Hello and thank you for being a DL contributor. We are changing the login scheme for contributors for simpler login and to better support using multiple devices. Please click here to update your account with a username and password.

Hello. Some features on this site require registration. Please click here to register for free.

Hello and thank you for registering. Please complete the process by verifying your email address. If you can't find the email you can resend it here.

Hello. Some features on this site require a subscription. Please click here to get full access and no ads for $1.99 or less per month.

Two Homosexuals Transform 1950's Cottage In Upstate New York

Cottage- It's a post war blight 1950's ranch house. But I like these two queens. They are inoffensive and down to earth unlike that couple in France or the UK who were remodeling that white elephant.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 107August 15, 2025 1:57 PM

Oh, God. They’re opening up the kitchen.

by Anonymousreply 1August 11, 2025 1:33 PM

"It's a post war blight 1950's ranch house."

That "blight" of which you speak allowed thousands and thousands of renters to become homeowners for the first time because of these homes' affordability, something completely lost in today's real estate marketplace.

by Anonymousreply 2August 11, 2025 1:44 PM

R2- The original price of the first Levittown New York houses was about $7,900. In today's money that's $116,000. That would be a dirt cheap bargain.

by Anonymousreply 3August 11, 2025 1:48 PM

R2. Your outrage has been duly registered.

by Anonymousreply 4August 11, 2025 1:49 PM

Video blocked for everyone not in the US.

by Anonymousreply 5August 11, 2025 2:02 PM

Clearly they're not Dataloungers or they would've welcome us with "WELL, hello!"

by Anonymousreply 6August 11, 2025 2:03 PM

Oh god, every proposed change sounds disastrous. I am not a fan of knotty pine but those cabinets looked in good shape. If they can be cleaned up, lean into the 50s ranch-ness of them. And two sinks in a tiny bathroom sounds crazy. Did he grow up in a huge family? Because how often do people brush their teeth at the exact same time? I’d rather have counter space.

by Anonymousreply 7August 11, 2025 2:05 PM

+ no ceiling light in the bedroom, that’s a plus! Unless you want a ceiling fan. But ceiling lights are terrible. You can get lamps that tie into a wall switch.

by Anonymousreply 8August 11, 2025 2:09 PM

R7- I agree with you - but you must remember that these two queens are from Wisconsin and it does not occur to them that period details like the knotty pine cabinets in the kitchen are worth preserving.

by Anonymousreply 9August 11, 2025 2:17 PM

I grew up in a ranch house in NJ exactly like the one here, bought in 1952 when I was 3 (I think for about $8000), with those very same knotty pine cabinets with the black iron decorative joints.

They were originally finished with an orangey varnish but in the late 1960s my mother had me paint over them them with one of those kits that had two steps, the first for color (ours was a sort of wedgewood blue) and then a feathered kind of coating that left a faux antique finish. I hated those cabinets in either incarnation. and I'm not surprised the style has never been revived.

by Anonymousreply 10August 11, 2025 2:20 PM

Same childhood kitchen but in a Cape Cod. Couldn’t they be stripped though? I like the look of white unfinished pine but it darkens with age if you don’t preserve it somehow.

by Anonymousreply 11August 11, 2025 2:26 PM

I love what they did to it! However. I would have got rid of the stone feature wall where the fireplace is. That faux stone is very dated. It looks OK and I loved the fireplace screen. Of course they had to spend money on fixing the problems with the water, and trying to stay within their budget. Over all they did a great job. The kitchen and the guest bedroom were my absolute favorites.

by Anonymousreply 12August 11, 2025 2:29 PM

They need another bathroom.

by Anonymousreply 13August 11, 2025 2:30 PM

Sure but they’d have to give up a bedroom, that house is tiny by current standards. Their best bet is build an extension to enlarge the master and put a bathroom in that.

by Anonymousreply 14August 11, 2025 2:51 PM

They seem very much in love and they're the sweet nerdy kind of guys that have always attracted me. I like what they did with the house. Guest room and kitchen were great looking.

by Anonymousreply 15August 11, 2025 2:52 PM

It looks like with their property they'll have plenty of space to build an extension to the house when they've saved up more money.

Sweet guys. I wish them well!

by Anonymousreply 16August 11, 2025 2:55 PM

[quote] But I like these two queens.

