WTF is what new home builders putting new homes so close together?

[NFS4]

There's a new neighborhood being built in my area, Renaissance Park. They have a nice mixture of townhouses and standalone homes. However, they are putting the houses so friggin' close together when there is plenty of land to space them out.

I don't understand WHY people would want to have homes THIS close together. It's barely a parking space width between the two. You might as well buy a damn townhouse if you want to live that close to your neighbor:

Camera pic I took of said houses:

pic120107_2.jpg

 

[waggy]

they tried to do something like that aroun dhere years ago. the city passed a ordinance that you need at least 10ft from the side of the house to the end of the property.

its amazing to see some houses so close that you can shake hands with the person next door.

 

[IronWing]

More lots per acre = more money per acre. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. High density housing can allow mass transit to make more sense. However I agree with you that they might as well have built townhouses. Then again, the builder would have had to build fire rated walls instead of the crap they build now. Given how so many Americans live, we aught build lots of high rise apartment blocks. Why waste land on folks who spend their lives watching TV and neffing?

 

[Ronstang]

Land is expensive and neighborhoods of late have been following the formula you describe. The worst part is the developers go in and cut down all the trees and then stack the houses on top of each other. I could never live in a neighborhood like that. It is much better to buy an older house in a nice established neighborhood and renovate it to your liking. Just about everything new sucks these days.

 

[Zorro]

Zero Lot Line.

 

[rbV5]

The plenty of extra space just looks like empty lots that haven't been built yet.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: Ronstang
Land is expensive and neighborhoods of late have been following the formula you describe. The worst part is the developers go in and cut down all the trees and then stack the houses on top of each other. I could never live in a neighborhood like that. It is much better to buy an older house in a nice established neighborhood and renovate it to your liking. Just about everything new sucks these days.

That area was FULLY wooded before they came in. It was loaded with trees... like a huge forest.

Then they came through and cut down EVERY tree. ALL OF 'EM! It's ridiculous. They didn't even leave a few of 'em up.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: ironwing
More lots per acre = more money per acre.

Winnar. I've seen some where you can practically reach out a window and touch the house next to yours.

 

[NFS4]

Originally posted by: rbV5
The plenty of extra space just looks like empty lots that haven't been built yet.

Yeah, I know that -- they'll probably put two houses in that space between the two front houses

What I'm saying is, there was a whole hellofa alot of land left there to begin with. Instead of giving each home a nice plot of land for a yard, they just stack them on top of each other.

 

[IronWing]

Conflagration.

 

[Ronstang]

Originally posted by: NFS4
That area was FULLY wooded before they came in. It was loaded with trees... like a huge forest.

Then they came through and cut down EVERY tree. ALL OF 'EM! It's ridiculous. They didn't even leave a few of 'em up.

What is even more ridiculous is they then plant little twig trees in the yard so there will be trees in 20 years. It is quite stupid. I have spent all my life living in neighborhoods that built around the nice trees and now the areas are simply gorgeous. People are stupid these days though and most don't know what quality is nor do they demand it so no one offers it.

 

[nageov3t]

it's been like this forever in the north east.

 

[IronWing]

One developer here cleared the land, stockpiling the salvageable plants, and then sold them back to the folks who bought the lots.

 

[rbV5]

Originally posted by: NFS4

Originally posted by: rbV5
The plenty of extra space just looks like empty lots that haven't been built yet.

Yeah, I know that -- they'll probably put two houses in that space between the two front houses

What I'm saying is, there was a whole hellofa alot of land left there to begin with. Instead of giving each home a nice plot of land for a yard, they just stack them on top of each other.

In Portland, you can get free engineered plans for "infill lots" (generally 25'w x 100'd), they had a moratorium on construction on those lots in the past, but No More some people like the tight grouping as well.

I like bigger lots myself, but I'm looking at a tiny lot at the coast currently for building a second home, so I may end up with something like that.

