Housing trends you dislike?

[ronandannette]

No I usually wash my hands before leaving the bathroom.
With the water closet there is no sink. So all I can think of is kids using the toilet than opening the door to go to wash their hands.
Sorry I don’t like the toilet in it’s own little closet. Saw many show homes like this.
I guess the purpose is so that others can be at had sink while someone uses the toilet.

Many of my company's house plans have a water closet in the ensuite. Of course there are sinks (almost always double-sinks) just a step or two away. I've never seen a water closet that wasn't part of a larger bathroom. That's really weird actually. Where abouts in relation to the actual washroom were these water closets?

Many hotel rooms have the sink(s) outside the washroom that contains the toilet and tub/shower but even those are just a step away.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Inside the bathroom.
Doesn’t appeal to me. True most WDW resorts do have the sink outside the bathroom.
Not a fan in my house. I can see in a motel.

most of the show homes I’ve seen it in are in the huge en-suite. Often no door on the actual bathroom.
Seen it on House Hunters quite a bit late too.

 

[DLgal]

I hate the trend to have the toilet in its own little room.it’s gross as people touch the handle without washing their hands.

Wait. Are you telling me you don't flush the toilet until after you wash your hands?

We have a little toilet room with a door attached to our master bath. It is literally 3 steps from the sinks. We never actually close that door. I mean, married 20 years. What's privacy in the bathroom? I have never thought twice about having the toilet in its own little room. In fact, every home we have lived in had this setup in the master bath. How is it any different than a public bathroom with stalls. You wash your hands AFTER all your toilet business is done. And you wipe down your toilet handle a couple times a week.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Wait. Are you telling me you don't flush the toilet until after you wash your hands?

We have a little toilet room with a door attached to our master bath. It is literally 3 steps from the sinks. We never actually close that door. I mean, married 20 years. What's privacy in the bathroom? I have never thought twice about having the toilet in its own little room. In fact, every home we have lived in had this setup in the master bath. How is it any different than a public bathroom with stalls. You wash your hands AFTER all your toilet business is done. And you wipe down your toilet handle a couple times a week.

No yet again. I answered this already.
I don’t like water closets because people open the door to get to the sink. I think that’s gross. I prefer the sink being in the same room with the toilet.
I don’t like water closets. Each to their own. Glad you like yours.

I have no desire to have my house like a public toilet lol.
First time I saw one in a house in my city was in a show home about 17 or 1& years ago,
Sorry don’t see the appeal.

 

[tvguy]

Got a small garden shed , holds patio furniture and a lighted snowman. Backyard is small. Not to many people can fit there cars in the garage around here.

Garages are interesting. My subdivision was built 1976-1979 with two car garages.
Street was extended to the west 1985-1989 with three car garages.
Street was extended to the east 2010-2015 with four car garages. A retired couple bought one of these and they have one car, a SMART car. It is funny when they have both garage doors open to see this little tiny car in this huge garage.
When we bought our house I told my wife, "we have a two car garage and it will always have two cars in it". Unfortunately we have had AT LEAST three cars for the last 35 years, so one is always in the driveway. For a time after both kids had their driver's licenses we had five cars. Two in the garage, two in the driveway, one on the street which left two unused street parking spots in front of my house.

 

[tvguy]

Many of my company's house plans have a water closet in the ensuite. Of course there are sinks (almost always double-sinks) just a step or two away. I've never seen a water closet that wasn't part of a larger bathroom. That's really weird actually. Where abouts in relation to the actual washroom were these water closets?

Many hotel rooms have the sink(s) outside the washroom that contains the toilet and tub/shower but even those are just a step away.

Our master bath is 5 x 9 as is the guest bathroom that backs up to it. We added a half bath that is 3 x 5 1/2. I guess I just don't spend enough time in the bathroom because that is more than enough space, and was when our two kids were still living at home. Now that there are just two of us, there is always one bathroom unused.
I grew up in a house with a tiny master bath, I think it was 5 x 5, toilet, sink and stall shower, and it served my parents well for 53 years. The second bathroom has like 6 x 12 with two sinks. Never understood the need for two sinks, never had more than one person in there at a time. And when I sold the house, the right sink had gotten so little use, both the hot and cold faucets were rusted in the off position.

 

[mefordis]

Well the homes that sell the fastest in our area are usually under 300K with 3 bedrooms 2 bath homes but sharing isn't likely to be as common. At my mom's house hers is the 3 bedroom 2 bath with all 3 bedrooms sharing 1 bathroom and the other bathroom in the family room. When I was a teen I used the bathroom in the family room downstairs to get ready because my sister would use the bathroom upstairs. That house could have really used at least 2 bathrooms upstairs. You couldn't have shared my room for anything unless you did tiny bunk beds. It was a tiny room. My bed was a full sized bed and that comprised of most of the room!

But really most people shared bedrooms because that was the only thing you could do. If you don't have to, you probably aren't going to choose to. So as newer homes were built over the years so were the considerations towards bedrooms and bathrooms. Mine would be since when do kids have to share a room?

