Why old houses are more charming and better designed than new houses.

[@lilithgrrrl]

Sitting here in my 1929 English cottage style house and I love all the details and the layout, which is livable, comfortable, and also beautiful. Its a joy and a privilege to be the caretaker of a pre-war house and despite its challenges, I love it. They just don’t make ‘em like they used to !

[@BrentHull]

AGREED!! Thanks for sharing!

[@pitsnipe5559]

You are spot on about houses designed these days. We built a reproduction of a 1920’s craftsman bungalow, across the road soon after a “modern” ranch from a house plan book was built. Night and day on character. People would ask when our house was built. I’d tell them to guess. I got anywhere from 1920 to 1940. They were shocked when I’d tell them it was built in 2005. Our first house was a craftsman cottage and had so much character and charm. The one we’re in now, not so much, but it’s a nice retirement community.

[@BrentHull]

It makes a difference. Thanks for sharing.

[@Haakonson55]

I wish I would’ve found your videos three years ago prior to renovating our 1890’s farm house. I knew I wanted to add character back into the home, but the typical 1970’s remodel left no trace of what was original. We’re gearing up to do our kitchen and I’m glad I found you before that. I love what we’ve done so far, but I’ll have to go back and rebuild some casing and headers. All in due time! I love the channel 👍🏻

[@BrentHull]

Thanks so much. Good luck.

[@stevemiller7949]

You pointed out the delusional thinking accurately. I remember a McMansion where the three stall garage was needlessly placed on the south side. Result --- the best natural light was banished from the house --- in Michigan where we have long dark winters. Bad design = daily problems.

[@BrentHull]

Interesting. Thanks.

[@DrWarBear]

Great use of the word banished. It really does “banish” the light and joy from the home when you block the light with the garage, or make the houses facade garage-centric instead of putting the beauty of the home first.

[@seanh3563]

Views from looking out a window as well as from looking from one room to the next used to be planned for through design. The size of the house is the most important aspect today.

[@BrentHull]

Price per sq. ft rules... no wonder they're ugly.

[@MadelinePageCourts]

"Regulating Lines"....What an important concept and I know you have shown and mentioned this many times before, but I wish you could break down how these lines create beauty but then using the same parts and pieces but without the "regulating lines" a similar house is ugly or at least doesn't work. Would love to hear you elaborate on that. I am now seeing how you are using the lines to remedy a poor design. Thank you Brent. You are brilliant as always.

[@BrentHull]

Hmm, good idea for a video. Let me work on it. Thx.

[@dal2888859]

Love it, but where is the rest of this presentation? Excellent points, as usual. Your channel is so good, and deserves a vast amount of attention. Thank you for sharing your passion.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks so much, watch my live videos, that is where those presentations are.

[@danlove4270]

Stumbled on this today. Glad I did.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks for watching.

[@MichaelWest-wn8iw]

Thank you for your time and passion.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks for watching.

[@djtheg6819]

Imagine trying to add on to a 1920s craftsman and the city telling you that they want you to design the addition different than the original portion of the house so that people can see the original portion and clearly see the new addition purposely designed so that it doesn't match. Luckily(thank god) I won and the city approved my addition plans that matches the original architecture. I went out of my way to have all new windows custom made out of wood just like the originals, even using lead weights. There are different types of home owners. One type just see's a house as a utilitarian object that provides them shelter and there is another type that sees themselves as stewards of a piece architecture. I went out of my way to match all the trim, and used all of the original design cues to faithfully match the style of the old section and carry it forward to the new addition.

[@BrentHull]

Well Done! Thx

[@rogerhodges7656]

Thank you Brent. For the algorithm.

[@BrentHull]

Welcome.

[@Fulcrum205]

I grew up in a little Craftsman bungalow built around 1920 or so. I think it may have been a kit house. It was very close to a couple of offerings from that time period. We moved to a late 60s ranch when I was 10. The difference in quality was stark. The ranch had crappy pine paneling, MDF core Formica counters, and MDF underlayment on tarred felt (which I got to help cut a bunch out and replace)

[@BrentHull]

Its a stark difference. Thanks for your comment.

[@Fulcrum205]

@BrentHull thanks for doing these videos. I just found your channel the other day and am really enjoying them. The work yall do is amazing as well. It's really heartening to see companies that still care about history and craftsmanship and not just finding a faster, cheaper way to fake it.

[@SupaFly10579]

I'm in Brooklyn, NY. It's a sin what they tear down and replace it with.