 

[BrownTown]

Obviously the zoning laws in different cities and states vary widely but I definitely know where I live you are not able to put homes to close together. I know this because they just added 2 houses in my parents neighborhood and one land owner sued the developpers for having the house be less than 10ft from the property line. It was kind of funny because there were 30ft between the houses, but what matters is the distance from the property line and not from the other house. The hosues in the neighborhood are between 20-30 feet apart, but these are 2500-7500sq ft houses, so they likely have different zoning laws then high density low cost housing.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: NFS4
There's a new neighborhood being built in my area, Renaissance Park. They have a nice mixture of townhouses and standalone homes. However, they are putting the houses so friggin' close together when there is plenty of land to space them out.

I don't understand WHY people would want to have homes THIS close together. It's barely a parking space width between the two. You might as well buy a damn townhouse if you want to live that close to your neighbor:

Camera pic I took of said houses:

pic120107_2.jpg

I've noticed this trend also. It's sickening how we're moving backwards.

 

[compuwiz1]

This is a California thing that has managed to ooze to other states. They've been building houses so close together here, that an overly obese person could barely walk between them.

 

[Syringer]

Originally posted by: NFS4
There's a new neighborhood being built in my area, Renaissance Park. They have a nice mixture of townhouses and standalone homes. However, they are putting the houses so friggin' close together when there is plenty of land to space them out.

I don't understand WHY people would want to have homes THIS close together. It's barely a parking space width between the two. You might as well buy a damn townhouse if you want to live that close to your neighbor:

Camera pic I took of said houses:

pic120107_2.jpg

Uh you think people actually want it this way? It's all in the interest of home builders/lot owners..

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: loki8481
it's been like this forever in the north east.

Where in the north east? I don't see any of these type developments.

 

[nonameo]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: NFS4
There's a new neighborhood being built in my area, Renaissance Park. They have a nice mixture of townhouses and standalone homes. However, they are putting the houses so friggin' close together when there is plenty of land to space them out.

I don't understand WHY people would want to have homes THIS close together. It's barely a parking space width between the two. You might as well buy a damn townhouse if you want to live that close to your neighbor:

Camera pic I took of said houses:

pic120107_2.jpg

I've noticed this trend also. It's sickening how we're moving backwards.

It's even happening where I live, and land is plentiful and cheap here. No one cares about anything but making as much money as possible anymore. It' all about the numbers. Capitalism FTW.

 

[Throckmorton]

Man.. who would want to live in a wasteland like that? I don't see a single tree anywhere near those houses. Seriously, how is that appealing?

 

[DrPizza]

Maybe one side is for the parents, and the other side is for their children? They want to be close enough to hear any that the kids are doing?

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Throckmorton
Man.. who would want to live in a wasteland like that? I don't see a single tree anywhere near those houses. Seriously, how is that appealing?

It's got 3000+ sq/ft and a three stall garage. That's the appeal.

 

[trmiv]

Very common in California, and now common in other areas. That was one big thing we looked out for when we bought our house in Raleigh recently. That and these frigging neighborhoods that are so clear-cut that it looks like they went in with napalm and torched the place and threw up homes. I would use google maps to view the neighborhoods from above (unless they are too new) to see if they were clear-cut and close together and we wouldn't even bother looking if they were. Luckily we found a nice house in north Raleigh with a good distance between houses and a nice wooded lot.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: Syringer

Originally posted by: NFS4
There's a new neighborhood being built in my area, Renaissance Park. They have a nice mixture of townhouses and standalone homes. However, they are putting the houses so friggin' close together when there is plenty of land to space them out.

I don't understand WHY people would want to have homes THIS close together. It's barely a parking space width between the two. You might as well buy a damn townhouse if you want to live that close to your neighbor:

Camera pic I took of said houses:

pic120107_2.jpg

Uh you think people actually want it this way? It's all in the interest of home builders/lot owners..

1. Yes, some people do. Old people who don't want to maintain a lawn.
2. With house prices as high as they are, many people just can't afford anything bigger. The home builders are giving people what they need.