Seaux, (so), ….. my buddy TXGal , torn down an existing house and erected an whole new house on the same spot.
Anybody else ever done this?
I have seen the finished results, and it’s quite impressive.
“Whiskey for my men, and beer for my horses”
Willy Nelson and Toby Keith
In certain scenarios, flat roofs make more sense than pitched roofs (and vice versa).
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Replies
Tons of that going on here. Demo a perfectly good house from the 18 or 19 somethings (some of the 60s, definitely the 70s and 80s are ick and can go) and put in a perfectly hideous McMansion. And they all tend to look the same, unless the city (Hinsdale has done this) has put in stringent rules about cookie cutter homes. They have the same weight in my eyes tho, take up as much of the lot as humanly possible without breaking the setback rules. And don't get me started about Queen Anne fronts and Maryanne backs.
This jobless recovery has done more to promote the consumption of exquisite chocolate than the finest chocolatier. Cost be damned.
I am sure TxGal could tell some good stories.
I believe landscaping is still progressing.
I could not imagine undertaking this feat."Whiskey for my men, and beer for my horses"Willy Nelson and Toby Keith
I hate generalizations and your implication that we tore down a perfectly good house,etc. definitely is insulting.
Twelve years ago we purchased a horrible 50's home in a very close-in, desirable neighborhood. We renovated the house just enough to make it liveable. About five years ago, we started designing the home that we wanted to live in. Construction started about 2 1/2 years ago on our Charlston style home which, although a departure from the 50's ranch style that is the norm in our neighborhood, fits nicely due to the scale of the street facade.
We learned alot during the process, primarily due to the huge amount of research we did. We would both do it again and probably will because the whole process, despite the ups and downs, was fun. Are there this we will do differently next time? Of course there are, but that is part of the challenge.
Landscaping is complete in a dynamic way since I tinker in the yard too much for it ever to be "finished." The major plantings has been completed so the lines of the yard are apparent, and thank goodness don't feel like we made any major errors.
I feel fairly confident in stating that if any of our neighbors believe that we plopped a McMansion in their midst, they certainly are in the minority.
Gotta say, I love your home, and if I had to pick one in your neighborhood, it would be yours for sure. (Don't count any times I got lost though)
Being as you are a licensed landscaping engineer...(can I say that?) I know what you mean. It's always in transition and it's a living thing, never calling the work complete. Kinna like people, a work in progress. That beautiful old oak is quite a testimony to your love of.....all that is serene in the setting of your style home.
pssst...what is a MacMansion?"Whiskey for my men, and beer for my horses"Willy Nelson and Toby Keith
Work in progress... applies to lots of things. Thank goodness!
A McMansion is a house that is big for big sake. Lacking in charm.
ah okay.
I thought it had something to do with Mac Donalds...lol.
Food Brain,Fledge"Whiskey for my men, and beer for my horses"Willy Nelson and Toby Keith
Didn't imply anything. Just stated that there are ALOT of teardowns occurring around me, especially in the 'burbs that are landlocked (the ones that can't annex anymore cornfields to increase their borders) and the resulting homes are called McMansions. The owners just don't want/can't or don't have the vision to work with what they've got. And to be honest, the McMansions I've seen don't have any landscaping worthy of the term...it's like the owners don't spend any time out of doors, either.
Fortunately, it sounds like both you and your hunny have taste AND have worked hard to gain knowledge. Could you possibly bring some of that up here? I would be willing to put you on retainer for a company I'm seriously thinking of starting called "Let ME Spend Your Money". Sadly, just because one has money, doesn't follow that one has taste. Serious education is called for. I live in the same state where the first multi-million dollar Lotto winner's (40mil) first purchase was......a bar. Not an intelligent choice. I believe, he's now broke and the bar is closed.This jobless recovery has done more to promote the consumption of exquisite chocolate than the finest chocolatier. Cost be damned.
Sorry that I read something into it that wasn't there. No excuse but I was a bit out of sorts yesterday.
I'm with you on the McMansions. Nothing redeeming about them at all. There are way to many around her and I'm almost embarrassed to say that I know several people who have built one. The m.o. seems to be, get an architect to design a house maximizing square footage,hire a builder whose name you've seen on a sign in front of another McMansion being built, hand him your plans and don't reappear until it's past time to bring your interior designer to the site, decide on many changes long past the time when they should have been made, hire someone to landscape your house in a manner that looks like every other McMansion, move in and have someone else maintain your house for you, inside and out, and then sue your builder because "you didn't get what you wanted." Blech! Why even bother? Don't get me wrong, I've seen some exquisite large homes but they didn't just happen.
Your business idea is a great one. Now that would be fun. Not only does money not equal taste but getting what you want takes effort and thought.
I look at home building from the homeowners perspective just like anything else you decide to do. I'm never going to be the expert, there are professionals for that. But my job is to educate myself, learn to ask questions and express valid opinions so that the process can be a collaboration.
"Why even bother? Don't get me wrong, I've seen some exquisite large homes but they didn't just happen."
LOL. I totally agree. My cabinet maker told me yesterday after I was asking about some rather specific dimensions that "most of my clients don't get as involved as you in the designing process." I sort of gave him a funny look as I tried to figure out what he meant (or if he was saying that I was bossy,) and he continued saying, " Most people don't educate themselves as much as you have. Some people don't know how to explain what they want me to do for them."
I can't imagine being any other way. This stuff is expensive! I want it done right the first time.
You go!
Your cabinet makers response was exactly the response I always hoped for. If I couldn't draw it or explain it, how could I expect it to turn out like I wanted.
When it came to cabinet work, I ran all over the place looking at different cabinet makers and their worksmanship. We finally picked one, and contracted him out ourselves. Beautiful, but not until later did I find out he skimped us on the hinges.....hmpf!
But I was not there before the check was written either."Whiskey for my men, and beer for my horses"Willy Nelson and Toby Keith
"but not until later did I find out he skimped us on the hinges."
oh, I would be so dissapointed. :( That's awful.