Decorating & Renovating
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
let's talk houses
I'm so immersed in talking about houses lately, as we are in the midst of purchasing our first house, and I find myself just really interested with real estate...
So, what type of homes do you like? How do you know? What types of homes do you not like, and why?
I like colonials and victorians. I grew up in a colonial, my sister lives in a victorian, and I just adore old houses. I knew about my preferences, but they were really solidified during our house hunting process. I like low ranches, but not high ranches, and I found that capes just don't work for me at all (slanted roofs drive me nuts, I'm tall).
Re: let's talk houses
I love victorians, hands down favorite there. Capes are probably second. I think they both offer tons of charm. We're buying a colonial because 19 out of 20 houses on the market in the school district we want to be in are center hall colonials. It's an epidemic.
I don't dislike ranches, but H does. I don't think we would ever buy new construction in a development -- they feel very sterile to me.
What kind of houses do I like? I like Colonials, Greek Revivals, some Victorians, Italianates, and Cape Cods. Plenty of Transitionals (a catch-all term) appeal to me.
I like houses that "fit" in the neighborhood and have a sense of place.
How do I know I like them? Ummm, I just do.
What kinds of houses do I not like? I hate Split-Levels and Ranches. I hate anything one story, with the possible exception of Cape Cods, which mostly are like 1.5 stories. I don't care for Dutch Colonials or Saltboxes or Four-Squares (unless they're small Arts-and-Crafts style Foursquares).
Why don't I like them? I just don't. They don't appeal to me visually.
I really like Cape Cod-style houses and bungalows. I also like Craftsman style houses. They just look cozy to me.
Up here, we have a ton of ranch style homes so I am over that particular home style.
I love the look of a traditional beach house. Cedar siding, big porch, big windows.
Around here there are a lot of colonials, but we did just drive but a really pretty modern craftsman that was gorgeous (on a busy street unfortunately).
I'm not a fan of ranchers or split foyers. I just like homes to have some architectural interest.
Wives Unscripted
Houses I like are typically built between the 1890's-1930's. Most Colonial Revival sub-types, Craftsman, Shingle-Style, Tudor, Prairie, Storybook, Cotswold Cottage, Cape Cod, Georgian Revival.
Houses I usually don't like: Most Victorians. They can be too fussy for me, and some give me the creeps. Strangely enough, I like Colonial Revivals but not usually the real Colonials -- I find the interiors too old. I also don't like Spanish Revivals, Adobe-style houses, split levels, and anything too new or cookie cutter.
I can appreciate some ranches and Contemporaries, but wouldn't buy a house in either of these styles because I feel like they are not "me."
House styles I like are different than I want to live in. I love Victorian but unless fully modernized I wouldn't live there and even then though I adore the main staircases and back routes - I couldnt do those stairs everyday - they tend to be steep.
We built our dream house in terms of what makes our daily lives efficient and spent a lot in adding architectural details that we love from old houses. We built a 5 bedroom ranch that has three sides of full windows in lower level walk out. Kids jack n Jill on one wing and master suite on other wing. Not all ranches are 1960. Lol
I really like vernacular homes wherever they are. Cape Cods and saltboxes in New England, Arts & Crafts in the prairie states and on the west coast, low country on the Carolina & Georgia coasts, Arcadian and Creole in Louisiana. The homes' connection to their landscape and functionality is always impressive to me.
I desperately love a good colonial row house like in Old Town Alexandria or Savannah or Charleston
I'm not so much for Victorian just because they're too frilly for me, but I don't actively dislike them. I do actively dislike split-levels, but there's a lot of personal negative association that goes along with that.
My Pinterest
The Googlesites Paint Bio
Thinking of doing cosmetic updates to a dated home? These were our costs.
I love craftsman style homes because of the character. Older homes in general are my preference due to the character and the quality of build. Our townhouse is only 8 years old, but the rushed, cheap workmanship is obvious in certain areas of our house. My DH, on the other hand, would like a new house because of the newness, but would go for an updated older home, too.
I am not a fan of split-level homes, just because the flow seems so off to me. Also, any house with real wood paneling isn't my cup of tea either; I despise wood paneling.
I prefer farmhouse or "traditional" 2-story style homes. I like other styles of homes, but the floor plans rarely work for me. I would buy a ranch or split-level (and in fact, our OH house pretty much WAS a split level) if the floor plan was right.
I am not a huge fan of mediterranean homes - the tile, the stucco,etc. They just don't feel very warm/inviting/comfortable. It's unfortunate, since I live here in the mediterranean-style home capitol of the USA. A great many houses are automatically excluded from our home search due to the style.
I like pre-WWII houses, but probably post-1900. So about a 40 year period there that I just love. Love colonials, four-squares, tudors, arts & crafts, late Victorians... DH and I are probably going to be looking for our forever house in a couple of years here, and we're toying with the idea of building a new house using a historic blue print. This one is our current favorite (a 1903 Queen Anne):
We would update a few things to make it more "modern" - like get rid of the back stair case to create a "drop zone/laundry" and upstairs use that back "L" with the maids room to create a master suit.
I really dislike most modern plans. I could probably live in a home build before 1990 (though it wouldn't be my preference), but I strongly dislike a lot of what is "trendy" in homes right now. Totally hate two story greatrooms, open concept floors plans, first floor master suits, jack n' jill bathrooms, absence of formal living rooms, and dining rooms not connected to the kitchen. It seems that most plans these days are focused on making the house "big" at the expense of making it very functional. Old architecture "feels" good because it's logical. The placement of windows makes sense (to take advantage of breezes and sun light) the arrangement of rooms is more logical (stack bathroom over kitchen for efficient plumbing), hallway accessible bathrooms, entry ways so that you don't have strangers in your personal space...
Old houses have their own quirks like small closets and small kitchens (though I don't understand people's "need" for huge kitchens given the reality of how few people actually cook these days), but new plans to me are so awful aesthetically, environmentally, and logically, I could never live in one.
Signed,
house snob