My trend on the bathrooms however would be having too many in comparison to the bedrooms. You know the homes that have 4 bedrooms but 7 bathrooms?

Our house is a 5 bedroom 4 bath with a 6th bedroom and 5th bath planned for the basement. 2 bedrooms share a jack and jill bathroom and the 5th bedroom is on the main level and is used as our office (common for homes with this configuration). The 4th bathroom is on the main level right next to the 5th bedroom/office.

Your house sounds huge. Right now we have a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom on the main floor. The basement has a bedroom and bathroom but that doesn't count, I'm told., and only the occasional overnight guest uses it.

We are planning a renovation and we want to add 3 bedrooms upstairs, two with a jack and jill bathroom and the other with an attached bathroom. I want each bedroom to have a walk in closet, not huge but large enough.

Downstairs we will remove a bedroom, and keep our master bedroom down there, along with another smaller bedroom. So, our house will end up with two bedrooms and two bathrooms downstairs, and upstairs 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. So, 5/4 not including what we have in the basement. The reasoning is when we go to sell maybe a young family would move in who have older kids that would go upstairs, possibly a nanny up there with them, then a nursery downstairs for a baby, and the master. We are really doing the renovation for us, but I know we need to think it through in case we eventually sell. Who knows, maybe we will be able to afford 25k a year taxes after we retire, and be able to stay put.

 

[Jnjtrio]

Urban growth boundary rules in Oregon portland metro area means most of the homes built after 1990 I would say have the front of the house showing mostly garage. It is something I truly do not like along with the small lot sizes. This is where our jobs are and we work 12 hour shifts so we chose not to have longer commutes to get outside the boundary. We could have bought an older home with a larger lot but at the time they were same price as a new home smaller lot but not updated at all needing new windows, wiring etc.

 

[sasywtch]

Security risk??? Seriously? You live in Sacramento one of the safest places in the country.

?????? Even though TVguy lives in a nice area as do I, things happen here. My daughter bought a house a few years ago a few blocks where they arrested the East Area Rapist/Golden State Killer and that is a really nice neighborhood.
I do not like the farmhouse sink as I have one and bought a plastic bin to wash pans so I can rinse on the other side. They are also building more and more houses next to each other here as someone else said, you can reach your hand out the window to your neighbor. Who wants their bedroom window 5 feet from your neighbors? They are using the side of the house as the fence, so your yard goes up against their house.

 

[indimom]

I also hate water closets. Both for the reason the pp mentioned (I dislike public bathrooms for the same reason) but also because of my job. I work with sick patients in the home. There is nothing worse than those small toilet closets when someone is no longer able to walk unassisted. Rollators, wheelchairs - not going to happen. And even a standby assist by a family member or nurse is exceedingly difficult in those tight confines. And when someone tries to get in there on their own and falls in there.... oy, it's horrid trying to get to them to help them up/see if they are injured. These people have large luxurious bathrooms and they end up having to use a bedside commode next to the sink. Thumbs down to the water closet. I'd rather deal with a narrow 1970s bathroom or a trailer/modular bathroom any day.

 

[mom2rb]

i don't get the mega shower with a tub INSIDE the shower stall concept i would feel so claustrophobic in a tub that's inside a shower stall. i also look at all of that never ending enclosure glass and think how sitting inside of it in the tub i would ocd over every freaking water spot. nope, i'll stick with my shower/bath for the non primary and my separated tub and shower for the primary.

We just did this in our master bathroom. It was the only way to make the shower bigger and still have a bathtub. If the tub wasn’t inside then there was no where to put the door and be able to get into the tub. We had a large tub and a small shower, we flipped that.

 

[PollyannaMom]

...most of the show homes I’ve seen it in are in the huge en-suite. Often no door on the actual bathroom.
Seen it on House Hunters quite a bit late too.

I've seen that on a couple of reno shows, too. - I can't imagine not putting a door on a bathroom! (And in both cases the owners were glad to get one in the renovation.)

 

[YoYoAurora]

Fake barn doors
Gray everything
Those stupid decorative signs that tell you what to do in each room. Like “EAT” for the kitchen, “WASH YOUR HANDS” for the bathroom and my favorite, “LIVE LAUGH LOVE” everywhere else.

I have a dear friend who has given me at least one of those signs every single Christmas and birthday for the past few years. Argh! She's upset that I haven't put one of them on display. Um, not my style, not to mention that the signs are never the style or colour to blend with my decor.

 

[billlaurie]

A trend I don't like is no upper kitchen cabinets and/or open shelving. It is easier to get stuff out of uppers! Where would I store all my mismatched dishes, drinking glasses, and coffee cups. Things on those shelves would have to be presentation worthy for me. Plus the dust and grease in the kitchen. So impractical!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Your house sounds huge. Right now we have a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom on the main floor. The basement has a bedroom and bathroom but that doesn't count, I'm told., and only the occasional overnight guest uses it.

We are planning a renovation and we want to add 3 bedrooms upstairs, two with a jack and jill bathroom and the other with an attached bathroom. I want each bedroom to have a walk in closet, not huge but large enough.

