4 ms·

Houses get bigger and use more expensive materials and fitout that increase the comfort of the inhabitants. Building a house now to the standard of say 50 years

by roel_v 10y ago

Houses get bigger and use more expensive materials and fitout that increase the comfort of the inhabitants. Building a house now to the standard of say 50 years ago is either impossible because of building code, or doesn't pose a sufficiently attractive value proposition to convince buyers. In other words, a house and a house are two different things.

fma 10y ago
Not necessary more expensive. Roof cost in terms of labor and material is lower. https://www.thehousedesigners.com/articles/prefabricated-roof-trusses.asp https://www.thehousedesigners.com/articles/prefabricated-roo... Builders also cut corners. Example, my 1974 home has the AC condenser on a concrete slab. My new 2015 home it's on a piece of plastic supported by dirt. Guess which one is noisier. Garage doors are now styrofoam, unlike solid wood in the doors of the past. Hence its cheaper, and your garage opener doesn't need to be as strong so that is cheaper too. Hardwood floors can be engineered hardwood, while the past was only solid wood. Significant savings in material and installation. Land lots are getting smaller too...here in Atlants, developers are buying up older homes and putting up several home, dividing the lot up.
- gozur88 10y ago
  Land lots are getting smaller, but houses are getting larger. The average new home in the US has increased in size by 1000 sq ft since 1973. http://www.aei.org/publication/todays-new-homes-are-1000-square-feet-larger-than-in-1973-and-the-living-space-per-person-has-doubled-over-last-40-years/ http://www.aei.org/publication/todays-new-homes-are-1000-squ...
  - betaby 10y ago
    1) This study was proven flawed, because of definition 'home'. It does not include condos, and nowadays that's significant. I remember long threads about it on other 'forums' 2) More correct metric would be m^2/person and m^2/adult and that metric is in constant fall. Can't recall exact numbers, it is now somewhat 25-30% less m^2/person than it was in 70-s. Also, see UK and most of Europe, shrinking is a common trend for a very long time http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2398714/The-incredible-shrinking-houses-British-homes-built-just-HALF-size-1920s.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2398714/The-incredib... "The average new British home is now just 925 square feet – barely HALF the size they were in the 1920s"
morgante 10y ago
Eh? Many older homes use significantly better materials and construction than new buildings. I'd place a lot more faith in the quality of a building from a century ago than one from a decade ago.
- sarcher 10y ago
  The common answer is that it's survivor bias. Every once and a while I run across a home from the 1800s that probably shouldn't have survived, and the shortcuts the builders took are similar to today's shortcuts. Improperly sized beams, improperly spaced rafters, etc. In some ways, you could consider an 1800s rubble foundation and irregular framing spacing worse than today's shortcuts.
zanny 10y ago
Meanwhile cars are getting cheaper than ever, adjusted for inflation, and are also dramatically safer and more comfortable than cars from the 60s.

by roel_v 10y ago

fma 10y ago

Not necessary more expensive. Roof cost in terms of labor and material is lower. https://www.thehousedesigners.com/articles/prefabricated-roof-trusses.asp https://www.thehousedesigners.com/articles/prefabricated-roo... Builders also cut corners. Example, my 1974 home has the AC condenser on a concrete slab. My new 2015 home it's on a piece of plastic supported by dirt. Guess which one is noisier. Garage doors are now styrofoam, unlike solid wood in the doors of the past. Hence its cheaper, and your garage opener doesn't need to be as strong so that is cheaper too. Hardwood floors can be engineered hardwood, while the past was only solid wood. Significant savings in material and installation. Land lots are getting smaller too...here in Atlants, developers are buying up older homes and putting up several home, dividing the lot up.

gozur88 10y ago
Land lots are getting smaller, but houses are getting larger. The average new home in the US has increased in size by 1000 sq ft since 1973. http://www.aei.org/publication/todays-new-homes-are-1000-square-feet-larger-than-in-1973-and-the-living-space-per-person-has-doubled-over-last-40-years/ http://www.aei.org/publication/todays-new-homes-are-1000-squ...
- betaby 10y ago
  1) This study was proven flawed, because of definition 'home'. It does not include condos, and nowadays that's significant. I remember long threads about it on other 'forums' 2) More correct metric would be m^2/person and m^2/adult and that metric is in constant fall. Can't recall exact numbers, it is now somewhat 25-30% less m^2/person than it was in 70-s. Also, see UK and most of Europe, shrinking is a common trend for a very long time http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2398714/The-incredible-shrinking-houses-British-homes-built-just-HALF-size-1920s.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2398714/The-incredib... "The average new British home is now just 925 square feet – barely HALF the size they were in the 1920s"

morgante 10y ago

Eh? Many older homes use significantly better materials and construction than new buildings. I'd place a lot more faith in the quality of a building from a century ago than one from a decade ago.

sarcher 10y ago
The common answer is that it's survivor bias. Every once and a while I run across a home from the 1800s that probably shouldn't have survived, and the shortcuts the builders took are similar to today's shortcuts. Improperly sized beams, improperly spaced rafters, etc. In some ways, you could consider an 1800s rubble foundation and irregular framing spacing worse than today's shortcuts.

zanny 10y ago

Meanwhile cars are getting cheaper than ever, adjusted for inflation, and are also dramatically safer and more comfortable than cars from the 60s.