People Are Calling Out How Poorly Made Modern Homes Are

[3catcircus]

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]

"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]

Building to "Code" is the minimum standard!

[Platapus]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[Skybird]

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]

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.