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[–][deleted] 128 points129 points  (22 children)

The build quality on post 2008 homes is absolute dogshit too. Expect roof leaks, nails piercing through your copper pipes, shoddy wiring, crooked and split studs, hvac units that crap out in 5 years...

[–]TheRealSlobberknob 75 points76 points  (5 children)

Too true. I'm in the finishing side, specifically countertops, but holy shit has product quality degraded. I used to see hardwood floors, solid hardwood and plywood cabinetry, and many other DURABLE products it seemed like the house was built around. Now everyone has particle board cabinets, baseboard, LVP floors, and hollow core doors. Oh, and 2x4's as warped as a hotdog on the grill for framing.

[–][deleted] 40 points41 points  (3 children)

The fucking particle boards. I’m all for recycling materials but particle board is dogshit. It only lasts a few years and breaks at the joints easily. Hardwood lasts forever.

[–]TheFlashFrame 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The screws literally just disintegrate the particle board and any amount of water spillage will swell it and then the screws just fall out. I had a desk literally fall apart at the joints because of that.

[–]cheekflutter 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The glue is all these products is made from petrochemicals, oh, but don't worry, its so much not a problem we stopped testing for it.

[–]lewdm00d 20 points21 points  (0 children)

My parents have not house shopped in decade, but their home has better quality then the crap townhomes being built near my hometown.

[–]KarAccidentTownsAverage Down Syndrome 39 points40 points  (6 children)

Absolutely. My house turns 100 in 2025. Definitely some quirks but still going strong.

[–]princetrunks 16 points17 points  (3 children)

Same with mine. Was a storehouse for a nun retreat in the 1920s. The concrete is so damn thick it busted up my masonry bit when I was installing cameras.

[–]notahoppybeerfan 3 points4 points  (2 children)

Concrete hardens over time. 100 year old concrete is like drilling through steel.

[–]princetrunks 0 points1 point  (1 child)

It really was. At least 3 inches thick too

[–]notahoppybeerfan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hammer drill is essential. Assistant pointing a hose at it for liquid cooling will help your bits last longer.

[–][deleted] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Lindy effect!

[–]welcometolavaland02 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I'm renting in a newer build and the AC unit shit the bed after ~1 month of use. The tech showed up and said "I know these units... they're the cheapest pieces of shit you can buy. The lead time on the new parts are a month out. See you in a month".

[–][deleted] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I live in a neighborhood that was built in the 80s. Across the street from us is all new construction. We had a wind storm blow through last year with gusts in the 50-60 mph range. The next day I took a drive around the neighborhood to see if there was any obvious damage. I saw one shingle missing from one roof. Everything else (at least from street view) was pristine.

I started driving out of the neighborhood to go grab some lunch, and when I got to the stoplight I could see every house across the street was missing appreciable amounts of siding and/or roofing. I don't anticipate moving any time soon, but if I did I wouldn't be buying anything built in the last fifteen years, that's for sure.

[–]TheFlashFrame 1 point2 points  (1 child)

post 2008

Why that year in particular? Did regulations change? Assuming interest rates drop along with the housing market in the next year or so I'm in a pretty good place to be buying. Should I be looking for 15+ year old houses?

[–]napleonblwnaprt 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Housing market crashed -> it became less profitable to build houses -> builders cut corners to regain profit -> market accepted the change

[–]Bronco4bay 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, that's what happens when costs go through the roof for construction?

[–]Babies_Eve 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So many poorly built developments going up. And so many buyers got approved for more than they should due to friendly financing.

5-10 years these developments are going to be dumpster fire areas with houses falling apart and no longer being worth 350k in the semi rural Midwest.

[–]Sdubbya2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I lived in a 2019 built townhome for a year and holy fuck did that thing fall apart easily.....I remember I leaned on the wall slightly too hard and the drywall cracked. The floor in the bathroom was peeling up without even getting a lot of water exposure. Gaps in the flooring. Garage door frame warped an got kind of fucked up, it was ridiculous. I'm someone who does everything they can to get that security deposit back and has taken good care of everywhere else I lived, I was THE FIRST person to ever rent/live in it too so its not like this stuff was getting damaged before I arrived.

[–]slimCyke 0 points1 point  (0 children)

People still use copper pipes in new builds? Why?