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I imagine they rope you in with seemingly cheap prices then rip you off on "extras" ? Like having the fireplace moved over costs some crazy amount, or X or Y extra appliance in the kitchen ends up costing twice what it should and little things like that? Like adding features to the base model of a car? Where I live pretty much every house is designed by an architect or at least a "building designer" to order for the client, who is either the future owner, or a developer who will sell the house to someone else. But they're pretty much all built and designed one at a time. Maybe sometimes a developer will buy up a big lot with one house and build 2-3 houses on it, or join 2 lots together and build 3 houses, stuff like that. I think it's mostly because the city is fully built out, there's no open land for developers to build huge tracts. But even in neighbouring very suburban towns that have huge sprawling developments they'll often have strict rules that you have to hire one of their approved architects if you want to build there, or they'll brag about how every house in their development is custom/unique. Probably a big difference is that the starting point for houses here is approaching a million dollars and people doing want copy pasted tract homes at that price.
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Jul 11, 2017 19:39
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Of course. Naturally the show home they give prospective buyers a tour of has all the most expensive options.
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Jul 11, 2017 19:43
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Baronjutter posted:I imagine they rope you in with seemingly cheap prices then rip you off on "extras" ? Like having the fireplace moved over costs some crazy amount, or X or Y extra appliance in the kitchen ends up costing twice what it should and little things like that? Like adding features to the base model of a car? Yeah it's pretty much the same where I live. Developing entire new neighborhoods is really rare, and when it's done it's almost always multifamily buildings, mostly those suburban semi-detached apartment buildings I think of as "termite mounds."
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Jul 11, 2017 19:50
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Baronjutter posted:I'm not 100% familiar with house building in the US but it sounds like you sometimes just buy into a big mass-produced development pre-build and choose some general options from some pre-selected plans? I imagine you can also pick some colour and trim and cabinet options? A developer will buy a lot of land in an area and construct 1 or more model homes depending on the number of house types they have. For instance, if they have 3 basic styles, center hall colonial, 'bungalow', ranch- they'll have a model for each. When you meet with the developer's realtor, they can also point you to some very basic layout options you have. You can extend the exterior of the house in places, have a hipped roof, change garage door wall orientation (corner lot), have a turnaround put in driveway. You can also have parts of the interior changed, maybe another door to something or plumbing connections ready to go in the basement. In addition, you'll likely get an allowance for light fixtures, appliances, and flooring that is included in the cost of the home. You can get the basic whatever models of lights that 'come' with the home, or you can choose the ones you want. Maybe you don't want linoleum type flooring, and you want tile instead for some rooms. The basic basic home is fine as it is, just some people like to customize it. I don't remember the realtor ever trying to upsell my parents at all. The dude laid it on pretty straight. He didn't have to upsell anyway, he had it made: was the guy in charge of selling almost 100 houses. You also certainly get to pick the colors everything has. Doctor Butts fucked around with this message at 20:16 on Jul 11, 2017 |
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Jul 11, 2017 20:09
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What if you just want to build your own house? Can you just buy a single lot? Or is all land pretty much tied up into big master-planned subdivisions or shackled into HOA's ?
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Jul 11, 2017 20:11
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Yes, there are single lots available almost everywhere, even in older suburbs.
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Jul 11, 2017 20:15
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Hide that TV. Don't make the focal point of your living room a huge rear end TV. Personally, I'm a big fan of lifters that hide TVs in furniture or the ceiling. The lifters aren't too expensive, but making room in the attic or fitting to nice furniture gets expensive quick. Hiding behind artwork is typically the cheapest--nothing says you can't put art on folding shutters or rolling doors. Dielectic mirrors look great--but the cost of the glass to hide 65" behind a frame would most likely blow your budget. https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/9-ways-to-make-your-tv-look-at-home-46542
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Jul 11, 2017 20:27
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HycoCam posted:Hide that TV. Don't make the focal point of your living room a huge rear end TV. How does that work if you want to have anything plugged into the TV though? Also I think it's dumb to hide a major appliance you use every day (mcmansion fridges, are your ears burning)
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Jul 11, 2017 20:31
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You have a patch panel somewhere that you have a single in-wall run of HDMI to, then you have an input switch of some sort (receiver, or just an hdmi switch) for all your xborxes and ploystartions.
