Hobbies and tastes change over time, right?
Whenever I went to McDonald's as a kid, I always ordered a plain hamburger.
But because traditional McDonald's burgers automatically come with ketchup and mustard, my parents were always forced to “order special” and I had to wait at the side of the counter for the burger in its blue and white packaging with a yellow sticker to come down the chute and be handed to me.
Ah, times have changed.
Now everything is special order! We have people order vegan, gluten free, non-GMO, veggie free, meat free, air free, invisible, you name it.
Today, I'm putting everything on my burger: tomatoes, onions, lettuce, dill pickles, and banana peppers, all of which are things I often use when I have a family BBQ.
But it's not surprising that our childhood hobbies and tastes change as we grow up, right?
When I was thinking about my dream home, it was always a red brick house.
I grew up in Leaside where most of the houses were made of brick and a traditional red brick house, perhaps in the Georgian style, was something I always admired.
This is kind of funny, or maybe ironic, but when I Googled “red brick house” to find some photos of houses I liked and could post below, the first three results that came up were from TRB's blog posts.
June 16, 2023: “Pro or con: these gorgeous brick homes!
Is it possible that I am being unoriginal?
Wait… don't answer…
My dream home has always been red brick, and if you had asked me if I would ever buy a home that was anything other than red brick, I would have said, “You're crazy.”
But tastes and preferences change.
Or were you simply focused on the location, size, style, layout and price of the home?
We ended up buying a brick house, but the brick was a tan color.
Yes, I googled this…
At least I knew the name, otherwise I might have just called it “Sand.”
Most of Toronto's homes are made of brick, but there are also many modern homes built in the last 20 years, and especially the last five.
For some reason, this style just doesn't resonate with me.
It depends on the person, right?
But even as much as I try to understand, accept and admire the style, I find it really difficult to like the exact opposite of what I like.
Today I want to show you some of these houses and share my thoughts on them. I invite you to share your thoughts in the comments below. I'd like to know how much demand there is for this style of home, or if I'm just old-fashioned and naive.
Let's start with some wide houses in a landscape format.
Modern House #1:
I don't think I'd like any of these because I like brick houses and I like traditional houses, not modern.
But if you look at it on a curve, I think I can play.
I don't like how the roof line on the right third of the house is lower than the rest of the house, which may be an architectural feature but it feels uneven to me.
I like the black window frames, and I don't mind the dark blue siding, but I really don't like the concrete block. It feels too industrial and cold, but maybe I'm just way past the “cool guy loft” stage of my life.
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Modern House #2:
Here, instead of concrete blocks, gray stucco or something similar is used.
I like how the left side of the house is light grey, the middle is dark grey, and the right side is light grey. It's an interesting pattern.
But then again, I really don't like the fact that the roof lines are all different. I know that traditional red brick houses have roof peaks like Victorian houses, but the roof lines are at the same height.
The right third of the house feels “short” to me, which is a characteristic of modern homes, especially those on the West Coast, but I think my OCD just doesn't allow me to accept it.
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Modern House #3:
I want to love this. I really do.
But I'm beginning to realize that I just don't like all the modern homes.
I love the contrast of black and brown on the upper floor.
I love the front door and also the black window frames.
But I also see the concrete blocks, and I think it's very odd that the bedroom on the left front side extends about 4-5 feet over the garage below.
All these houses are…………uneven. Perhaps I should consult a psychologist about this… 🙂
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Modern House #4:
This is an example where the phrase “There's a lot going on here!” applies directly.
Because there are so many.
I'm not an architect and in no way qualified to offer any insight into contemporary architectural styles, but there are just so many levels, lines and materials here.
I don't understand the significance of the two vertical stone pillars on the front of the house. They are common on modern homes, but usually there is just one. This house has two, but one is shorter than the other.
I do not understand.
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Modern House #5:
So far, this is my favorite.
But that's because I'm simple, and this house is simple in comparison.
Again, I would prefer a more homogenous, continuous façade, but this is clearly not characteristic of traditional housing.
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Modern House #6:
Moving on to houses on smaller lots and portrait/portrait photography, I actually don't care for this one.
I don't like the big “93” on the front, nor do I like how certain parts of the front are dented or uneven, but I do like the style of the front door, and I like the slight pattern on the window on the right side.
–
Modern House #7:
There's nothing to like about this house.
sorry.
I’m sure it’s a wonderful home, and I’m sure some of you reading this post own a home similar to yours.
But I'm the kid who ate plain McDonald's burgers…
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Modern House #8:
I don't like this house either.
Do you notice a pattern here?
I could have titled this post “Why I Hate Modern Style Homes,” but that would be assuming that I hate all modern style homes.
What these houses have in common is that they are all expensive and most people in the city would love to live there. I am still reviewing these houses at the risk of offending readers who own similar homes. But there is something “too much” about the exterior. It makes me dizzy just looking at them.
Notes Bene: Isabel from accounting came into my office to get the deal signed and said, “Wow, I love this house!” That's the irony.
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Modern House #9:
It's also a cinder block house, but for some reason, I don't hate it.
So that's me, right?
Do you like it simple?
Note: Isabel came back to my office and looked at all the houses in this blog post and loved them all, so I showed her my house on Google Maps and asked her, “What do you think of this house?” And she said, “Hmm. It's kind of boring. It feels like a boring house for boring people.”
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Modern House #10:
This makes absolutely no sense to me, and I hope to provide some rational insight here.
I'm a practical person. I value form over function. The design of this home prioritizes practicality over function, as evidenced by the lack of windows on the left side of the home, on the second floor.
In other words, you sacrifice something important to get the “look and feel.”
I can't do it.
–
Modern House #11:
Is it just me, or does that front door seem really narrow?
I think this is a matter of the angle at which the photo was taken, but either way, the two rectangular concrete pillars on either side of the door make the porch look really small.
This garage looks more suited to a kid's bike than a sedan, let alone an SUV.
Again, this just seems cold and unattractive to me.
That being said, I'm a lonely person, so do I really want a home that's “inviting” to others?
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Modern House #12
Oddly enough, I don't mind this.
Perhaps the front door is too small compared to the rest of the house, the garage too, and a look at the wall to the right reveals that the owners are trying to block something out.
But as an inner-city infill project, this looks cool.
Whether this “fits” into traditional inner-city family neighborhoods is unclear, but that's exactly why many people are building modern homes in the first place – they want to be different.
–
Modern House #13
Maybe I'm just growing to like this style more and more, but I actually quite like it.
It's similar to house number 11, but there's something about it that “completes” the look for me.
Perhaps it's the more refined, homogenous and consistent look, or the added wood elements.
However, although I am still a red brick person at heart, this is a modern home that I really love the look of.
Go ahead and tell me you love this style!
Tell me I'm boring, I think outside the box, I'm unoriginal, etc.
However, we all have our own tastes and preferences, and although I consider myself a creative person who is open to new things, I don't really like any of these houses.
Tell us your favorite. Or your least favorite…
I was hoping the June TRREB statistics would be released on Wednesday so I could write about them today, but unfortunately we'll have to wait until next week. For the record, I see ridiculously low sales data and project that the GTA's average home price will drop from May.
Have a great weekend everyone!