Re:Developers are manufacturing prefabricated apartment buil...
by gnopgnip on Thursday June 07, 2018 @09:53PM
(#17261945)
The lifespan of a house is a ship of theseus type question. The wiring in the walls, plumbing, foundation and frame could last 50+ years if everything else was done right, and there is no water going where it is not supposed to. Modern roofs, windows, air conditioner and heater last 25-30 years. A water heater is going to last about 15 years. Exterior paint, interior paint, carpet, all last about 10 years. After 50 years you will have replaced a substantial portion of the value of a house even if it looks more or less the same.
Even if the home is habitable there are other reasons they are removed. After a certain point it makes more sense financially to tear a home down and rebuild than to continue to renovate it. Also markets change over time, and homes are not always built in a way that maximizes the use of the land. An area that was mostly bungalows and ranches can have homes replaced with larger homes or multifamily buildings.
Even if the home is habitable there are other reasons they are removed. After a certain point it makes more sense financially to tear a home down and rebuild than to continue to renovate it. Also markets change over time, and homes are not always built in a way that maximizes the use of the land. An area that was mostly bungalows and ranches can have homes replaced with larger homes or multifamily buildings.