Downstairs we will remove a bedroom, and keep our master bedroom down there, along with another smaller bedroom. So, our house will end up with two bedrooms and two bathrooms downstairs, and upstairs 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. So, 5/4 not including what we have in the basement. The reasoning is when we go to sell maybe a young family would move in who have older kids that would go upstairs, possibly a nanny up there with them, then a nursery downstairs for a baby, and the master. We are really doing the renovation for us, but I know we need to think it through in case we eventually sell. Who knows, maybe we will be able to afford 25k a year taxes after we retire, and be able to stay put.

Our house is just under 2800 sq feet finished (2 levels). The basement is over 1300 sq feet but is unfinished at this point however it has stubs done for that bathroom down there and the bedroom is planned where the egress window is (by code). For our neighborhood it's likely on the smaller end more considering the number of bedrooms. Like our neighbor nextdoor has almost the same sq footage as us but one less bedroom and full bath bathroom (but has a half bath for their guest usage on the main level) so for his house each room is slightly bigger than ours for that reason but each room in our home is def. bigger than the bedroom I grew up in lol. We're in what is considered the lowest end of our neighborhood which now has 4 parts to it (you wouldn't know it by the housing pricing though which is ridiculous).

Upstairs the bedroom that has its own bathroom (aside from the master) doesn't have a walk in closet like the others do (including the main level bedroom/office) but they are double french doors and it's still a decent size. That room also has taller ceilings. So kinda some pros in their to the con of not having a walk-in closet. That room is technically our guest room but is honestly used as my husband's second closet . We have had my mom and one of my sister-in-law's stay over in that room but only like once or twice so clearly the room isn't being used much.

Your idea for what people may want if you sell I think is a good one and totally agree though about renovating for you guys. I didn't want a main level master but surprisingly when we were looking at house plans back in 2013/2014 (our house was completed in 2014) there actually were younger people looking that wanted a main level master. Is your home a 2 story or 1 1/2 story? Why doesn't your bedroom down in the basement count? I saw our extra bedroom in the basement as either ultimately the formal guest room or the room an older child can migrate to.

 

[piccolopat]

In my area, there were too many homes like that built on small lots. What an eyesore to have the main focus be a garage door. IMO, the designs never should have been allowed, period. I do understand though, that would have meant no garage at all. To anyone that has a bought those homes, I'm sure it was very desirable to have a new home.

Some developments actually have the garages in the rear that exit through a shared alleyway. Some are attached garages via a breezeway and others are detached. It's a better choice than the garage doors that take over the front of a house if the properties are narrow but deep.

 

[tvguy]

Some developments actually have the garages in the rear that exit through a shared alleyway. Some are attached garages via a breezeway and others are detached. It's a better choice than the garage doors that take over the front of a house if the properties are narrow but deep.

There are subdivisions here with the garages in the rear with the alley, but the thing I don't like with them is they literally have no front or backyard, just a small concrete patio on the side. Your front door is literally the wide of a sidewalk away from the street in front.
And there is an area called Gold River here and some of the subdivisions have very strict CC&Rs regarding cars and garages. Cars MUST be parking inside the garage between 8 pm and 6 am. No cars are allowed to park in the driveway or the street overnight.

 

[Moliphino]

We put in laminate floors almost 8 years ago, no scratches yet, even dragging furniture over them. We had carpet, regularly vacuumed and steam cleaned, but man, if you ever take out carpet you will never put it back in again. It was like a beach with all the fine grit under the carpet and pad, stains, and gross stuff. No wonder allergists suggest not having carpet in a house.

We tore out our living room and stair carpeting about a year ago. So disgusting! I'll take wood with area rugs any day. At least an area rug can be easily cleaned or replaced.

 

[disneyseniors]

I personally agree. We've got LVP in all the areas where hard-flooring is practical - the kitchen, dining room, bathrooms and front foyer. The spaces I want to be warm, comfortable and inviting (living room and bedrooms) are carpeted and I wouldn't want it any other way.

It's definitely not in tune with current design trends though. Here, where 90+% of all new homes are two-stories, the entire main floor is always hardwood/LVP and carpet only in the upstairs bedrooms. Most of the staircases are hard-floored and I can see the practicality of that.

We only have carpet in the living room and bedrooms too. The kitchen, entry have terra cotta tile. My studio/sewing room has a rich older pine floor with wide planks that has had alot of traffic over the years. I just buff it with floor cleaner once a month or so. Surprisingly, it is soft to walk on and I won't replace it.
Well, that makes 2 of us about the wood flooring trend

I wanted to add that the laminate we had apparently was some of the first to come out. OUr house is a 70's house. So maybe that's why it was such poor quality. If I had good flooring it might be different, but still like carpet in the LV and BR's.

 

[mom2rb]

And there is an area called Gold River here and some of the subdivisions have very strict CC&Rs regarding cars and garages. Cars MUST be parking inside the garage between 8 pm and 6 am. No cars are allowed to park in the driveway or the street overnight.

So do people have to move when their kids start driving? Are you not allowed overnight guest? We have four cars right now. When the kids move out, I would love to only park ours cars in the garage but that isn’t possible.