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Jul 11, 2017 20:37
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gently caress developers. They keep throwing up masses of buildings that look great superficially but immediately start to fall apart, and that's if you ignore the shoddy rushed construction in the first place. But houses mean property taxes, so don't expect any real oversight from the local government. We have about 150 homes opening up over the hill (please don't dox me, okay?), and not only did it wreck a great haven for all of the local deer, foxes, and so forth, but it's going to gently caress up traffic patterns and already-crowded intersections. But no traffic analysis is necessary, says the council! Another developer bought a beautiful old house in Chestnut Hill under the guise of restoring it, but then got a demolition permit. Luckily the historic society found out in time, and now instead of tearing it down to build 5 units, they just subdivided the land and are building a new twin. However, I someone suspect they will let the house rot until they're forced to tear it down, as opposed to actually putting in the time to renovate it properly. Because, you know, money.
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Jul 11, 2017 20:39
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HycoCam posted:Hide that TV. Don't make the focal point of your living room a huge rear end TV. Yes, hide the thing you're going to look at/use most in the room. That makes sense.
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Jul 11, 2017 20:48
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If the actual use of your den/living room is watching a screen, then make that screen some sort of honest focal point. This idea that you need to hide your TV like it's a porn collection or something is weird. "No no look at our dignified living room with a fire place and books and art! We aren't filthy TV watchers!" *entire fireplace rotates to reveal large TV and media centre that is used in the room 99% of the time" If the TV looks awkward or out of place in the room (because it was designed with a design-lie that the room isn't primarily for looking at a screen) that's a problem with the design of the room.
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Jul 11, 2017 20:51
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I've got a room where the primary use is going to be watching TV in front of the fire, so you can bet the TV is going over the fire.
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Jul 11, 2017 21:11
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Baronjutter posted:If the actual use of your den/living room is watching a screen, then make that screen some sort of honest focal point. This idea that you need to hide your TV like it's a porn collection or something is weird. "No no look at our dignified living room with a fire place and books and art! We aren't filthy TV watchers!" *entire fireplace rotates to reveal large TV and media centre that is used in the room 99% of the time" Design-lie is such a great way to put it. Lots of trendy kitchens are design-lies too. I don't believe you use that pot-filler, pinterest kitchen people  MC Jaded Burnout posted:I've got a room where the primary use is going to be watching TV in front of the fire, so you can bet the TV is going over the fire. Put yr fire above the TV for a trendy twist on an old classic
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Jul 11, 2017 21:12
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Tiny Brontosaurus posted:Put yr fire above the TV for a trendy twist on an old classic I'd actually love to see one of those wall mount almost fake fires that use Sterno or house gas or something mounted high with the TV mounted where the fireplace would go in a "normal" design.
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Jul 11, 2017 21:25
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Tiny Brontosaurus posted:Put yr fire above the TV for a trendy twist on an old classic rubbing chin emoji
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Jul 11, 2017 21:36
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Doctor Butts posted:Yes, there are single lots available almost everywhere, even in older suburbs. Yep. Where I live it's common for people to tear down smaller homes in historic neighborhoods and build tacky McMansions in their place. Like this monstrosity, for instance:  It's way huger than the houses on either side of it (see how it's dwarfing he house on the left?)  For reference, here's the original house, as photographed by the county in 2011:  Was the original house some great historic structure worthy of being saved? I don't know. Maybe not. But to pay a premium for that land (and trust me, knowing its location, they did) to build this insane thing that's way out of proportion with the rest of the homes around it is loving ridiculous.
