McMansion or not?

StephenHero · Feb 2, 2011

Originally Posted by Piobaire

eat, love, prey?

I haven't read the book, but I think the lesson is this: to find true happiness in life, you need more square footage than 98% of earth's population lives with, and you need to make sure they know you have it.

Reborn · Feb 2, 2011

I blame all of this on the Levitt brothers. F***ers.

RSS · Feb 2, 2011

Originally Posted by Reborn

I blame all of this on the Levitt brothers. F***ers.

Yes, but it bought Bill Levitt one hellova lifestyle:

RSS · Feb 2, 2011

And didn't Bernie Madoff get his start installing lawn sprinklers in Levittown?

Reborn · Feb 2, 2011

Originally Posted by RSS

Yes, but it bought Bill Levitt one hellova lifestyle:

A man after AF's heart:

Originally Posted by Bill Levitt

"No man who owns his own house and lot can be a communist," he once said. "He has too much to do."

Artisan Fan · Feb 2, 2011

Originally Posted by tiecollector

I'm going to have to disagree about the cement board siding. My house originally had shiplap wood siding but the previous owners messed it up so bad, it was unsalvagable (God knows I tried). While I think the original siding is preferable, I put Hardie Board on my house for a couple of reasons and I really struggled with the decision.

1) It is fire and termite resistant and in the hot summers aids in insulation.

2) This was my biggest reason. The wood of today is not the same as the wood from before. Wood from 75 years ago is much more dense. A stud in my house has about 33 rings that can be counted from the 2" side of a 2x4. A stud bought from Home Depot has about 7 and weighs about the same as balsa wood

I did get some real wood shiplap siding to put in one small place that isn't even exposed directly to rain and the wood warped. I remember reading that cement board has actually been around for a while (~100 years). It used to be used with asbestos and now uses cellulose fibers to hold it together.

3) It holds paint very well. Paint today is also not the same as from before. Formulations have made it less "toxic" but you need much of it to make it last as long. If you want to properly re-prep your house every 5 years to repaint it, a newly painted surface should look brand new still.

4) It doesn't have to look bad just because it isn't wood, but for the love of God don't try to pretend it's wood. I ordered the smooth cement board and actually had to special order from the factory because it was such an "unusual" request.

5) This is more of a side note, but the cost is actually a little bit more than actual wood.

Not all newer materials are bad, just 95% of them. I'd say the following are okay to use and have a purpose (off the top of my head):

1) Insulation
2) Vapor barriers
3) Cement board, you can also use it under bathroom floors and shower stalls behind the tile. The bathroom in my house when I bought it had dryrot all around.
4) Paralam for large spanning joists
5) Plywood
6) Electrical wiring
7) Some types of caulking, putty, sealers, etc.

Finally a sane post. Well done.

StephenHero · Feb 2, 2011

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

Finally a sane post. Well done.

RSS · Feb 2, 2011

Originally Posted by Reborn

A man after AF's heart:
Well you know what they say. Keep 'em busy ... keep 'em occupied ... keep 'em down on the farm ... and provid 'em plenty of entertainment fodder disgused as "news." No real issues mind you ... just make-believe issues.

Artisan Fan · Feb 2, 2011

Originally Posted by RSS

Well you know what they say. Keep 'em busy ... keep 'em occupied ... keep 'em down on the farm ... and provid 'em plenty of entertainment fodder disgused as "news." No real issues mind you ... just make-believe issues.

Jealous because he has a bigger boat than you?

StephenHero · Feb 2, 2011

Do people really not see the distinction in quality between these two groups of photos? It has nothing to do with the wealth that is intended to be conveyed.

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fresh-classic-home-dcoration-interior-design-furniture.jpg

Colonial-design-Interior-Dining-Room-Furniture-Avaline-Ten-Piece-Dining-Set.jpg

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mordecai · Feb 2, 2011

oh yes. yes please.

Reborn · Feb 2, 2011

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

Jealous because he has a bigger boat than you?

Had. He died bankrupt.

tiecollector · Feb 2, 2011

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

Finally a sane post. Well done.
Does the cement board in your neighborhood have a smooth or faux "rough sawn colonial" woodgrain surface? As an interesting side note, while my house was under construction, some kids accidentally lit my backyard on fire on the 4th of July while I wasn't there. FD stopped it about 4 ft from my house..

Bill Smith · Feb 2, 2011

StephenHero;4083568 said:
Do people really not see the distinction in quality between these two groups of photos? It has nothing to do with the wealth that is intended to be conveyed.

These rooms work for me.

Reborn · Feb 2, 2011

I can't believe people chose Levitt over Wright.

McMansion or not?

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