Are Cookie Cutter Houses Bad?

What Drives the Existence of Cookie-Cutter Neighborhoods?

In America, the cookie-cutter process has stemmed from a need for housing. It all began just after WWII when there were millions of families looking to put their stable income to good use and own homes. There weren’t enough old houses, and custom homes weren’t necessarily what was on anyone’s mind.

Builders needed an easy, quick way to put up house after house. They settled on cookie cutters. With this process, the builder could purchase materials in bulk, learn the style once, and repeat it until the need was filled.

A real-life, modern-day application is low-income housing. Low-income areas need housing for the occupants, so they churn out the same type of house over and over until there’s a place for everyone to live.

In America, it’s usually a dire need for housing that brings back the cookie-cutter home. It has its advantages and disadvantages, which we will be looking at.

The Advantages of Living in a Cookie Cutter House

Affordability and Accessibility

Being a part of a cookie-cutter neighborhood is always an option because there are so many of these houses. On top of them being extremely accessible, they are very affordable.

Cookie-cutter housing has the benefit of being uniform, which means they pick a factory setting and go. There are no special orders or backlogs. The supplies are easily gathered and worked with to create a new house with minimal bumps in the road.

Predictable Maintenance and Repairs

The uniform outlook of your house means that they’re very easy to repair. There is no need for searching for that one pipe to fix because several homes have the exact same layout as you, with blueprints a click away.

Planned Community Amenities

Housing developments are designed with the community surrounding them in mind. It’s all about the neighborhood in these kinds of scenes.

You’re typically looking at a community pool and a local park nearby for your daily walk.

Drawbacks of Cookie Cutter Houses

Lack of Architectural Individuality

Some people love the look of a suburban cookie-cutter development, but most people in today’s world prefer to put their touch on a home. Having a custom home is delightfully one of a kind. With cookie-cutter houses, all the houses look the same, with slight color variations.

Potentially Lower Resale Value

While price is an advantage when purchasing, you have to think about what your home could be worth in the future. While the neighbors may be perfect, cookie-cutter homes aren’t as popular as they once were. The way your home looks exactly like all the other homes might be a tough sell in today’s market.

Could that change? Yes. Is it something you need to consider when purchasing a home? Also yes.

Limited Customization Options

Since these neighborhoods are mass-produced, there isn’t much you can do to make them unique. As far as the floorplan, it depends on what kind of contract you have. If you’re renting, you may not be allowed renovations. If you’ve purchased the home, you might have a little more freedom, but renovations are expensive, and that still leaves the outside of your home looking like the same style.

However, if you’re simply using a design and still having the house built yourself, a lot of contractors will allow you to make changes.

Are Cookie Cutter Houses Bad?

No. They’re not.

A lot of them can be fairly high quality because of the nature of their construction. There are benefits to being uniform, and the neighborhoods often come with amenities you might not find elsewhere.

America, as we’ve already discussed, creates these cookie-cutter neighborhoods out of necessity for housing. They can tend towards awkward floorplans or weird window placements because these things have been sacrificed for efficiency.

It can be hard to make a cookie-cutter home feel like your place, but we’re going to discuss that, as well.

Transforming a Cookie Cutter House Into a Unique Home

Construct a Home Extension

Adding a home extension could be as simple as a porch or a deck, or you could go a little more extensive and add an entire room to the back of your property. Then there’s always an in-between of just doing a bump out to add character. In neighborhoods will probably have smaller lots, so it’s worth considering how much inside you want vs. how much outside.

If you’ve purchased land on your own and are building a house, adding an addition to the floor plan is much less of a dramatic undertaking.

Enhance Landscaping and Outdoor Living Spaces

Construction is costly. Landscaping is an option almost everyone can afford, and it can become a hobby! Flowerbeds lined with concrete and fresh mulch are beautiful and refreshing.

Often, when these developments are built, thousands of trees are torn down and cleared to make space. Those trees are almost never replanted by the contractor. Adding trees to your yard helps replace a little of what is gone and adds a fresh, lively look to your space.

Replace or Upgrade the Windows

Standard windows are put into cookie-cutter houses. You can replace the old ones with updated and unique options, and you can even add brand-new ones. A new bay window can give your entire house a face-lift.

Install Decorative Shutters

Hang shutters around the windows on the front and side windows of your house. It will add depth and character and give you an opportunity to add a pop of color. What a lovely way to distinguish your home from the masses!

Conclusion

Cookie-cutter houses may not be what you’re looking for, but sometimes they’re a really good option.

Sometimes you really just want to live that suburban life with green yards and neighbors you can call friends. If so, these houses are exactly what you’re looking for.

There is no absolute answer to any of these general questions about cookie-cutter houses. The only thing we can offer is information and options. Being homeowners is no joke, so make sure you’re researching and loving your home-to-be.