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Jul 11, 2017 21:40
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Tiny Brontosaurus posted:Design-lie is such a great way to put it. Lots of trendy kitchens are design-lies too. I don't believe you use that pot-filler, pinterest kitchen people I want more counter space, dammit! I don't care if you have to shrink the dining room to do it! 
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Jul 11, 2017 21:40
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Haifisch posted:After dealing with the horrors of apartment kitchens, I think designers should be forced to cook(properly cook, not just assemble a bunch of pre-made stuff) in the layout of their choice & see if it's actually workable before they're allowed to build it. We're just about to nail down our last estimate for a full kitchen remodel and you bet your sweet bippy I'll be in here asking for advice. I assume that's kosher?
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Jul 11, 2017 21:51
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YamiNoSenshi posted:We're just about to nail down our last estimate for a full kitchen remodel and you bet your sweet bippy I'll be in here asking for advice. I assume that's kosher? 100% Haram. Speaking of architects and designers not having a sense of space, an old architect was telling me way back in the day when he was getting his degree there were 2 odd mandatory classes that threw some students for a loop. A cooking class and a dance class. The cooking class forced anyone designing houses to understand how kitchens work, because a lot of these old school dudes had never really cooked, and the dance class was to train everyone in how human bodies move and maneuver and take up space.
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Jul 11, 2017 22:37
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Haifisch posted:After dealing with the horrors of apartment kitchens, I think designers should be forced to cook(properly cook, not just assemble a bunch of pre-made stuff) in the layout of their choice & see if it's actually workable before they're allowed to build it. Oh my loving god, yes. If I'm ever some kind of Mayor-Dictator I would have stringent regulations about apartment design in my city. I once lived in a place where I had to take the handle off the under-stove broiler tray because you couldn't open the dishwasher fully otherwise. So many apartments I lived in had weird useless spaces you couldn't really put any furniture in, yet the bathroom and kitchen were hideously cramped. It's a pretty bad social issue too, because as housing prices skyrocket more and more people are in apartments that are too small and have to stay in them way past "fun young singleton who microwaves everything anyway" age. I've never seen an affordable apartment kitchen around here you could actually cook a meal for a family in, let alone have a place to eat it.
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Jul 11, 2017 22:42
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Basically where we live, unless you want to move out to the sticks, you either buy a brand new house in a development or you spend just as much on a house that was built in the 80s and hasn't been touched since. Yeah there are some established neighborhoods with nice houses but they're either small as hell, or super expensive. We looked around in the area we wanted (basically halfway between my and my wife's work while still close to downtown where we live now), and the options outside of building were not what we wanted. We'd either spend just as much and live in a house that isn't at all our style or we'd buy something on the cheap and hope renovating it goes to plan. Neither of those sounded great so we looked into new construction. After looking at a few neighborhoods we found one that had some floor plans that didn't feel bland and actually felt really nice. We lucked out and picked a lot that backs up to massive tree lines on 2 sides and will have a yard big enough to play volleyball in. Yeah some of the options are expensive, but so long as you don't go crazy, you can get a house close to what they advertise as pricing. Our builder is very up front about what's included and what's extra so if you do your homework at all you're not getting tricked or anything. I think of it like buying a car, there's a base price and then you start adding on packages to have it how you want. Based on the options we've been eyeing our house will probably be $30-35k more than the advertised base price and that's with buying one of the bigger lots in the neighborhood and opting for some finish upgrades. Zamboni_Rodeo posted:Yep. Where I live it's common for people to tear down smaller homes in historic neighborhoods and build tacky McMansions in their place.
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Jul 11, 2017 22:45
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Cat Army
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Yeah I've found the size/niceness of a kitchen is pretty inverse to the amount of actual cooking done on it. It's just like with trucks in the city, the bigger the truck the less likely it's ever hauled anything because the only people that can afford the luxury of a huge truck are not people hauling landscaping waste away as a job. Just like the only people who can afford these all granite stainless kitchens with all the gadgets only live here 3-4 months a year and eat out or order in their food, while all the working class people stuck in a tiny apartment galley kitchen that hasn't been updated since 1970 are trying to cook full meals for their family every night because they have to.
