Why New Houses All Look Like This

You've probably noticed the trend in new house construction: tall blocky design, sloped alumnimum roof, random patches of pressure-treatedwood, all stacked on a tiny concrete base. The reason behind these design style is part economic, part environmental, and part cultural. In many ways, the architecture of a family home is a direct reflection of the cultural values that its inhabitants hold dear. One of the most apparent manifestations of cultural values in family houses is the allocation of space. For instance, in cultures where family and communal bonding are paramount, homes might be designed around a central courtyard or a shared living space, facilitating frequent interactions among family members. Traditional Chinese 'Siheyuan' houses, which revolve around a central courtyard, exemplify this. Contrastingly, in cultures that prize individuality and privacy, separate rooms or distinct living areas might be more prevalent.

[Friendlygasolinefight]

Home inspector here. New houses might have more stories. But they are definitely more open than older construction. People who buy older houses tend to remove walls to make them more open concept. I’ve never seen someone add walls to an older home unless they were turning it into a duplex.

[randallrogers]

We need all those private spaces for our 15 roomates so we can make rent

[jaclynrachellec]

As an architect, I can tell you that a lot of the limitations of modern home designs are driven by how strict and ridiculous some zoning laws are. Every new intricacy you add to a design can cost you a ton of money in time and approval with getting city permits.

[agentdopkant]

"People aren't building homes they intend to grow old in" is probably 70% of what's wrong with the entire real estate industry. Nobody is making homes anymore, just houses

[nathanmark]

Let's be honest it's not that ppl want these houses, it's that developers can cut costs and build slightly more homes because the land is limited and these homes have a smaller land footprint.

Then people are forced to buy them because there is a massive housing shortage problem.

[CaveNJ]

Archaeology student here. You can learn a shit ton about a culture from analyzing house designs. Maya houses classically include burials in the walls. Doing housework? You're also cleaning great great grandma Itzel ☺️

[khutchinsoncpa]

Just going to keep enjoying the front porch on my little 1895 folk Victorian. We’re only the 4th family to have owned it. Looking forward to growing old in it.

[chillyman]

Structural engineer, the foundation and roof are not the most expensive parts, it is the interior that gets you

[techheck]

“People aren’t building homes that they plan to grow old in”. Oh people would love to do that. *companies* don’t want people to do that :)

[koro]

This looks like the minecraft house we build on the first night.
Should add some wood to create some depth on those house.

[zarinaromanets]

As a construction worker: yes it's cheaper to build, meaning the customers still get charged the same, the workers pay rate is still like the 2000's, and the builder keeps the difference reporting ever better profits. A lot of us do want homes we can retire in; I want to plant trees that grow old with me. And I will give an arm and a leg to never have to walk stairs again, my joints have done enough at work as it is and will never be the same lol.

One last point that was not explained: why do they have to be made to look ugly? Plenty of cabins with less square footage and aluminum roofs for snow reasons looks loads more welcoming and human-friendly than these Lego builds!

[GhostOfSnuffles]

That was a very nice way of saying they're built as cheap and to fit as many people inside as possible.

[bobbyking]

Still gonna cost more than 90% of our generation will be able to afford

[katerinaadriah]

When I say, as a disabled person, I have literally cried over how hard it is to find a house with everything on one floor, or even almost everything on one floor...

[trinkab]

My parents i think are looking for their "forever home" in which they can live all on one floor (including the laundry, bedrooms, etc.) So they won't have to worry about falling down stairs

[leg]

Home builder here. Framing is more expensive than the roof and foundation combined, even if you include trusses with the roof.

[AkumakoCross]

I personally detest the blocky, angular modern style of house and hate being in them. There’s nothing homey or inviting about then, and it feels like living in a cubicle. They just feel lifeless, no matter how many people have lived there.

I’ll never bot be mad when a lovely old house in need of a small amount of maintenance/updating/sprucing up get torn down and replaced with a cheap cookie-cutter modern box-house eyesore.

[The-one-and-only-Fruitcake]

I don’t know about anyone else but i like the ‘older’ ones better. When i buy a house, one of my concerns will be “can i live here until i die?” Because i don’t want to jump from house to house. And I don’t need lots of private spaces. It’ll just be me, my pets (mostly reptiles), and maybe a partner. No kids, and no need for more than 3 bedrooms/offices

[JohnSmith-cncw]

Older houses were build with the existing land in mind. They were designed to catch the pervading breezes, and to minimize the heat from the kitchen going into the living spaces.

[Boop__Doop]

Iceland's houses don't bother with the weakness of drywall or the flammability of wood
Our houses are concrete in an aluminum shell