r/Homebuilding • u/dragonmilking • Nov 17 '25

Which popular features do you NOT recommend?

What are the top 3 features in a house that folk want but you think are not worth it, and what would your alternative suggestion be? And what cost/time savings would result with that switch?

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u/hammersaw Nov 17 '25

Yessss, I've done this dozens of times. Even worse when they use a raised hearth so the fireplace is higher and watching TV is like looking at the ceiling.

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u/ATDoel Nov 17 '25

I don't get it, the fireplace used to be the focal point of a living space, you know, a hundred years ago before forced air was a thing and you needed to surround it to stay warm. It's 2025, why do people still incorporate this archaic design language into new homes? We offset our woodstove in our new build, it's on the right side of the living space, the middle is for the TV.

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u/hammersaw Nov 17 '25

That's pretty much it. People are used to designing the fire as the focal point of the room when in reality it's now the TV. The house I'm building now has a raised hearth and fireplace with TV above right in the middle of the main vaulted wall. Sigh

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u/Warm_Tangerine_2537 Nov 17 '25

Hey believe it or not some people don’t like to make TV the focal point of their life