Then you probably shouldn't be calling them queens.

by Anonymousreply 17August 11, 2025 3:04 PM

Are you actually gay R17? And what are you doing here?

by Anonymousreply 18August 11, 2025 3:28 PM

OMG. I so wanted to be bitchy and snarky but those girls went to WERK! They transformed that place into something cute for just $51,000?! All I can do is give them a deep Thatcher-esque curtsy.

by Anonymousreply 19August 11, 2025 4:13 PM

I can't view the video, but from the DL comments it's a too familiar story: >95% of people -- and no smaller percentage of gays and lesbians-- who restore or renovate a house think they invented the fucking wheel. And in the process they obliterate nearly all of what attracted them in the first place.

by Anonymousreply 20August 11, 2025 5:57 PM

Did they ever mention what they do for work in that tiny town?

by Anonymousreply 21August 11, 2025 6:27 PM

Sounds like work from home.

by Anonymousreply 22August 11, 2025 6:55 PM

I don't understand people who buy mid-century modern homes because they like the MCM vibe, but then proceed to tear out and destroy everything that gives the house the MCM vibe: the kitchen cabinets, the pink bathroom fixtures, the fireplaces, the vinyl flooring, etc.

That's why I like Lustron houses. You can't take out the MCM features unless you dismantle the entire house.

by Anonymousreply 23August 11, 2025 7:09 PM

R23, That house was a fucking time capsule. IMO there was nothing worth saving in that kitchen with the atrocious cabinets!

by Anonymousreply 24August 11, 2025 7:11 PM

[bold]So this is the Magnolia Network trying to LGBTQ friendly now? [/bold] The ratings must be slipping. They were so not "gay friendly" up until this point. Remember them saying how religious they were and it was nothing personal but they would not show gay couples on their show ever.

by Anonymousreply 25August 11, 2025 7:28 PM

[quote]I don't understand people who buy mid-century modern homes because they like the MCM vibe, but then proceed to tear out and destroy everything that gives the house the MCM vibe

Most people buy a house because they need one to live in, not as a glorified art project or second home.

by Anonymousreply 26August 11, 2025 7:30 PM

[quote]two sinks in a tiny bathroom sounds crazy. Did he grow up in a huge family? Because how often do people brush their teeth at the exact same time?

Did you grow up with a silver spoon in your mouth? When I first met my partner we lived in something even smaller than that and I could tell you every time we needed to go out to some event we were always tripping over each other in the bathroom at the same time. Taking turns does not always work when both have last minute things they need to do in the bathroom and leave the house at the same time.

by Anonymousreply 27August 11, 2025 7:36 PM

"Most people buy a house because they need one to live in, not as a glorified art project or second home."

And most people buy a home because they need one to live in and want said home to be in move-in condition as much as possible (within their financial constraints) because they don't want to deal with the hassles and aggravation of major home renovations/contractors/permits, etc.

So someone who intentionally buys a house with "dated" features with the intention of remaking it into their image and likeness most likely will not mind if their home is an art project or a second home.

by Anonymousreply 28August 11, 2025 7:47 PM

OP's response at R3 makes no sense.

People should not use words they do not understand, even if they represent the "blight" they're using as some sort of pejorative word for standardized, "affordable," postwar subdivision housing.

by Anonymousreply 29August 11, 2025 7:49 PM

For God's sake the "damaged cedar siding" they are handling isn't cedar siding at all, it is asbestos shingles. I didn't watch much of the video but hope they got professionals in to replace the siding.

Also, there is nothing in Ellenville but multiple drug rehab centers. It's not some up and coming place in the Hudson Valley. It's bleak. But their property does look very lovely.

by Anonymousreply 30August 11, 2025 8:04 PM

[quote]I don't understand people who buy mid-century modern homes because they like the MCM vibe, but then proceed to tear out and destroy everything that gives the house the MCM vibe: the kitchen cabinets, the pink bathroom fixtures, the fireplaces, the vinyl flooring, etc.

Did they say that? I admit I didn't watch much of it. I assumed they bought the house because they could afford it. Also, how long do you expect vinyl flooring to remain in use?

by Anonymousreply 31August 11, 2025 8:24 PM

They did a good job. Hope they fixed that chimney leak. Kind of glided right by that.

by Anonymousreply 32August 11, 2025 8:26 PM

I'm not a fan of open plan., but it is a nice transformation. In the first place, it wasn't an architectural marvel that required preservation. Second, except for the kitchen, the layout and features of the original house largely remain.

