Rain City Guide

What will they say in 20 years about today’s new homes?

Jon Ribary on 02 6, 2009

When I look at new construction for sale I often wonder if the architect and the builder ever spoke or better yet, if the architect or the builder would ever live in the house they designed/built (I am a builder). I seem to be asking myself that question even more lately as I tour homes built from about 2005+.

I wonder, besides the financial crisis, what will this era’s theme of houses be?
It will for sure be about townhomes, but (on average) I am afraid it will also equate to poorly designed and constructed too.

I was touring a home today that made me wonder if the builder ever asked the question, “where will the couch go” or “what will really be able to happen/fit in this room”. The home was over 3,000 sq ft so plenty big. Not only (like most townhomes) did the builder try to cram as many rooms as possible, but they failed to realize the buyer of this 4 bedroom + office +den with a 10×10 side yard (no rear yard) and 1 ½ car garage would not need all of those rooms.

A quick snap shot, you walk in to a set of stairs (which any realitor will tell you is not feng shui) and a useless 6’ hall way, then into a 10×10 room with all windows on one wall and doors on the other wall. In other words, nothing can happen in that room except, well standing and looking out the windows. Off the skinny kitchen and around the corner at about the furthest place from the upstairs bedrooms was the laundry room. Upstairs were 4 rooms and an open media room and an open office. In order to fit all 4 rooms they had to be long and skinny and to keep an open feel the media room and office only have half walls (fine for watching tv, but bad if anyone else doesn’t want to hear it).  Besides the slow market, this house has sat for 4 months already.  My guess is it will either turn in to an REO or the builder will move in.

I guess we can look at history and see one of the top selling cars in the 70s and say the same thing. Not until virtually all 11 million Pintos were sold, did Ford realize (and pay out over 137 million in damages) the rear gas tank made these bubbles in to fire balls. So in this era of the D.I.Y.(er) will we look back on these days and not only see our 401k was cut in half, but also see the carnage of vacant real estate and label this time as an era when ‘You didn’t really need anything special to build a house’?

About the Author: Jon Ribary

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