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Jul 11, 2017 22:46
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Tiny Brontosaurus posted:Oh my loving god, yes. If I'm ever some kind of Mayor-Dictator I would have stringent regulations about apartment design in my city. I once lived in a place where I had to take the handle off the under-stove broiler tray because you couldn't open the dishwasher fully otherwise. So many apartments I lived in had weird useless spaces you couldn't really put any furniture in, yet the bathroom and kitchen were hideously cramped. Speaking of, my Mayor-Dictator decree would outlaw lovely electric ovens from apartments. If you don't feel like piping gas in, you can shell out for electric ovens that are merely mediocre instead of terrible. (I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as a good electric oven)
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Jul 11, 2017 22:56
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Haifisch posted:Bizarrely, the best kitchen layout I've had was in my college apartment, which was old enough(1930s-ish) that it had indestructable terrazzo flooring instead of cheap carpet or laminate. It wouldn't have worked trying to cook for a whole family, but it was the most workable apartment kitchen I've seen for one or two people. The worst I've had is where the counter layout was broken up by the oven & sink juuuuust right, so you could only do one task at a time or else try to balance stuff on top of the burner-coils. Ugh yes. Also mandate built-in overhead lighting. Most apartments around here skip it to be cheap, and with how small and obstructed most windows are in bad apartments, you can never, ever add enough lamps to make the interior lighting bright enough to not feel dingy and depressing. Worst apartment I ever had painted every surface (not just walls but doors, trim, cabinetry) this grimy taupe color and it just obliterated all the light in the room and basically gave me seasonal affective disorder any time I spent too much time inside.
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Jul 11, 2017 23:02
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This is my kitchen. lovely electric oven that's main element often doesn't work unless you jiggle it in its socket. The only outlets in the entire kitchen is on the wall beside the oven above a tiny counter between the oven and the fridge. The toaster and kettle live there because they need plugs. On the other side with the sink and only usable work-space in the kitchen there are no plugs. To the left of the kitchen the space is taken up by the dish rack. What I'd give for an outlet somewhere to the right of the sink.
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Jul 11, 2017 23:08
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Jaded Burnout posted:Just order a five pack of bungalows from Amazon Subprime and throw them away when you're done. Subscribe and save.
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Jul 11, 2017 23:13
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Baronjutter posted:This is my kitchen. That is an awful kitchen  But hey, pocket door! 
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Jul 11, 2017 23:14
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One thing I really, really miss from one of my old apartments is a built-in pantry. Not one of those 2 inch deep ones, but one that was as deep as a regular cabinet. Turns out kitchen storage is a lot easier to manage when you're not using half the cupboards for food!
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Jul 11, 2017 23:19
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I have a tiny New York apartment with about one lateral foot of counter space, and the one thing I'd straight-up murder for is a real vent hood.
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Jul 11, 2017 23:19
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i like nice words
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Baronjutter posted:This is my kitchen. That's my kitchen! No, wait, that's slightly more spacious than my kitchen. Looks like yours is about 6 inches longer. (that's what she said) Mine has the fridge next to the sink, and the sink is a bit closer to the wall, so there isn't enough room for a normal size dish rack. The "generous" counter space next to the stove is like 80% occupied by the microwave. In the 70s they didn't plan on everyone having a microwave. The stove works fine though, so that's a plus.
