# Are americans too obsessed with home renovations? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 9, 2018, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295 "2018-03-09T18:32:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![thatguyjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6de8d8/32.png) [@thatguyjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thatguyjeff)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/21 "2018-03-10T16:21:08Z")
I think it has to do with a lot of the post-war boom housing coming of age (hitting or exceeding 50 years old) and that these homes tend to be smaller than more modern homes, which folks want to make bigger. Following WW2, I guess there was a bit of the housing boom with all of the baby-boomer’s fathers coming back from the war, getting married, and settling down. I live in an urban neighborhood where this particular addition was built in '56-'57. All houses relatively small - 3 BR ramblers with about 1,000 square feet. The baby boomers have all moved out, died off, or whatever. Lots of young couples/families are buying these smaller, more affordable older homes and then upgrading/updating as more funds become available. And with the current market, it can be cheaper to upgrade your current home than shopping for something larger. There are all kinds of extra editions, extra stories, etc. being built on everywhere around us. At least, that’s what is going on in my area. ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/22 "2018-03-10T16:22:43Z")
I absolutely think many Americans are obsessed with home renovations. If you look at listings, even homes built only 10 to 15 years ago brag about being renovated, with granite countertops, hardwood floors, stainless appliances, white cabinets. I have friends who are looking to relocate, and they talk about ten year old homes needing “updated”. What is most astounding is that young people looking to buy their first home want granite, hardwood floors, etc… I don’t know if HGTV makes money as a TV cable channel, but they sure have a huge influence on the housing market. I realize I’m a frugal old geezer, but kitchens and bathrooms last a LOT longer than 15 years. And it’s possible to live in a home that doesn’t have every item on the checklist of HGTV approved features. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/23 "2018-03-10T16:25:21Z")
> [@thatguyjeff](#): > > I think it has to do with a lot of the post-war boom housing coming of age (hitting or exceeding 50 years old) and that these homes tend to be smaller than more modern homes, which folks want to make bigger. > > Following WW2, I guess there was a bit of the housing boom with all of the baby-boomer’s fathers coming back from the war, getting married, and settling down. I live in an urban neighborhood where this particular addition was built in '56-'57. All houses relatively small - 3 BR ramblers with about 1,000 square feet. The baby boomers have all moved out, died off, or whatever. Lots of young couples/families are buying these smaller, more affordable older homes and then upgrading/updating as more funds become available. > > And with the current market, it can be cheaper to upgrade your current home than shopping for something larger. There are all kinds of extra editions, extra stories, etc. being built on everywhere around us. > > At least, that’s what is going on in my area. it’s sort of the same in my area; the bulk of the inner suburbs was built in the early-to-mid '50s. So tons of 2-br bungalows with some ranch-style houses mixed in, and towards the '60s colonial-style where they could fit. I don’t really see the “remodeling boom” here so much. What I do see more of is people with the means to spend that much simply move out to the edges of the suburbs (to get further away from the city of Detroit, you see) and buy a McMansion in a new subdivision in a semi-rural area. and then complain about how long it takes them to get to work. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/24 "2018-03-10T16:34:36Z")
I’m always amazed how many durable and quality finishes get torn out by obsessed remodelers. Brick offers a low maintenance exterior that will last for a century. Power wash it once every ten years. Done. Until some foolish new homeowner paints the brick. Now, every 5 to 8 years expect to pay $4,000 or more to repaint the house. You have a beautiful ceramic tile floor in the bathroom. That will last 50 years. Until some new home buyer rips it out and installs cheap, snap together hardwood flooring. It’ll warp and buckle in 5 years. First time home buyers think they have to change everything. Just because, uh, they bought a house. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/25 "2018-03-10T16:42:37Z")
My favorite LOL moment is the geniuses that paint Vinyl Siding. I spent 10k getting a durable finish with no maintenance. Best quality siding on the market and I used a top rated company to install it. I power washed it two years ago and it looks new. I wouldn’t be surprised if the next owner paints it to change the color. Then they get to paint it every 5 to 7 years for the rest of their lives. People really need to use their head for something besides a hat rack. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/26 "2018-03-10T16:55:37Z")