Reading some of the comments here, you would think they gutted the place or were tampering with Mount Vernon or Monticello.

by Anonymousreply 33August 11, 2025 8:35 PM

[quote]And most people buy a home because they need one to live in and want said home to be in move-in condition as much as possible (within their financial constraints) because they don't want to deal with the hassles and aggravation of major home renovations/contractors/permit - s, etc

More Silver Spoon talking. Yes it's a hassle, but when you dont have a lot of money and you see it as an investment down the line, most people will suck it up and plan to eventually remodel kitchens, bathrooms etc. It's only rich and entitled that see renovation as inconvenient and turnkey as the standard.

"Approximately 62% of homeowners in the US are planning to undertake some form of home renovation or remodeling within the next year, according to a recent survey by Civic Science."

by Anonymousreply 34August 11, 2025 8:37 PM

[quote]I would have got rid of the stone feature wall where the fireplace is. That faux stone is very dated.

That shows how subjective opinions on interior design are. Like them, I view it as one of the best features of the house. At this point, it's so old it's not dated.

by Anonymousreply 35August 11, 2025 8:39 PM

[bold]The uploader has not made this available in your country[/bold]

by Anonymousreply 36August 11, 2025 8:40 PM

Truth be told that house wasn't worth what they paid for it, and if an inspector had come round before they closed and saw that chimney leak, and the damaged siding they could have saved another $15,000 on the purchase price. Maybe more.

by Anonymousreply 37August 11, 2025 9:04 PM

By doing it themselves they didn't have to pull permits and believe me their property taxes would go up if there was a public record of the renovations.

by Anonymousreply 38August 11, 2025 9:06 PM

R37 What did they pay for it?

by Anonymousreply 39August 11, 2025 9:20 PM

I couldn't keep watching... those two guys were just exhausting. I may go back and just fast forward to see the end result, but man, they were irritating.

by Anonymousreply 40August 11, 2025 9:22 PM

They were enthusiastic, not irritating. Good for them to get their piece of the American Dream for just about $315k all-in. That's fantastic for 2025.

by Anonymousreply 41August 11, 2025 10:30 PM

While Ellenville and that area of the Catskills is depressed in places and lots of MAGA REpugs live there, there's also a thriving gay community, mostly of married couples, with great gay-owned affordable restaurants, coffee houses, indie book stores and small movie theaters. I went to the Borscht Belt Film Festival up there last fall and really enjoyed exploring the area. Certainly great for a weekend getaway home if not a full-time residence.

by Anonymousreply 42August 11, 2025 10:37 PM

"Upstate". Please, go to someplace like Hannibal and let's start talking "Upstate".

by Anonymousreply 43August 11, 2025 10:40 PM

[quote]Most people buy a house because they need one to live in, not as a glorified art project or second home.

Well, yes, and as my older brother liked to tell me when I was in a separation of foods on the plate phase, "Don't bother. It all makes a turd."

It's a small minority of people, even among educated, prosperous people who can afford the time and priority to focus on the fine points of their house. It seems crazy to me that most people at a comfortable level of income take my brother's attitude toward where and how they live. Most couldn't give a rat's ass, or exercise any opinion on aesthetics. They have no knowledge and no vocabulary for it. Hence, The Property Brothers.

by Anonymousreply 44August 11, 2025 11:28 PM

Oh, yeah. I watched this a while back. It was part of the show "In With The Old" on Magnolia (if you have HBO Max it's there too).

R25 This show has had 6 or 7 seasons and there were a fair number of gays on them. Another episode had a single gay man in the Finger Lakes. There was a black lesbian renovating an old house in Baltimore. Not quite as many gays in the last season or two but I think a few have popped up.

Magnolia also had two "friends" who were on First Time Fixer and then got their own show and I'd eat my hat if those two women weren't lesbian lovers.

by Anonymousreply 45August 11, 2025 11:46 PM

The view of the hill is gorgeous.

by Anonymousreply 46August 12, 2025 1:06 AM

I bet it was done to (eventually) be an airbnb.

by Anonymousreply 47August 12, 2025 1:16 AM

R35 is Joanna Gains.

