why cant we be older?!

[vernacular_life]

I'm not going to post about the way that Ben has been waking up for the past 3 nights with what I can only define as infant Night Terrors (zero to screaming 3 hrs after going to bed; fighting us when we pick him up; pretty much inconsolible; only stops screaming when we bring him into the brightly lit bathroom; takes 1 hr to get him back to sleep.....)


Instead, I'm going to express my outrage at the explosion of '55 or better' communities* that are sprouting up in the DC/Baltimore area. Um, we ain't Tuscon. Not Sarasota. Nope, not outside of Austin or the Raleigh/Durham area either.......

What's the cause of my outrage? This Neighborhood
The location is perfect
The water access is perfect
and most importantly, the SCALE of the houses is perfect.

you can't FIND reasonable scale new single family houses in this area. They're all 4 bedroom monstrocities that have an office, sitting room, master suite with kitchenette, bonus room, media room...(aka unneeded usless spaces)


*the big caviat on these is "no permanant residents under 19". I guess I could pretend that Ben is a pet......and any future pregnancies are 'medical conditions' :P

Comments

[cesariohaines.livejournal.com]

Honey, I hear ya! Every decent looking, affordable, smaller scale development going up around here are 55+ communities. It's frustrating as hell.

Um, ya know retirees aren't the only ones out there that would like affordable, smaller housing. There's some young family types that could benefit (and would buy) a nice home that isn't a 4,000 sq. ft. McMansion.

I barely have time to clean my place as it is... a can't imagine adding another 2,200 sq. ft. to it! Not to mention the rooms that would just be plain empty because we wouldn't be able to furnish them adequately.

[vernacular-life.livejournal.com]

LOL at the empty rooms - we were joking about that, too. I mean, how exactly DOES one furnish that open space that's suppose to be an office at the top of the stairs??

I really don't understand the purpose of the 'optional' rooms in this floorplan: http://www.washingtonhomes.com/Home/MD/CS/ModelsAvailable/CQ1/Floorplan01.htm?Region=MDNORT&Brand=KHV&Search_Type=Communities&State=MD

and the sitting room off of the master bedroom? Great...now I'd have to buy ANOTHER couch!

[snowzilla.livejournal.com]

Yup, yup, yup. That'w why we eventually gave up and bought an older home (which we're over the moon about) - it was a long struggle, searching for the perfect subdivision and then realizing it just wasn't out there. We didn't need a McMansion or a Garage-Mahal.

[vernacular-life.livejournal.com]

we have an older house (1960's) and just need an extra bedroom and an extra bath! I would prefer an older house, but DH has had it with old wiring, etc., and would only okay an older house if it was fully restored.....

[snowzilla.livejournal.com]

I think ours is 1969 - no, wait, 1974. We still have a ways to go with the renos, but structurally, the house is in great shape, so it's all cosmetic stuff. And there's SO much to be said for an existing neighbourhood with established trees/landscaping, and actual YARDS. Are your new home builders making the yards teeny-tiny, like ours are?

[vernacular-life.livejournal.com]

our house had a lot of cosmetic that we've taken care of...but now its the big stuff, and we don't like the house enough to sink $100k into it for a major addition

The new yard trends in our area are stupid -- sitting the house way back on the lot to make it LOOK like there's a yard....leaving at the most a 15 foot deep backyard. who the heck plays in the front yard??!

[snowzilla.livejournal.com]

Exactly!! We have a teeny front yard - a joy to mow. ;) Our backyard is huge - you'd never get that in the new subdivisions, not even with a huge 750,000 home. Our friends built a 600,000 McMansion, and their backyard is as big as my foot (while their front yard is entirely full of the monster driveway leading up to their 3-car garage). They don't have kids yet, and I think they're going to regret it when they do.

[tray85.livejournal.com]

You'll have to have a supply of animal-themed halloween costumes for Ben. One day, you have a kitty. The next day, a bunny. Assuming the retired folks can't see very well, it should pass.

You are going to slap me, but we have 3600+ on the first and 2nd floors (and I'm not sure how much in the basement..1500?) and I still feel like I don't have enough room for some things~! (apparently, I have 17 people living here..or at least I think I do) I think you are right about the formal rooms and certain optional rooms that are a waste of space. In hindsight, I would have loved to eliminate at least the formal living room for a big kitchen pantry~!! I have always laughed at those kitchenettes in the master suite. Most of the time they are right by the bathroom and that wigs me out. Hubby and I are just "need our space" kind of people vs "trying to show off" people. I have friends who have $1MM homes who hate their houses and want something different. Bizarre.

[njlorelei.livejournal.com]

There are a ton of those 55+ communities in NJ too. I think it's crazy especially since every other day you read about how our property taxes are so high that senior citizens on a fixed income can't afford their homes and are moving to other states.

Dennis' parents lived in one when they still lived up here and though we weren't living there (well except for 3 months before we could move into our house) we always went over to use the community facilities - clubhouse, fitness center, tennis courts, pool, etc. It was fabulous. I do not know why they don't build these communities for people under 55 too.

[sarahnj2007.livejournal.com]

Steve's parents thought about moving to a place like that but changed their minds when a "friendly" person in the neighborhood they were looking at asked if they had grandchildren and went on to complain about visiting grandchildren!?!

On the night terrors, if Ben is waking 3 hours after going down to sleep, you go in and wake him 2 hours and 45 mins after he goes to sleep. Then put him back down. Should only take a few mins and is usually enough to break the cycle. Worked with Noah anyway. Jason has not had any night terrors yet but now I've jinxed us just saying that. Expect I'll be up tonight now...