[@BrentHull]

Agreed!! Thanks for watching.

[@SupaFly10579]

@@BrentHull Thanks for what you do and spreading your knowledge. It is truly a lost art. May I ask you a question about my home? It seems to be the only Victorian without a fireplace :( Why would this be? Would this be considered more modern and desirable to heat the home without one?

[@rodeopenguin]

To what you said about architects abandoning residential. It appears to me that residential buyers have abandoned architects, not the other way around. As you know, all the architecture schools got taken over by modernists, but 80-90% of people prefer traditional architecture. If architects don't have the skills to satisfy homebuyers (because they never learned traditional architecture) then homebuyers will reject them. Then the architects will go to corporate bureaucracies where they can sell their skills to a committee that puts a higher weight on the architect's degree than their own individual judgment of beauty.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks for sharing. Unfortunately, architect driven houses have never been a huge proportion of of new houses. Even in the 20's 3% is about all. Architects add costs that most people can't afford. The opportunity you suggest in corporations doesn't exist. FYI>

[@nonawolf7495]

Years ago, I met an architect at a party. As we chatted, I expressed my profound hatred for modern residential buildings. When I asked why they were all so terrible, he said the mortgage industry was to blame. According to him, it was difficult to get a building loan on a "custom" house (read: anything that was different from the homogenous builds that we see today). With funding only available for highly fungible mass produced beige boxes, buyers had no choice People are forced to buy what is available. It's always about the money.

[@pcatful]

What architects design and what people want vary widely. Many people with money want a distinctive and modern house, and it's often from a cultivated taste, not just whims. Tract homes might be designed by a real architect but they are designing for a builder and for a market. People decide what they want to buy, while builders build for maximum profit. Your local architect is making much more money designing for rich people and will give them what they ask for. The architect does not design a modern home if they want a traditional home. They not might be good at designing either, but that's another issue.

[@pcatful]

@@nonawolf7495 It varies. Rich people can build what they want and the choices of style are all over the place.

[@rodeopenguin]

@@pcatful i spoke with an architect in Charlottesville Virginia where there is a lot of big money that lives in old plantation homes. I said he didn’t know anything about traditional architecture and that most of his clients are these rich people who want additions, renovation or outbuildings for their old plantation homes. He said that they always ask for “old stuff”(his words) but his firm convinces the clients to do something more modern. It is totally and completely false to suggest that modernism dominates architecture firms because there is strong market demand for modernism.

[@robertbamford8266]

Architect-free renovation and remodel are popular around us (Northern California). We see numerous examples that look like a second story or dormer was “plopped” on a house. Can only hope it’s functional. Then there are a few cases where everything fits. Only the unchanged homes in the neighborhood hint at the modifications. Perhaps it’s unfair to blame the builder. The real driver may be the customer who starts with a budget and a requirement and finds a contractor who will build it (to code).

[@BrentHull]

Great point!! The uneducated buyer. Thanks!

[@rachelclare1398]

Just eating this up. I’m not a builder but I sure wish more builders were paying attention!

[@BrentHull]

Me too. Thanks.

[@davegordon6943]

Love all the passage ways and hidden staircases in old houses. No open concept

[@BrentHull]

Thanks for sharing.

[@artemioquintero7866]

Thank you for this explanation, you make me want to learn more about design.

[@BrentHull]

Happy to hear that!

[@thetubekid]

Great video! What I wonder is... how do we get design back into residential homes? These are part of our environment and we should all want to walk and travel through beautiful spaces. Honestly, I think what's been lost our general connection to our environment through technology and other means of entertainment, work and distraction. The folks who might have been great designers or builders 100+ years ago now design mobile apps, green technology, cars, airplanes, rockets, etc. We do have more people overall of course but it just seems building and architecture (especially residential as you pointed out) isn't something people are drawn to anymore. So much talent and passion is gone. Honestly, it's the same for the trades overall it seems with the push towards college. We need smart, creative and passionate people back in (residential) design and building!

[@2brazy4ubitch]

When things had to be done more manually, there was less excuse to not give a shit, you were going to have to spend time on it anyway. That said, I own a turn of the century house framed like garbage and mostly trimmed like garbage, so it depends how seasoned the hands being faced with what would now be considered extremely menial labour were.

[@BrentHull]

Great Comments and thoughts, I appreciate you sharing. You'll hear in my William Levitt talk that the rise of production builders taught contractors and tradesmen how to build fast and cheap. These are lessons we need to shed in order to build beautifully. My 2 cents. Thanks.