Sorry Dear, that show has not had gays on it before this one and it's only had 5 seasons. Chip & Joanna Gaines have been very publicly leaning into blaming their religion as to why they never feature gay couples on their show and now their network. It's only NOW that ratings are slipping that suddenly they have become gay friendly.

Chip & Joanna Gaines are the Chick-Fill-A of LGBTQ friendly businesses. Talking out of both sides of their mouths.

by Anonymousreply 48August 12, 2025 1:22 AM

^^R45 not 35.

by Anonymousreply 49August 12, 2025 1:23 AM

It doesn't look THAT dramatically different to me. Just a few cosmetic updates.

Not sure this is considered 'transformative'. Minor updates and some decor.

I guess this is what passes on Chip and Joanna Gaines' channel as a renovation. There's no wow moment or wow factor - at all.

by Anonymousreply 50August 12, 2025 1:32 AM

“Look I’m Martha Stewart!” 🤡

by Anonymousreply 51August 12, 2025 1:47 AM

Why are the gays always trying to transform, rehab and restore? Can't they just buy something, sit back and put theirr feet up?

A friend of a friend went nuts with MCM. He spent every waking hour purchasing that 50s shit with an unlimited budget from his husband. The house looked like Donna Reed threw-up.

Yeah, they divorced. Husband kept the house.

by Anonymousreply 52August 12, 2025 1:51 AM

R50 the kitchen definitely deserves a Wow! when you consider what it looked like originally. They did a good job on the bathroom, too, and knocked out a wall between the Kitchen and the living r oom.

by Anonymousreply 53August 12, 2025 1:53 AM

R47. What grounds do you have for that speculation?

And is that a highly rentable location?

by Anonymousreply 54August 12, 2025 1:56 AM

[quote] Why are the gays always trying to transform, rehab and restore? Can't they just buy something, sit back and put theirr feet up?

Yeah. It would probably be nice not to work as well and just put your feet up.

by Anonymousreply 55August 12, 2025 1:58 AM

I've always had a fascination with small, post WWII houses like those found in Levittown. We elder gays used to call them gay couple houses.

In my Canadian hometown there are several large pockets of them, built from around 1946 to 1953 or so, same footprint as a Levittown Cape Cod - 25x30. The difference was Canada's climate and frost line made a full basement more practical and city regulations required brick cladding.

They were small, solid, starter homes mostly on 50'x100' lots. They came with a finished main floor with two bedrooms, living, kitchen with dining nook, bathroom on the main floor. All hardwood floors except the bathroom. The upper floor came unfinished with the possibility of two additional bedrooms with sloped ceilings under the eaves. Many large boomer families lived this way. Basements were converted to living space.

As years passed, some were extended, others modified the layout within the footprint. My uncle, then a schoolteacher, bought one new in 1950 for $9,500., the limit of what he could afford. My cousin recently sold it for about 100x that. They were worth about 10x that in the 1990s.

by Anonymousreply 56August 12, 2025 2:09 AM

r7 in a nutshell.

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 57August 12, 2025 2:12 AM

I tell ya, knotty pine will come back in style.

by Anonymousreply 58August 12, 2025 2:21 AM

The only thing worse than knotty pine is knotty pine laminate. Sadly, I have seen this for real.

by Anonymousreply 59August 12, 2025 2:36 AM

Kitchen cabinets, paneled walls, and interior woodwork should not be more orange than your tabby cab.

In *some* cases, paint can do a world of good in making something of the deep vertical mouldings which toning all that acid orange the fuck down.

by Anonymousreply 60August 12, 2025 2:44 AM

[quote]city regulations required brick cladding.

That’s wild. I’ve never heard of such a thing.

by Anonymousreply 61August 12, 2025 3:22 AM

They like to entertain but got rid of a lot of kitchen storage--makes no sense. I'd agree that the knotty pine is a nice period feature if they're in good shape--not my usual taste but good kitchen cabinets are expensive and you want to invest in more pressing needs.

by Anonymousreply 62August 12, 2025 3:50 AM

R61, I believe it was something to do with impeding the spread of fire.

by Anonymousreply 63August 12, 2025 4:02 AM

Ugly dog---thick bodied little dogs seem popular now--heaven knows why.

by Anonymousreply 64August 12, 2025 4:14 AM

[quote]They like to entertain but got rid of a lot of kitchen storage--makes no sense.

