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The emphasis on easy to clean and maintain is something that I wish houses today had. To me it seems new houses are optimized for fast and cheap construction, b
by qwerpy 4y ago
The emphasis on easy to clean and maintain is something that I wish houses today had. To me it seems new houses are optimized for fast and cheap construction, but as someone who actually lives in the house and wants to continue to do so for the next decade or two with minimal hassle, there are so many design problems.
Part of the problem is that like clothes, houses and exterior/interior design follow fashion trends which have nothing to do with utility and maintenance. And like the tax prep industry, there is incentive for builders/contractors to make houses fragile and hard to maintain so they always have (expensive) work to do.
The HN thing to do at this point is to believe that I, a software engineer, can do better and then fail spectacularly in doing so because building houses is different than writing code. So instead I will sit here, fume about the state of things, and throw money at problems when they arise.
- pengaru 4y ago> The HN thing to do at this point is to believe that I, a software engineer, can do better and then fail spectacularly in doing so because building houses is different than writing code. So instead I will sit here, fume about the state of things, and throw money at problems when they arise. The thing is, you probably can do better, you just can't do it both better and as fast or faster. It's totally worth doing it better for your self to utilize and enjoy. The calculus is entirely different vs. a business effort needing to turn a profit. Most people have plenty of hours they'd otherwise spend unpaid wasting time they could instead be investing in improving their homes while learning new skills.
- qwerpy 4y agoYeah you’re right, I was just making fun of software engineer hubris. I’m slowly learning some of those skills on my own because it’s fun to learn and not be blocked on finding a dependable contractor. Nowhere near the point where I can do new construction but maybe someday.
- maxerickson 4y agoA lot of building techniques seem hard but are really faster/cheaper/easier than a seemingly more maintainable solution would be. Drywall, mud and paint seems like a lot of work, but imagine making a room 30 feet long where replaceable panels actually looked good and fit well.
- WastingMyTime89 4y agoWell drywalls are pre-cut plaster blocks in a standard sized steel frame. It’s already pretty close to replaceable panels when you think about it. You then mud and paint for it to look good.
- maxerickson 4y agoIn US residential style construction drywall is gypsum plaster pressed between two sheets of paper. There's no frame on the sheet. It's cut to fit (scored with knife and snapped off) and nailed/screwed to the wall studs.