Homes for sale in Spokane, Washington in the price range of $150,000
to $250,000 consists of four basic styles, Craftsman, Ranch, Split
Level and Victorian. There are also many subsets and variations
of these four styles.
The
Victorian style, although pretty, posed many concerns
simply due to their age. At the price range we were looking at,
it was problematic whether any necessary upgrading had been performed,
specifically the electrical and plumbing. Maintenance of the exterior
would be difficult since Victorian houses are tall, at least one
and a half stories high with steep multiple planes of roof. One
of the characteristics is the tall ceiling in all the rooms. Tall
ceilings will pose heating problems in the winter.
The
Craftsman style to me is the most appealing visually.
They are not as old as the Victorian and is a simpler and cleaner
design with less ornate elements. They were originally designed
by the British for their colonists in India and its hot and humid
climate. They typically have a large porch, a hipped roof for a
large attic and generous roof overhangs, all designed to ward off
the sun's heat and control interior heat accumulations. For this
reason, Craftsman houses were popular in places like Southern California.
Like the Victorian houses they are old and will have electrical
and plumbing issues that will have to be dealt with sooner or later.
The Split Level houses feature an open or cathedral
ceiling in the living room. From the entrance you usually climb
stairs, either up to the split level or down to the living area.
The square footage, because of the split, is much less than other
styles of comparable exterior size. The small square footage and
multiple stairs were reasons we did not pursue houses with these
styles.
We
liked the Ranch style the best with its simple
low slung profile but not with an attached garage. They usually
have a full basement where the heating and cooling systems are located.
A finished basement effectively doubles the square footage of a
house. Their design generally allows for easier heating and maintenance.
The low profile gives the house less exposed exterior surfaces.
You can easily hop on the roof with a ladder, something that could
be life threatening with the other styles of houses.
Beware
of McHouses. They don't have anything to do with
hamburgers but rather describe new houses built in the spirit of
fast foods, appealing and fast. These new houses are easy to spot,
they are built for the upscale suburban lifestyle and have big 2,
3, 4 car garages attached to the front of the house that dominate
its appearance. They represent the bulk of the new unsold or foreclosed
houses of the housing industry woes. The problem being these houses
are not worth their assessed value made during the housing bubble.
They are all style with little substance, invariably decked out
with granite counters, impressive appliances, Jacuzzis and so forth
but in many cases built with questionable building materials and
construction methods, like chip board and vinyl trim held together
with glue. In short they were built with speed in mind, to catch
the eye and sell quickly. Industry analysts say market forces may
eventually reset them at 50% of their assessed value. Being decked
out, they may represent good value when priced realistically.
Houses built in the 1930's and earlier have big questions
about upgrades and maintenance as mentioned earlier.
Houses built during the war years of the 1940's may have suffered
from the rationing of strategic materials. I would think most
building materials would be considered strategic. To me houses
from that time period look austere and under built.
We focused on a Ranch style house built somewhere in the 1950's
and 60's. They seemed to be the best built with modern concepts
and materials without the skimping or cutting corners.
Within our price range, houses built from the 1970's through
the 80's looked to us as of substantially lower grade, in
terms of design, materials and build. They have that look
of being built too fast without much consideration other than
cost and time.
Perhaps price reflects more than just location. The fact
that many houses, for instance in the desireable South Hill,
were built 80 years ago by craftsmen using quality materials
no longer available or now cost prohibitive, such as big clear
grained timber, quality lumber, hardwood moldings and so on
and have passed the test of time. These well built houses
hold more value than newly built ones of comparable prices
out in the suburbs where often grandiose facades mask questionable
building materials and methods.
The
Victorian style, although pretty, posed many concerns
simply due to their age. At the price range we were looking at,
it was problematic whether any necessary upgrading had been performed,
specifically the electrical and plumbing. Maintenance of the exterior
would be difficult since Victorian houses are tall, at least one
and a half stories high with steep multiple planes of roof. One
of the characteristics is the tall ceiling in all the rooms. Tall
ceilings will pose heating problems in the winter. 
The
Craftsman style to me is the most appealing visually.
They are not as old as the Victorian and is a simpler and cleaner
design with less ornate elements. They were originally designed
by the British for their colonists in India and its hot and humid
climate. They typically have a large porch, a hipped roof for a
large attic and generous roof overhangs, all designed to ward off
the sun's heat and control interior heat accumulations. For this
reason, Craftsman houses were popular in places like Southern California.
Like the Victorian houses they are old and will have electrical
and plumbing issues that will have to be dealt with sooner or later.
The Split Level houses feature an open or cathedral
ceiling in the living room. From the entrance you usually climb
stairs, either up to the split level or down to the living area.
The square footage, because of the split, is much less than other
styles of comparable exterior size. The small square footage and
multiple stairs were reasons we did not pursue houses with these
styles.
We
liked the Ranch style the best with its simple
low slung profile but not with an attached garage. They usually
have a full basement where the heating and cooling systems are located.
A finished basement effectively doubles the square footage of a
house. Their design generally allows for easier heating and maintenance.
The low profile gives the house less exposed exterior surfaces.
You can easily hop on the roof with a ladder, something that could
be life threatening with the other styles of houses.
Beware
of McHouses. They don't have anything to do with
hamburgers but rather describe new houses built in the spirit of
fast foods, appealing and fast. These new houses are easy to spot,
they are built for the upscale suburban lifestyle and have big 2,
3, 4 car garages attached to the front of the house that dominate
its appearance. They represent the bulk of the new unsold or foreclosed
houses of the housing industry woes. The problem being these houses
are not worth their assessed value made during the housing bubble.
They are all style with little substance, invariably decked out
with granite counters, impressive appliances, Jacuzzis and so forth
but in many cases built with questionable building materials and
construction methods, like chip board and vinyl trim held together
with glue. In short they were built with speed in mind, to catch
the eye and sell quickly. Industry analysts say market forces may
eventually reset them at 50% of their assessed value. Being decked
out, they may represent good value when priced realistically.