Well it was on trend a few years ago to get rid of all the upper cabinets and use shelves to display your plates and dishware. I think since then it's died down a bit since it's not really practical, you have to dust all that crap now that it's in the open and grease gets all over that stuff when cooking.

That said, they probably cut their new cabinet cost in half by doing that. Plus it does make tiny kitchens look more spacious.

by Anonymousreply 65August 12, 2025 5:50 AM

UGH a tv over the fireplace.

by Anonymousreply 66August 12, 2025 12:46 PM

I do hate that ^^^^^^^^^^^ very tacky.

by Anonymousreply 67August 12, 2025 12:47 PM

R65: Debatable that it makes kitchens look more spacious--often they seem more sparse.

by Anonymousreply 68August 12, 2025 12:49 PM

We bought a 1957 ranch with the original kitchen, including the knotty pine cabinets and electric wall oven/cooktop. It was great if you wanted to live in a time capsule but not practical.

We waited 6 years until we gutted it and did a complete renovation, including covering up a second doorway into the adjoining den to create more counter and cabinet space.

We spent $75k but it looks amazing. Will post a video.

by Anonymousreply 69August 12, 2025 12:54 PM

I give it two years before that dump is back on the market at a 200k markup and they’re on their way back to a rental they can’t afford in the city.

by Anonymousreply 70August 12, 2025 12:55 PM

Perhaps it will be on the market with a 200k markup. It won't sell for that.

by Anonymousreply 71August 12, 2025 1:08 PM

They're cute. I'd fuck them.

by Anonymousreply 72August 12, 2025 1:11 PM

R17 is probably straight.

by Anonymousreply 73August 12, 2025 1:13 PM

R66 "UGH a tv over the fireplace"

No, no, NO!!!!

Can't see the vid but I'm guessing "a u-shaped kitchen/diner which makes a great social space!"

by Anonymousreply 74August 12, 2025 1:57 PM

R48 I'm not a Joanna Gaines fangurl - I start most of the HGTV threads here and I dislike "Chip 'n Jo". I know their anti-LGBTQ history.

I do like a few of the Magnolia shows, including the one the episode at OP came from (In With The Old) because they tend to be a little bit lighter on the faked drama or oversharing of personal stuff.

They do have a bunch of fundie people on most of their shows - including Donna Summer's daughter - and I avoid most of them, but there's a few I'll watch.

by Anonymousreply 75August 12, 2025 1:57 PM

Also, I stand corrected - the other gays weren't in the first seasons of In With The Old but in season 3 and 4.

The Baltimore lesbian is in S3 Episode 2 "Charm City."

And the younger gurlina who renos a Finger Lakes place with boyfriend is S4 E4 "Silver Lake."

by Anonymousreply 76August 12, 2025 2:04 PM

They did an extraordinary job and it is phenomenal that they did almost all of it on their own, learning as they went along. I really liked them. They seem like authentic, kind men.

Meanwhile, the queens on The DL can't even get figure out a VPN and how to get one.

by Anonymousreply 77August 12, 2025 2:28 PM

The tall one is kinda hot.

by Anonymousreply 78August 12, 2025 2:31 PM

My parents lived in a tiny tract house with aluminum siding, 800 SF and paid $8,000 for it. It was their first home after renting for five years. When suburbia grew and the tract houses were little one story, brick boxes, with maybe 1200 SF like the one in NY, the floor plans were all the same. They weren't "ranch" houses. They were almost perfectly square. My Aunt lived in one until my uncle died. I had another aunt who was very proud of her two bedroom ranch house. I find them uninteresting and kind emblematic of the era: Stifling, and repressed.

by Anonymousreply 79August 12, 2025 5:08 PM

They did a good job and stayed on budget. I wish them well.

by Anonymousreply 80August 12, 2025 8:55 PM

[quote] I went to the Borscht Belt Film Festival up there last fall

R42 For those who don’t know, that area of the Catskills was, from the 1940s into the 1960s, a summer vacation location that was popular with Jewish people from NYC. I know because my parents took the family on summer vacations there when I was a gayling.

