As the saying goes; beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There is no doubt that something one person may find stunning may nauseate some one else. Beauty is extremely subjective.
Often with things like a car or a toaster there has to be a certain amount of prettiness to the functional form. An ugly car is not going to sell.
When it comes to homes and home owners it's almost always about the looks. The function is often not a consideration. This theory is quantified by the numerous times I have found necessary functional items in a home compromised in the name of aesthetics.
The latest failure of function in the name of beauty was a water meter and main water shut off enclosed by a wall. An in-law apartment had been built in the homes basement. In the process the main water shut off and meter was enclosed inside a wall.
There was an attempt to leave it "accessible". You can see the opening in the wall which was covered by a panel in the first picture. To get the second shot of the meter I had to stretch over the counter top and blindly snap the picture. Not exactly readily accessible.
The main water shut off needs to be easily accessible for any number of reasons. Also many municipalities change the water meters on a routine basis (in my town every 8 years). Also the houses electrical service ground is often connected to the main water pipe.
With a little thought and planning the meter could have been made truly accessible. Unfortunately in the name of beauty function suffers once again.
Thanks James. My wife and I are looking and we know that with some homes, there might be a flaw that would discourage a lot of buyers, but if you know that for a reasonable amount of money you can hire a landscaper architect to transform something hideous into something beautiful, then you can get a property for a lot less than "market."
Beauty usually takes precedence over function, in my experience. One day, as Steve said, the function becomes almighty! Can you imagine the scramble in that house should a pipe or washing machine line burst?
Amateur handymen, in the throws of enthusiasm, will often do stupid things like "bury" a water meter. We often think we can complete a project as well as Bob Vila, but end up with a result worth of the Three Stooges.
I have seen lots of dare I say stupid things done in homes.Sometimes its done for aesthetics and other times just to cut corners and save money. Both are always the wrong choice in my book. Nice post!
I have seen lots of dare I say stupid things done in homes.Sometimes its done for aesthetics and other times just to cut corners and save money. Both are always the wrong choice in my book. Nice post!
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Often with things like a car or a toaster there has to be a certain amount of prettiness to the functional form. An ugly car is not going to sell.
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Thanks James. My wife and I are looking and we know that with some homes, there might be a flaw that would discourage a lot of buyers, but if you know that for a reasonable amount of money you can hire a landscaper architect to transform something hideous into something beautiful, then you can get a property for a lot less than "market."