Renovating and upgrading are fine as long as you’re not over-improving your home. There is a return for a good improvement in the ultimate sale price, but if you over-improve, you’ll never get that money back. We recently looked at doing a reno for our bathroom: replacing the tub with a shower, replacing the subway tile and floor tile. The quote was $14K, which in the first place is ridiculous for the amount of work to be done, and secondly is money that would never be recouped. On the other hand, we completely renovated our kitchen in Anchorage, and the sale price and short time on the market reflected the wisdom of doing that. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/27 "2018-03-10T17:38:14Z")
I don’t know why, but carpeting has lost favor. I always liked the look of a nice carpeted room. My pets made me think different about our house. We ripped all ours up. Now I have steps to go through to clean the floor. Where with carpet all I had to do was vac. I had ours steamed cleaned periodically and it came out looking new for the first few years. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/28 "2018-03-10T18:38:32Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > We are eventually going to update the kitchen cabinets because right now it’s like walking back into 1975; we’ve got those classic off-white oak strip cabinets. [This is not my kitchen](https://st.hzcdn.com/simgs/d26207fd0140587c_8-1459/home-design.jpg) but it’s got the same look. Not that I personally give a shit what they look like, but we are planning to move on in a few years and that look is going to be a very hard sell for this house in this area. Who took a picture of my kitchen and posted it on the internet? Mine looks exactly like that except for the position of the refrigerator and I had the floors redone a few months ago. I don’t especially care but it does need to be updated. Houses need to be maintained. I am not willing to spend big time and money doing it but my girlfriend is helping me pick out some simple renovations that will update the look. For example, she suggested that I just replace the cabinet doors rather than stripping it all down and starting over from scratch. That is the type of thing I am aiming to do and it should be cost effective. The bathroom can be remodeled in a couple of weekends with basic replacement parts, a few hundred dollars and lots of sweat equity. A lot of people go overboard in time and money with their house renovations but there is nothing wrong with keeping one in top shape and ready to sell if you are sensible about it. Even simple things like paint and curtains can make a huge difference. The floors were a nightmare to get done but they had to be and everything else is just trivial now. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/29 "2018-03-10T20:48:40Z")
That article is dead-on. It’s one thing when you want to change your house for your own purposes. These flippers have gone and ruined countless homes. Or at least they ruined them for me. when I was house shopping 10 years ago I looked at dozens of nice little '50s ranch houses that had been overwhelmed with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. I do not want granite countertops. I wanted a house with flow, and I like that mid-century modern look, and I eventually found an untouched, one-owner ranch, bought it, and haven’t done much to it because it works. I almost went with a '50s-look refrigerator when I had to buy one, but I have sadly become accustomed to having an ice and water dispenser on the front, so that didn’t happen. But it was the first house I owned in Denver where I did not have to take out gold shag carpet. And the first two were old, old houses. 1889, bought in 1974, and 1901, bought in 1990. So this urge to update is not new. And carpeting is nasty. Shag carpeting is particularly nasty, no offense to the poster above me. Oh, and my real estate gal said, when I was looking at this place, “Oh, look, you could put double sinks in this bathroom and this one.” Okay, why would I do that? There is one bathroom per person in this house, plus a powder room. There are never going to be two people in any one bathroom.\* I frankly cannot imagine putting on my makeup at one sink while my spouse is brushing his teeth at the other one. Yuck. \*Except when there is a very young child who needs help, i.e., one of my grandkids. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2018, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/30 "2018-03-10T22:02:04Z")