We went to a place in Kerhonkson, which is northeast of Ellenville. It was, shall we say, rustic. Even way back then, the “downtowns”of Kerhonkson and Ellenville looked rough to me. I was already a little queen, because I loathed it.

Frighteningly, the place in Kerhonkson still exists, is used as a camp for Yeshiva kids, and has sewage problems that stink up the area (think lactose intolerance). You don’t have to be a queen to not want to be around that!

by Anonymousreply 81August 13, 2025 12:48 AM

Meh. Everybody’s a homosexual in or from upstate New York, OP.

by Anonymousreply 82August 13, 2025 2:37 AM

Here's the Hudson Valley lesbians. But they were on HGTV (not Magnolia)

Offsite Link
by Anonymousreply 83August 13, 2025 4:29 AM

The tall one is a woman???

by Anonymousreply 84August 13, 2025 12:08 PM

R84 Yup.

by Anonymousreply 85August 13, 2025 12:11 PM

R83, I liked those two gals and the work they did.

by Anonymousreply 86August 13, 2025 2:50 PM

It was a cute show, nice houses. I don't think it will come back, though.

by Anonymousreply 87August 13, 2025 2:55 PM

I like those two as well - but not gonna lie, the tall lesbian could have taken me. She had such a fresh, frat-boy look about her. She looked considerably younger than her partner.

I thought she was a very handsome, nice-looking man. And I mean that in all the right ways. And she's not trans.

This has happened before for me - some young, sporty, clean-cut lesbians passing as good-looking twinks.

by Anonymousreply 88August 13, 2025 6:48 PM

r88 That happened to me several times in my first years out at the bars.

Love at first sight across the room.....until I learned the man of my dreams was a butch lesbian.

*sob*

by Anonymousreply 89August 13, 2025 7:25 PM

R61: That's why you don't see wood frame houses in the City of Chicago, unless it was built150 years ago. The fire changed everything.

by Anonymousreply 90August 13, 2025 10:39 PM

Was this sponsored by Wayfair?

by Anonymousreply 91August 13, 2025 11:19 PM

Very, mine is in the crowded mid-September range. I was really annoyed when I had to start sharing my birthday cakes with my annoying and obnoxious sister-in-law.

by Anonymousreply 92August 14, 2025 2:36 PM

Absolutely beautiful renovation. I'm with R7 about the two sinks in the bathroom. It looks like they put in a narrow vanity to make it work. I'd rather have a second bathroom. I have no desire to have another man in there with me (unless we are in the shower together playing drop the soap), while I do my business.

Separate bathrooms, please.

by Anonymousreply 93August 14, 2025 3:12 PM

I assume the desire for two sinks is more about being able to leave your personal stuff out, not about using the sinks at the same time, but in this case the lack of counter space is a fail.

I think everyone would prefer two bathrooms, but that’s not an option here.

by Anonymousreply 94August 14, 2025 3:26 PM

In our two sink bathroom (which I love!) we have lovely shelves over our sinks with room for all of our ointments, unguents, creams, pastes and moisturizers. Not to mention the electric toothbrushes.

by Anonymousreply 95August 14, 2025 9:17 PM

Jesus R95, please tell me you are making a joke. Two sinks, separate shelves because two grown men have that many ointments, creams and such?

Where is Matt Damon to comment when you need him?!

by Anonymousreply 96August 15, 2025 1:06 AM

Ummmm, not joking, r96. Sorry.

by Anonymousreply 97August 15, 2025 2:11 AM

Some people up thread are calling this mid-century modern. It is not. The style of home in the above video is called Minimal Traditional. Houses built from the 30s to the early 50s. Mid-century moderns featured things like flat or nearly flat roofs, lots of floor to ceiling windows, and, yes, sometimes pink or bright blue tiles. If you google the names of both styles, you'll see pictures of both kinds of homes. There are very few special features in minimal traditional houses worth preserving. The dimensions of these kinds of houses are very small. Huge swaths of Americans were raised in minimal traditional houses, because they were the dominant house type for kids born in the 40s through the 60s. Anyone who knows the style, knows that bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms are all TINY. But the materials of the houses were basically good - real wood was used extensively. They don't talk much about their basement. In theory, once they work out the seeping water issues (AAGGHH), they could finish the basement - at minimum create a laundry room and rec room, but maybe even add a small bathroom down there.

by Anonymousreply 98August 15, 2025 6:40 AM

R97, whew! Glad I didn't reach out to Damon for comment.

