# Most houses (including condos) just plain suck **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 19, 2022, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-houses-including-condos-just-plain-suck/963022 "2022-04-19T00:07:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-houses-including-condos-just-plain-suck/963022/81 "2022-04-21T23:35:15Z")
Lol, i usually Swype my posts, and sometimes get odd typos as a result. I meant “something”, of course. 😀 ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-houses-including-condos-just-plain-suck/963022/82 "2022-04-21T23:37:16Z")
I know. But the image of you hauling a frozen body up the stairs cracked me up. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-houses-including-condos-just-plain-suck/963022/83 "2022-04-22T03:25:01Z")
It could also go a long way toward explaining the bad knees 😉 ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-houses-including-condos-just-plain-suck/963022/84 "2022-04-22T11:29:34Z")
Yeah, carrying bodies around is really rough on the knees. ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-houses-including-condos-just-plain-suck/963022/85 "2022-04-22T11:37:26Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Under about 4 inches of concrete was a linoleum floor on another slab. There could be more slabs under that one. You should keep digging. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-houses-including-condos-just-plain-suck/963022/86 "2022-04-22T14:03:07Z")
Wouldn’t that just expose the bodies the former owners buried? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-houses-including-condos-just-plain-suck/963022/87 "2022-04-22T14:30:18Z")
I think the trick is to do the improvements that satisfy both conditions- make yourself happy and increase the value. Those two don’t necessarily go together- what may make it worth more may not be what would make you happy if you improved it. Or it might just be that your personal style is not what’s currently in vogue, and that’s ok too. I just think people tend to get weird when their conception of their house is as their primary financial asset- everything gets filtered through that lens- they get weird about their neighbors, the schools, the roads, everything. Which isn’t all bad- community involvement is good, but a lot of people take it too far- we had a neighbor when we moved in who literally petitioned the city to _demolish a bridge_ near our neighborhood because it was the only road connection with a bunch of low income, mostly black apartments that are across the creek nearby. Why? Because this guy felt like the presence of those apartments was contributing to higher crime and lowering our property values- he was not shy about saying it. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard people bitching about their neighbors’ paint color choices, tree-trimming choices, fence maintenance, yard maintenance (including mowing frequency, weeds, etc…) and all with the “that lowers our property value!”, as if that justifies being a dick about something absurd like the number of weeds in someone’s lawn 15 years before anyone expects to sell the house. Fundamentally looking at a house as primarily a financial asset is flawed, IMO. It’s primarily a residence, and that’s how it should be treated. The financial aspects are more questionable- whatever you’re going to do as far as choosing brushed nickel vs. aged copper, LVP/laminate/engineered wood, or whether you choose Lotus Pod or Olympus White for the exterior of your house, is going to be FAR outweighed by whatever external factors are happening in the nation, state, and community over the long haul. And on top of that, the same amount of money invested in normal financial instruments is very likely to make more money over time than your house is going to appreciate in value. So it’s not even the most lucrative financial decision you can make. It is a good decision- you get a lot of legal protections for homesteads, and you have somewhere to live in the meantime. But worrying about the value isn’t really where it’s at. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-houses-including-condos-just-plain-suck/963022/88 "2022-04-22T18:16:48Z")
I like our current house. We’ve lived in a house designed by a student of Frank Loyd Wright. A 1950s new build at the that time, 900 sf car detached garage, Then moved to a 1865 2000 sf money pit. No insulation and during a heavy rain the sand in the basement would flood from the cistern.Not a square room in the house. Last house was a 1990s ranch 1600 sq foot. Nothing special, looks like every other house in town. Now we live in a passive solar , lofted townhome. Concrete radiant heated floors, Air exchanger, wall A/C for each bedroom so no need to cool the whole place. Tankless water heaters . Wasn’t a standard build. The outer shell was manufactured elsewhere and put together like a puzzle. Built in 2017.oh yeah two car attracted garage. I like it. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2022, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-houses-including-condos-just-plain-suck/963022/89 "2022-04-22T18:42:59Z")