[@BrentHull]

Agreed, technology makes us lazy. Thanks for your comments.

[@SupaFly10579]

I don't think this time will ever return again. It's all about doing things cheaply. I cannot tell you how I see beautiful homes destroyed and what they are replaced with where I live. It's criminal to me.

[@valleyoftears8964]

Hi Brent, another awesome video! Will you be covering how historic houses lay their foundation? Very mesmerized by cellar in historic houses!

[@BrentHull]

Good idea. Foundations!! I like it. Thanks

[@SupaFly10579]

Yes, this is very interesting! I also was in an old home where the basement is a maze of rooms also. I never understood why.

[@vazz22]

Great history lessons here!

[@BrentHull]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks!

[@doberman1ism]

I would like to know the name of the architect who designed my Sears and Roebuck Catalog Home 🏡 "The Windsor ". My grandfather built this home in 1925. I cannot find any information on the name or background of the architect. A dear friend of my mothers was lifelong friends with Frank Lloyd Wright. He lived in a Frank Lloyd right home in my hometown. Lou and Frank worked on designing Lou's home together. Together they worked on a second set of plans for Lou to build another home. The day Lou received the second set of architectural plans in the mail from Frank Lloyd Wright is the same day Wright passed away. Lou told me this interesting story.

[@BrentHull]

Very cool. I suspect the architect on your home was part of an office of architects that worked anonymously. Old School. Thx.

[@BitsOfInterest]

My favorite chair is Rietveld's Crate Chair. He made it from a shipping crate and it's incredibly simple and comfortable. They sell reproductions for $1000 now (which would probably make him roll over in his grave) but I made some for my in-laws for about $80 each.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks for the tip, I'll check it out.

[@Fulcrum205]

Check out Enzo Mari. He had some interest chair designs made from cheapo lumber. Maris philosophy was about exploring design using cheap materials not making consumer products

[@kennixox262]

An antique house around here is from about 1950 with numerous desert modern mid century homes in the old part of town. Homes here built in the 1990's are considered "old" and frankly badly dated. Lived in a house in Charleston built in 1808 or so but only the exterior brick is original, the inside purely 1980's drywall and newer historically reproduced windows. Nice house but too many people would look constantly into my windows especially on the weekends. Now, in the far west, a 2016 desert modern home, Coreten steel exterior. Totally modern and built for this climate. Would not trade it for an antique or newly built traditional home.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks for sharing.

[@jc2604]

The Barcelona Chair was 1929, not 50's. Surprising, I know, but well ahead of its time.

[@BrentHull]

Oops, did I say 50's?? You are correct. Its from the Spanish pavilion must have been a brain fart. Thanks.

[@nancydrew5]

5:32 is when he talks about the topic title.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks

[@ADLNC73]

I would like to know who though it would be a good idea to make the garage the focal point of the house, shoving the front door back into a hidden nook.

[@BrentHull]

Haha, good question.

[@pcatful]

The owners (helped by builders, and planners. Every house where I grew up had alleys for the garages. This may mean more pavement however, and it eats up more land that could accommodate a bigger house . The owners want a bigger house and bigger yard. The alley's are left out in new developments. There is not an alley where I live now. The owners want Two-three car garages. The house is maximized on the lot. The planners and building codes constrain the rest of the lot. So the garage takes up most of the frontage. It's what people want. I've seen new compact developments where all you see is garages when you look down the street and they look exactly the same.

[@davidepperson2376]

What kind of chair was it he named?

[@BrentHull]

Sorry who?

[@davidepperson2376]

@@BrentHull That beautiful wooden MCM chair, I was curious about its name/maker?

[@hrbelliston]

it’s “the round chair” by Wegner (aka “The Chair” or JH503)

[@theofarmmanager267]

