lexington Green at the crack of dawn to see the reenactment of the Shot Heard Round the World then head over to the bridge afterwards for the reenactment of the main battle.

As for taxes remember that New Hampshire doesn't have an income tax so they make up for it with huge property taxes. North of 2% I believe. Conversely my 100 acres up in Maine costs me less than $500 per year which is like .005% or something.

11-17-21, 09:13 AM	#1
Onkel Neal Born to Run Silent Join Date: Jan 1997 Location: Cougar Trap, Texas Posts: 21,302 Downloads: 534 Uploads: 224	People Are Calling Out How Poorly Made Modern Homes Are https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/peop...213102155.html Haha, yes! I actually saw some of my own thoughts reflected in the article. As someone who studies house design and construction, there have been many things I have scratched my head over, glad I am not the only one. 4."No broom closets. Where the hell do people put their mops and vacuum cleaners?" 7."Open concept bathrooms. I don’t need to see you taking a dump from my bed." 10."Removing stair banisters for a crisp look. Like, your drunk friend Brooks is going to fall off the side and die one day. There are building codes for a reason." __________________ SUBSIM - 26 Years on the Web

11-17-21, 10:34 AM	#3
iambecomelife Silent Hunter Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 4,597 Downloads: 297 Uploads: 0	"I don't care that "it's good enough to meet code." I want it to not blow away in a stiff breeze." When I was a kid in 1989, Hurricane Hugo collapsed the condos under construction a quarter mile from our own condo's. This should never have happened, because we lived far inland and the hurricane had weakened to about 40-50 mph gusts, at the most. They were in the same development and the exact same type of building as our home ... flimsy siding, wood like toothpicks, and tissue-paper insulation panels that you could easily stick your hand through. Gives you a nice feeling, eh? Fortunately no one was hurt, because they were still under construction and all the workers had left bc of the storm. But after that, it was kind of white knuckle moment whenever our county got a tornado or storm warning. Glad my folks no longer live there, and I live in a sturdy tower on the "Left Coast" these days. __________________ https://www.facebook.com/WolvesoftheKaiser/ Last edited by iambecomelife; 11-17-21 at 11:28 AM.

11-17-21, 11:13 AM	#5
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 40,745 Downloads: 9 Uploads: 0	My all time favourite issue with modern houses: in the basement somebody knocks on the wall, and four floors upwards somebody else says "Come in." Also: the cold, soul-less, hostile-to-Gemütlichkeit, ice-cold looks of modern architecture. Looks that are so sharp that you can slit your wrists with them. I demand three things to define a fine drey for me: protection/defence, solidity, Heimeligkeit (Coziness? Homeliness?) What I do not like is modern houses with wide open windows from the ceiling to the floor that give the inhabitants the feeling to be goldfish in a glass. Walls made of glass. Terrible. A small medieval castle is fine with me. Or a badger's burrow with a periscope. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

11-17-21, 12:24 PM	#6
AVGWarhawk Lucky Jack Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: In a 1954 Buick. Posts: 27,343 Downloads: 90 Uploads: 0	The reason this happens is people accept it. Just like we accept a program with bugs. We now get programs loaded with bugs. In my county builders will drop a home on any spit of land. There are homes whos front doors are 10 feet from the side of the home next to them. People buy these homes. There are homes built but 20 feet from the backyard of the home in front. The back homes front door opens in to the neighbors backyard. People buy them. There is a good reason for building codes. __________________ “You're painfully alive in a drugged and dying culture.” ― Richard Yates, Revolutionary Road

11-17-21, 05:21 PM	#7
Platapus Fleet Admiral Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19,000 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 0	When we had our previous house built we were amazed at how cheap everything was... except for the price of the house. Our home inspector found so many code violation it was not even funny. As he and other building inspectors have told me, if a builder can save $0.50 on something it adds up. __________________ abusus non tollit usum - A right should NOT be withheld from people on the basis that some tend to abuse that right.

11-17-21, 10:10 AM	#2
3catcircus Grey Wolf Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 955 Downloads: 247 Uploads: 0	It's not even the aesthetics. Why are builders allowed to get away with using OSB instead of 3/4 ply or actual barn board planks, for example? I don't care that "it's good enough to meet code." I want it to not blow away in a stiff breeze. Other very very simple things that require work but are worth it: 1. having a central supply manifold for the plumbing with the ability to isolate each room - sure, put isolation valves near the faucet, shower, and toilet - but having one location where everything is labeled is more convenient than trying to pop off a facade or break through drywall in the event of a leak to get to the isolation valve. 2. having a maintenance room with ability to access things easily rather than a tiny little closet or having to go to a crawlspace to service the furnace or hot water heater. 3. Explain to me again why we nail drywall to studs where we then have to mud and tape instead of having the ability to mount them on brackets that could attach to the studs, making them easy to remove. I'm thinking fire-rated equivalents to the mounting methods used for cubicle walls. Now - I can confirm that I won't be accidentally putting a hole in a pipe when I go to hang that picture frame. I can fish speaker wires without having to fish them. You get the idea. 4. Explain to me why electrical distribution panels are never properly labeled and why they are always just barely above the requirement. Give me 200 amp service even if I only use 100 amps worth of loads. Make the breakers big enough. I don't need to have the breaker trip for the kitchen outlets when I use the electric kettle at the same time as the toaster oven.

11-17-21, 11:11 AM	#4
Jeff-Groves Village Idiot Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 5,399 Downloads: 131 Uploads: 0	Building to "Code" is the minimum standard!

11-17-21, 06:16 PM	#8
Armistead Rear Admiral Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: on the Dan Posts: 10,865 Downloads: 364 Uploads: 0	When you go with the low bidder today it's usually trouble. They'll cut every corner to make up cost and many that will never turn up until later. I remember at about 20 years ago doing building estimation most all bidders were within 10% of each other, if someone came in much lower their bid was tossed out. Today, bids can be a 50% spread and the low bid always wins, commercial or residential __________________ You see my dog don't like people laughing. He gets the crazy idea you're laughing at him. Now if you apologize like I know you're going to, I might convince him that you really didn't mean it.

11-17-21, 07:38 PM	#9
ET2SN ET2/SS Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 2,565 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 0	Oh great, another "people are saying.." thread. Look, over-pay for your property (which is never really yours), get something slapped together at the lowest possible price, insure it at the bare minimums, then sue like crazy when it falls down and start all over again. Or, flip it so you lose a little (for your taxes) and find a couple of re-fi's to cover your travel expenses. JUST LIKE THE REST OF US. Seriously, do you think you're special?

11-17-21, 09:09 PM	#10
August Wayfaring Stranger Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 22,738 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Thirteen years ago I bought a house that was built in 1969 and now it's worth about twice what I paid for it. With my new job allowing me to work from home the wife and I are thinking of selling and moving up to Maine a few years early. __________________ Flanked by life and the funeral pyre. Putting on a show for you to see.

11-20-21, 05:30 PM	#14
August Wayfaring Stranger Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 22,738 Downloads: 0 Uploads: 0	Not just a New York thing as plenty of New Englanders move to southern climes in their sunset years, but not Mrs August and I, we like the winter. Best place to be on Patriots day IMO is at Concord Bridge. If you're real hard core you can start the day at nearby Lexington Green at the crack of dawn to see the reenactment of the Shot Heard Round the World then head over to the bridge afterwards for the reenactment of the main battle. As for taxes remember that New Hampshire doesn't have an income tax so they make up for it with huge property taxes. North of 2% I believe. Conversely my 100 acres up in Maine costs me less than $500 per year which is like .005% or something. __________________ Flanked by life and the funeral pyre. Putting on a show for you to see.