> [@Tride](#): > > More people (and architects) should think outside the box. People get so tied to resale value and therefore make designs generic. You want a boring house? Buy a spec house or tract house–people get so invested in not turning off any potential buyers that they end up building a house that doesn’t actually fit anyone perfectly. People can withstand a house not selling if they have a big enough financial cushion, less so if they need to move for a job or other reasons and depend on finding a buyer relatively quickly. Thinking outside the box is a luxury only a minority can afford. Of course, the rewards can be great. “You can sit in certain spots and feel like you’re in a Piranesi drawing.” > **[A sensation among architects — the Stretto House of Dallas](http://res.dallasnews.com/interactives/stretto-house/)** > > The avant-garde house sat vacant for years. Can new owners and a planned addition revive the modern landmark? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-houses-including-condos-just-plain-suck/963022/90 "2022-04-24T14:13:05Z")
Here’s a terrific example of thinking outside the box, home architecture-wise. A pair of designers is building a spec house in the California desert, which will come complete with a wardrobe of futuristic clothes to help the eventual buyer(s) to be “removed from daily reality” and connect with “the healing energy of the desert”. For a bargain $12 million, this sterling example of missile silo/bunker design could be yours. > **[A Former Banana Republic Exec’s Latest Design: A $12 Million Joshua Tree House](https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-former-banana-republic-execs-latest-design-a-12-million-joshua-tree-house-11650037642?mod=re_hod_substory_pos3)** > > Omar Nobil and his fiancée, Erika Stahlman, are planning a three bedroom, roughly 3,200-square-foot home that will include custom-designed outfits. I just don’t understand why this couple isn’t planning to live there. ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-houses-including-condos-just-plain-suck/963022/91 "2022-04-24T16:17:15Z")
We’ve lived in this same house since new, 35 years ago. It’s paid for, 20 years this year. No intentions of moving anytime soon. I think the OP just hasn’t found the right house. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2022, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-houses-including-condos-just-plain-suck/963022/92 "2022-04-24T16:33:09Z")
Open concept gets a thumbs down from me too, especially when committed against a ranch style house where the walls are removed and the entire ground floor is a big open space connected by a hallway that now looks like a tunnel leading to the three traditional bedrooms. A remuddler did that to my parents old place. Removed all the walls to the kit and dr, opening it all up to combine with the living room. That did bring in more light, and you can view the entire place in a glance, whatever stuff is laying around on counters and floors is right there. The wall to wall vinyl floorboards echo. Let me further grouse about the slap and stick tile in the kitchen, white white counters(hello red wine spaghetti grease oil. ) it was a flip for the investor and now it’s for rent 3500/mo coastal FL. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-houses-including-condos-just-plain-suck/963022/93 "2022-04-25T00:03:14Z")
My former mother-in-law did that to her very similar to mine house. Your description of the charms was disturbingly right on. 🤣 She also had the popcorn ceiling removed which now contributes greatly to the enhanced echo. ---
**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:** [April 25, 2022, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-houses-including-condos-just-plain-suck/963022/94 "2022-04-25T17:00:32Z")
People down the street did an open plan when they rebuilt their house after it burned down. They found that you needed headphones to watch TV when someone is in the kitchen. No thanks. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2022, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-houses-including-condos-just-plain-suck/963022/95 "2022-04-25T23:37:52Z")
We bought our house for its specific location and relatively low cost. It’s not our “dream house”, but it does the trick. Because the previous owners didn’t really do much to maintain it (or in some cases finish), it’s got a lot of little weird things wrong with it. But a lot of it I can fix myself as I get to it. Like the back…I’m not sure what it is. It’s a patio with a roof, open to the outside. Not quite a gazebo, veranda, or pergola. Sort of like an unfinished sun room. I just call it the “outdoorium”. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2022, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-houses-including-condos-just-plain-suck/963022/96 "2022-04-28T14:41:11Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Like the back…I’m not sure what it is. It’s a patio with a roof, open to the outside. Not quite a gazebo, veranda, or pergola. Sort of like an unfinished sun room. I just call it the “outdoorium”. Put screen walls up. Now it’s a screen porch. Ta da, fixed it. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2022, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-houses-including-condos-just-plain-suck/963022/97 "2022-05-03T01:58:42Z")
Hey, I read all of the replies in this thread, and I have appreciated them, thank you! (But I didn’t have a lot more to say myself…) Thank you for contributing to an interesting discussion! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-houses-including-condos-just-plain-suck/963022.md?page=4)