There is an awful lot on there to consider. It will take me a lot, lot longer than 11 minutes (the length of the video) to really evaluate the questions and the reasons in the video. I have one immediate thought. If we take any era - lets say the late Victorian/ Edwardian era (that’s 1880 to 1910 for those colonials who rebelled against their King). In that era, in the UK, we saw people such as Wyatt, Pugin, Ruskin, Morris, Ashlee, Benson, Mackintosh etc. along with move,ents in Europe such as Jugenstil. There are both similarities and great differences between the designs, the architectural elements, produced by these people but one common theme - quality. Get away from mass produced, badly designed objects and produce fewer but better designed homes, furniture, jewellery etc. And yet, at the same time, here in the UK, there were thousands upon thousands of houses being built for the masses. Typically long terraces, 2 rooms downstairs and 2 rooms upstairs. A massive improvement from the dwellings the inhabitants may have had before but one could not call them well designed - as there was little or no redeeming features except cost and quantity. I think that we can say the same about today in the UK. Thousands upon thousands of “estate houses” have been built since the 1970’s. I bought one in 1976 and I can confirm that there wasnt any design involved. Yes, we now had 3 rooms downstairs and 4 upstairs (2 small bedrooms plus another which was rightly known everywhere as a box room, plus combined toilet and bathroom) but the word quality was not involved in the construction. However, alongside that, we have relatively few in number of houses being built by those who could afford it that were well designed and well executed. My initial point is that, in every era, we have masses of poor houses being built for the poor; we have a few very good houses being built for the very rich. It doesn’t change. Same with furniture. We can now buy new furniture relatively cheaply. Some of it seems to have no design (eg Oakfurnitureland for me) and some has design but no great build quality (eg IKEA for me). But alongside that, we have a few designers and makers of furniture who are producing high quality, well-designed furniture. Many examples of those, but I would just mention Sebastian Cox (no known relative) because I got one of his regular emails yesterday. You will see his philosophy of native timbers, old construction methods, new designs. It may not be to your taste but I say that it is quality. So masses of poor to ordinary through to a little of very good. So, apart from exceptional times such as the immediate post WW2 period, where the emphasis had to be on quantity and not quality, is it correct say that the balance of dross quality to high quality is any different today from previous eras? There are good designers out there - we just have to find them them and support them.

[@BrentHull]

Thanks so much. A lot of those ideas translate and hold true here. Nothing though compares to the bungalow house, built for the working man, in 1900 vs the cheap production houses built today. They are on different planets. Thanks.

[@lazygardens]

Barcelona chair? 1929, not 1950-something.

[@BrentHull]

True.

[@robertsirois486]

You know, those blueprints are still around. Just update the wiring and upgrade the insulation.

[@BrentHull]

Agreed. Thx.

[@genes.1999]

I've poked around the internet - haven't seen them. Any leads you can suggest? If I could just get an old Sears & Roebuck catalogue!

[@robertsirois486]

@@genes.1999, I couldn't say. I'm sure that they must be archived somewhere. The diagram in the catalog could help as guide. A lot of builders don't go through architects anymore. They use the CAD system on their computers. Get the dimensions from the diagram and tweak it to fit your needs. And work with your builder to come up with a plan.

[@JayCWhiteCloud]

Hello Brent... I have to challenge you on something (LOL...in a friendly way of course!) that much of what you say I don't believe can actually be called a "theory" anymore (at this point) but a well-proven and established philosophies of design and construction that have virtually disappeared in modern architecture and construction of "made things." Among the bespoke artisan of most craft, from Tailor to Timbwright, this has never left, amidst so many more "modern makers" it is gone and replaced by only a goal of speed for profit. Now faux (aka fake) is more than good enough goal for not only the maker but the poor consumer as well. So now we have plastic extruded moldings, doors, windows, glued on brick and "culture stone," along with countless other atrocities to offend the eye as well as the planet's ecosystems that are being joked to death by their manufacture... The furniture and architecture (which I loved) that you profiled in this video stands on the back of the "folk traditions" that I have dedicated my design and construction career around. The true root of well-made things that I so much love teaching now to the next generation of makers. Now they are not purchasing industrialize wood, plastics, alloys, and concretes, but rather trees, stone, and related raw materials to build their designs with... Thanks again for another great video!!!

[@BrentHull]

Hmm. Thanks for the challenge. I hold out hope that we can return to an old way of building. I hold this hope, possibly naively, but hold it out non-the less. There are positive things in building that encourage me. Revitalized classical movement, the new urban movement, and the growing audience on this channel. People long for well built and beautifully designed homes. Beauty will win in the end. Thanks for your challenge.

