New houses that look old, what gives?

3 and 1 door & windows

Under normal circumstances you build a new house and you expect it to look new. Here in Antigua the opposite is true. You want your spanking-brand-new house to look old and aged. If you can find them, you buy used and old doors, window frames, lamps and locks. Maybe even expose some of the wall and hope that the rainy season will eat up your brand-new paint job.

Welcome to the “new” aesthetic values of an old town!

What’s your take on this subject? what is your preference new-looking or old-looking houses?

© 2006 – 2013, Rudy Giron. All rights reserved.

11 thoughts on “New houses that look old, what gives?”

  1. do you think by getting the old material they are saving money? if so i think good idea if not well so much for art. or maybe they don’t want to draw attention to their wealth.

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  2. Locely! I generally like the tried and tested look of the old style, but here in Nelson, we have ALL kinds (and the old not being too terribly old, either.) You give me inspiration about the kind of photos I could take for our blog.

    By the way, I wonder if any of us got hits as a result of your posting about the photo blogs on the public notice board. Have you heard from anyone???

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  3. I love it! But I agree…new electricity, plumbing…the other ammenities that make life easier…but there is a charm in older homes. I would imagine these are not cheap to build.

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  4. France also has lots of rules and regulations regarding new buildings that should look old in some regions. I’m all in favour of it when it keeps some architectural unity to the village or the region. Australia lacks that completely and the architectural mix, although sometimes interesting, is often a disaster…

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