[quote=Essbee]With the houses being of marginal quality in the first place and not designed to last 100+ years[/quote]
Lots of interesting thoughts here. I’m no sociologist so I’m not sure what will happen to Clairemont but I do know the houses are build to last 100 yrs.
I have personally ripped out ceiling joists and wall studs with my very own sawzall and those members are made of fir – not hemlock like most of today’s lumber. Hard as hell to cut through. Plus, they are only growing stronger with age – wood does that. Given San Diego’s mild climate, I don’t see any structural issues there. I think they are very well built and that is first-hand knowledge.
Pretty much every house will need a new sewer line soon and maybe the in-slab copper pipes replaced, but with fir framing on concrete slabs on stable ground, I think they’ll be in good shape if you just keep replacing the roof, heater, maybe some siding and other things that decay over time in any house.
Also going for it are the larger lot sizes compared to newer construction. The houses themselves are pretty small, but the big lots suggest TG’s theory may be pretty good. Small houses on big lots mean young people can afford them and grow the house as their family grows without incurring the cost/pain of selling/buying/moving repeatedly. That’s what we did.
