Sunday, July 29, 2007

The Difference a Couple Decades Makes

Two Pictures, same town...
Not so crammed in...

Really crammed in.

Notice how the older neighborhood has single level homes, versus the new neighborhoods with mainly two story homes. Plan to buy single level, because they are going to come at a premium when these people start aging and having orthopedic surgeries and can't climb stairs very well. Two stories are a hassle.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've never understood the appeal of a two story. Having to carry up laundry and climbing stairs when all you want to do is go to bed and sleep, no thanks. Besides most one story's seem more open and spacious even with fewer square feet.

Anonymous said...

OMG, this is excatly how I've felt too. There's been little written on the topic.

When I was younger and my parent's house was being built (this was in 1981), all of the houses in our neighborhood were either 1-story, split level, or split foyer. Because of their lower and wider profile, the houses were easy to walk in and space out inside, and didn't block each other's view of the horizon (they also had bigger yards).

Nowadays, almost all new houses are very tall 2-story, and very close together. Forget about having views anymore. At least you'll get a lot of exercise climbing those 14 steps all the time going upstairs and downstairs.

Builders need to consider not just the flow and aesthetics inside the house, but also outside. This is something that has been completely pushed aside in the last 15 years.

Anonymous said...

Note also that the older neighborhood homes have back yards more than ten feet deep.