And R98 is right, there's a big difference between a MCM home and what those guys purchased, which you can call Minimal Traditional. The demand for housing post-WWII created the quick, but solidly-built MT... tracts upon tracts of them around the nation.

Of course there was also the split-level (the style my parents purchased in '54) and a Cape Cod styled home. None of those styles are huge in size with many amenities, but nice sized rooms, a full bath (sometimes a half bath too!) with a garage and a front and back yard. Very, very satisfying for couples starting families.

by Anonymousreply 99August 15, 2025 9:21 AM

The traditional minimal are basically descendants of the "kit" houses that were popular between the world wars, and ordered from Sears, Wards or your local lumberyard. Basically similar dimensions, but more open layouts, and fewer design features. Pre-fabricated but with optional features in both cases.

by Anonymousreply 100August 15, 2025 11:43 AM

A distinctive feature of the Traditional Minimal I grew up in, built and bought in 1952, as one of about 100 that were part of the tract housing of our NJ neighborhood, were rows of 2-3 small square windows that were at the top of the walls in the bedrooms. They provided light without the undesirable view of the your neighbor's house, just several feet away. Obviously, they also prohibited your neighbor peering into your bedroom. So, my memory as a child, was never having a window to the world.

The houses all had exactly the same floor plan but the options were in the 3 different roof styles. Many families finished their basements as extra dens or playrooms, inevitably with real knotty pine paneling and linoleum floors or added on a large room at the back of the house, as we did, with the same paneling and floors. Bullfighting posters were a must! Original cast albums of My Fair Lady and West Side Story blaring on the hi-fi.

These houses were the new thing, replacing the dowdy 1940s Cap Cods on the next block, but soon superseded by the end of the 1950s by the chicer Split Levels mentioned just upthread.

by Anonymousreply 101August 15, 2025 12:10 PM

The guys are cute and very industrious to have done it all on their own. More power to them. Not what I would have done but it's their house. The view is killer.

Now, since this is DL, can I just say that their random tattoos are ridiculous? And that their friends that came over for "friendsgiving" (sic) couldn't have been more stereotypically flaming, with their (surprise!) trendy gay haircuts.

In Ellenville, for god's sake! Ellenvile was just a town you drove through on the way to somewhere else: Binghamton, Albany, Cooperstown, Oneonte, Kingston, etc.

I guess they all work from home, because there is nothing in Ellenville and its environs.

by Anonymousreply 102August 15, 2025 12:56 PM

^^^OneontA

by Anonymousreply 103August 15, 2025 1:15 PM

[quote]Video unavailable [quote]The uploader has not made this video available in your country

by Anonymousreply 104August 15, 2025 1:44 PM

Well, I fucked that up. But you get the picture.

by Anonymousreply 105August 15, 2025 1:44 PM

I might have missed this but did they update any of the systems? You know heating, air conditioning, water heater and septic / sewer line? I would have prioritized those first. I'm also curious if they had to update their electrical panel and plumbing. The back yard with that view is crying for a fire pit, pool and spa!

by Anonymousreply 106August 15, 2025 1:50 PM

[quote]The style of home in the above video is called Minimal Traditional.

"Minimal Traditional"? The term appears to have been farbed up by the idiots at McMansion Hell. It's a misnomer because Minimal in art and architectural history means a cultivated rejection of past styles, of ornament and so-called excess, and attempt to make a style based upon emphasis of the music basic elements of architecture.

This house and every house built between 1935/1940 and McMansions is not some half-assed hybrid of Minimalist and Traditional architecture, it's simply the poverty of intention: tar paper cover shacks elaborated as much as the budget would allow.

There are plenty of books from that time period that describe The Next-to-Nothing-House (it's own trend), but none of these in wide ranging discussions puts forth some idea that translates, even decades later, to anything like Minimal Traditional.

by Anonymousreply 107August 15, 2025 1:57 PM
Loading
Need more help? Click Here.

Yes indeed, we too use "cookies." Take a look at our privacy/terms or if you just want to see the damn site without all this bureaucratic nonsense, click ACCEPT. Otherwise, you'll just have to find some other site for your pointless bitchery needs.

×

Become a contributor - post when you want with no ads!