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Jul 11, 2017 23:21
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Baronjutter posted:Yeah I've found the size/niceness of a kitchen is pretty inverse to the amount of actual cooking done on it. When we fixed up our house, I had to fight my husband tooth and nail to keep our closed-plan 7x11 kitchen. My reasoning was that our house is turn of the century (no central AC and it wasn't in the budget at the time to add it) and I like to cook, so having a door on the kitchen worked wonders to keep the house cool in the summer. As a bonus it could reduce smells when searing meat or broiling fish. That door was going to be useful for as long as we live there, whereas our kids were only young enough to require constant supervision for a scant few years. 7 years later, after cranking out endless Thanksgiving dinners, superbowl parties, Sunday brunches, summer barbecues, and dinner parties for anywhere from 12-30 friends and family, he STILL talks about "phase 2"of our renovations, when he finally gets to knock down the wall. One of my favorite kitchen themed youtube videos is a kitchen design primer from the Dept of Agriculture. It's annoyingly loud https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHUL3i4O5kU but it really spells out the fundamentals of kitchen design and organization without making someone read an entire booklet of NKBA guidelines.
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Jul 11, 2017 23:35
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Tiny Brontosaurus posted:Also I think it's dumb to hide a major appliance you use every day (mcmansion fridges, are your ears burning) Tiny Brontosaurus posted:I don't believe you use that pot-filler, pinterest kitchen people Doctor Butts posted:Yes, hide the thing you're going to look at/use most in the room. Some people are super proud of their TV. Some people are super proud of how they hide the TV. If a TV is the most used item in your room--go for the dielectric mirror or folding shutters.
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Jul 11, 2017 23:43
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Baronjutter posted:This is my kitchen.
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Jul 11, 2017 23:47
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HycoCam posted:If a TV is the most used item in your room--go for the dielectric mirror or folding shutters. Haha come on, to hide the terrible shame of owning 90-year-old technology? Are you so insecure? Are you so judgmental? If this was the 50s you'd be knitting a telephone cover.
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Jul 11, 2017 23:56
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Ouhei posted:Are you by chance in Raleigh? There's a house I swear that looks just like that monster here and we laugh at it each time we drive past it. Yep, that's the one. It's ITB, and I think they may have bought two lots to build it, so a LOT of cash got thrown at that before they even laid the foundation. (And I laugh at it too.) 
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Jul 12, 2017 00:24
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Baronjutter posted:This is my kitchen. That looks about like the kitchen in one of my old apartments. It was maybe a little longer and the pocket door was a wall. The big difference was the A/C vent directly over the stove. The gas stove. Who's pilot light got blown out every time the A/C turned on. I did eventually get it adjusted to the point it would work, but I didn't feel real safe in that place for a good long while.
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Jul 12, 2017 01:09
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TV chat, you could frame your TV and then just let it display chrome cast fire tv whatever screen savers.
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Jul 12, 2017 03:37
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One thing about crappy Edwardian San Francisco apartments is that they tend to have lots of nice built-in cabinetry.   At some point after the 1910s/20s builders stopped putting real pantry space in apartments.
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Jul 12, 2017 04:07
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I don't think this got hammered on enough in fireplace chat, so, in brief, gently caress fireplaces. - They're huge - They cant move - You will never, ever, ever use it. Once a year would be pushing it. - When you do use it, you'll remember it is nothing like an enjoyable camp fire in your back yard. - It will not provide heat unless you have one of those heat exchanger fan things mounted in the fire box, or sit immediately in front of it. - It is another hole in your roof and just another damned thing to maintain, even if the amount of maintenance is low - If it is located centrally in your house, be amazed at the shear amount of volume it consumes! I am seriously considering ripping ours out to the foundation before we have our roof re-done. Daunting amount of work though. But if I get rid of it, I can: 1) Expand the main bathroom and add a towel closet or other storage space 2) Still have a gas fireplace if I want one in the living room, or just recover that wall entirely 3) Completely re-design the basement/rec room bathroom and make it WAY more functional 4) STILL HAVE ANOTHER GODDAMNED GAS FIREPLACE, in the basement, the kind that actually spits heat out, with no issues whatsoever. All these things and more can be yours, if you just start slapping anyone who suggests a fireplace is a good idea!
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