I love watching HGTV and DIY channels. They are fun to watch. I realize they create a huge boast to HD and Lowes’ sales. We see all these remodels and then think of changing our home. > [@](#): > > But the desire to remake our homes often doesn’t come from us. Paint commercials make it seem like a fresh coat of paint will cure all household ills, from depression to marital troubles; hardware store ads imply that building a deck will bring father and son together at last. And then there’s Pinterest and the world it has wrought. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/31 "2018-03-11T00:09:53Z")
Heh excerpt a guy named Holmes… I remember him saying that Lowe’s and home Depot were two of the biggest liars in the construction industry by talking people into doing home renovations that they didn’t have the skill or the money to accomplish oh he had some choice thoughts for Sears too … ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/32 "2018-03-11T01:39:19Z")
I see Trading Spaces is coming back on, sometime it March. Oh great! ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/33 "2018-03-11T01:46:36Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I see Trading Spaces is coming back on, sometime it March. Oh great! honestly I thought the older Trading Spaces (and the original BBC show Changing Rooms) were entertaining. mostly because how different the reactions were. on trading spaces, if someone didn’t like the renovation they were presented with, it was all typical American mealy-mouth, wishy-washy “oh, uh. er, this is ok. um, I’m going over here (_sob_).” on Changing Rooms, if someone didn’t like the results they’d just say “oh, this is total crap.” ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/34 "2018-03-11T02:53:53Z")
Yea, I remember that on the BBC show. There was a show about re-doing people backyards. There was a particular episodes a wife called up the crew to do her yard as a treat for her husband while he was out of town. That guy got seriously miffed, he ran in the house. The host was stumbling trying to talk to the crying wife, the guy stuck his head out and yelled at his wife to come in. He was just screaming at her when the show was over. That was enough to turn me off watching those shows. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/35 "2018-03-11T07:02:48Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I see Trading Spaces is coming back on, sometime it March. Oh great! Oh, man. Crazy feathers-on-the-wall Hildi’s going to be back. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/36 "2018-03-11T07:27:00Z")
Looks like most of the main people will be back, from the ad. I liked Frank??, older fat guy. He was plain and simple, sometimes a bit too country. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/37 "2018-03-11T07:31:29Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > I’ve noticed that on some shows, people will walk into a perfectly fine room and immediately complain that it’s dated and talk about what “has” to be done to it…whereas on a different type of show (say Beachfront Bargain Hunt) people would walk into the same sort of room and be enthused about the size and the natural light. Main things I loved about Grandma’s flat: - location - high ceilings - sunroom - floors of hydraulic tile. Guess four features my aunt absolutely hated. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/38 "2018-03-11T07:48:16Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I don’t know why, but carpeting has lost favor. I always liked the look of a nice carpeted room. My pets made me think different about our house. We ripped all ours up. Now I have steps to go through to clean the floor. Where with carpet all I had to do was vac. I had ours steamed cleaned periodically and it came out looking new for the first few years. Our living room had carpet which hid a lovely high quality hardwood floor. Ripping out the carpet was a really good thing. Ditto the hallway, which was carpeted to hide the crappy floor in the part that was added later. We found a specialist who matched new hardwood there and it looks great. Carpet is good for bedrooms, but I prefer hardwood in public areas. When I was a kid getting carpet was considered a way of showing you made it in the world, which is maybe why so many nice floors got hidden by it. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/39 "2018-03-11T08:13:38Z")
I knew what was under our carpet. We built the house. I have beautiful bamboo floors now, which I do love. I guess it’s a carry over from childhood. I remember the first carpeting that was in my childhood home. It was harvest gold sculpted shag. We had to rake it as well as vac. I do concede that wood floors are smarter, with my lifestyle. Harder to keep up with the sweeping and mopping though More work. ---
**Author:** ![RobDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f07891/32.png) [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2018, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295/40 "2018-03-11T09:21:53Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > IMHO we should spend more attention to grammar and less to remodeling. Spend on. Pay to. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-americans-too-obsessed-with-home-renovations/810295.md?page=3)