[@JayCWhiteCloud]

​@@BrentHull Most agreed...!!! There is hope and I see it every day in emails and messages from past and new individuals seeking guidance in the means and modality applications of traditional material applications... With each passing year Brent, I see these numbers growing exponentially in many communities like the Amish I grew up around who had wandered away from their own traditions and now are returning...at least the ones I teach and work with. Even outside these more known traditional folks, there are others too, like "Mr. Chickadee" on KZbin. He reached out to me almost a decade ago for some encouragement and detailed guidance. What he has achieved in that short time is simply astonishing with nothing more than stone, earth, green timber, hand tools, some encouragement, and conversation. He, like many more now, learn experientially by listening better to the natural materials and tools to teach them once again what our forbears knew so well... What you are doing with these videos is bridging it even further for the mainstream consumers to now (once again) demand that those that serve their needs in design and construction do a better job and also consider the planet's needs just as much as their "bank accounts." Thanks again for what you're doing...

[@JeremeyHowlett]

I think it’s because back then they used only well qualified professionals. Lots of thought went into everything. Of course this was before television so people were more focused.

[@BrentHull]

Good point. Thx.

[@toydoctor0226]

It's frustrating when you mention other videos you've done but you don't provide links. You mention a video on "regulating lines" that might prove useful but no video with that title is on your channel. Please add links.

[@BrentHull]

Got it will do. Sorry about that.

[@BrentHull]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5LNfZZjqNiXi6M

[@AFfrequentflyer]

As cars became more popular and affordable, home design suffered. People wanted to put their cars in a garage, and then garages became the central feature of most homes. So many of the new builds these days look like garages with living quarters attached. The garages ruin symmetry and more often than not are the most prominent feature on the front of the house. How many homes have a garage on the left or right side with a driveway that rolls right up to the garage? It’s so common, unfortunately, and it detracts from the simple idea that a house is a home for people…not cars. Small lot sizes sometimes make it difficult to move the garages to the back or side, and it’s expensive to do that. So in my mind, garages are a leading reason homes today have lost their charm.

[@BrentHull]

Well said, I agree mostly. There are houses built with garages. I might point out or add that cars have ruined cities as well. The need for a car adds to sprawl, ugly parking lots and too much concrete. Thanks for your thoughts.

[@LucasFernandez-fk8se]

I prefer the look of a front facing 2-3 car garage tbh. I think it’s pretty

[@pcatful]

I agree. And the builder who tries to sell houses with one car garage or does not maximize usage of a lot is going to go out of business.

[@LucasFernandez-fk8se]

I prefer new build homes tbh. Old houses are cute because they’re tiny and old but realistically their designs are usually worse than most post 1990 builds. Everything outside of the 1970s is charming in its own way tbh

[@BrentHull]

Ok.

[@kennethbarber438]

pre unions labor was cheap lot of skilled immigrant artisans crafts people were trained (still are in Europe and Scandinavia)

[@BrentHull]

Thanks!

[@pcatful]

FLW chairs don't seem to be for humans.

[@BrentHull]

A lot of truth to that.

[@feelcool1808]

Unified design philosophy, sure. Another could be human scale and proportion.

[@BrentHull]

Agreed. Thanks.

[@avisitorhere]

I have a theory. Houses used to be designed for the neighbors, their view from the outside. Now houses are designed for the owner and their views out into the neighborhood.

[@BrentHull]

I like it. A lot of truth there. Thx.

[@nonawolf7495]

Modern residential designs are barfed out of a CAD program... no soul.

[@BrentHull]

Haha, word.

[@YSLRD]

You lost me at Frank Lloyd Wright.

[@BrentHull]

Haha, thx.

[@frankalexander5401]

No insulation, no air ducts, no air conditioning, no central heating, no double pane Windows, no high security deadbolts, no WiFi enabled lights/thermostats; no UHD security cameras, no weather proof windows (rubber seals and gaskets), no thermostatically controlled water faucets, no built-In-thermostatically controlled refrigerators, no self cleaning ovens, no lead free water pipes, no copper water pipes, no metal reinforced brackets. I will take any house built in the 21st Century over any dip shit “charming house” built in the 1900-1960s!!

[@BrentHull]

A lot of truth in that my friend. Thanks for sharing.

[@nancydrew5]

I live in a charming 1906 folk Victorian cottage. Though the structural remodel occurred in 1997, the remodel added modern conveniences while still maintaining the aesthetics and charm of the originally designed home. I get the best of both worlds. I'll take that any day!

[@danh4527]

Most of these "amenities" are upgradeable. My historic house has copper and pex, 2-wire+ground, WIFI, mostly updated Windows. Upgraded insulation. Still has restored wood siding, original plaster and wood floors. Mini split systems are available. With room by room heat connected to smart meters you can shut off heat to specific rooms and save a lot.