Opinion please, is this tacky?

[TheCentepedeShoes]

Last summer the people down the street demolished their house. I went to work in the morning (house), came back about 5:30 (no house, just some leftover rubble). I asked hubby and he said it was quite the neighborhood event: a small crowd gathered to watch, deck chairs came out, trays of canapes were passed...
Anywho, the owners soon started on their new abode which is now close to completion. Nice sized two story brick with 3-car detached garage. Takes up more lot than the old house, not as much backyard. No room for a pony.
Yesterday I saw a sign out front saying that on a certain Sunday in May they are having a "pre-move-in open house" with voluntary charitable donations accepted. Didn't name the charity and I will give them the benefit of the doubt that it's not the "help me pay for my new house" charity.
I mentioned the sign to hubby and he thought it had a sort of "ick" factor.
I sort of agree. Opinion?

[Shakespeare]

1. Scores high on my Tacky Meter.

Ick indeed. :thumbsdown:

[TheCentepedeShoes]

5. Thanks

Hubby's glad he's not the only one to think so.

[ThomCat]

2. If the money is really going to charity

then that's an awesome thing to do. If you are going to have the neighborhood over, encourage something good. But they should really say what the charity is.

If the idea is to give to charity INSTEAD of bringing a housewarming gift, then that's even better. Not tacky at all. :)

[TheCentepedeShoes]

6. I don't think this is

associated with a usual "housewarming" thing. That's after the people have moved in and have invitations issued to people they know, not a sign out front. This is more like a realtor open house. With donations.

[YDogg]

3. meh. perhaps just a public expression not to bring gifts.

could be a good thing.

:shrug:

[flvegan]

7. Hmm. I like this suggestion.

Totally different angle that I hadn't thought of.

[leeroysphitz]

13. I'm with you Ydogg. Sounds like a way of saying come check out our new

place and BTW we don't need any house warming presents.

[yellowcanine]

17. Depends. The cynic in me says it could also say, they don't want gifts because they don't trust

their neighbors' good taste.

[KitchenWitch]

4. That ranks right up there.

"Free Will Donations" anyone?

[TheCentepedeShoes]

8. Had to do the google on

that. Don't know if it's going somewhere like that.

[CreekDog]

9. whoa tacky

God Bless America!

[TheCentepedeShoes]

10. So this is what we've come to

Ohhh the humanity.

[begin_within]

11. They should state what the charity is AND have a representative from that charity at the party.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

12. I don't think a party is on the

agenda, just a walk through. With donations.

[Biscottiii]

14. Given that most people have their OWN favorite charities

Seems more reasonable to hold their open house (saves all the 'lookey-loos' pointing binoculars in the windows) trying to make a friendly gesture to the neighborhood. So, you go and write a check to the Charity of your OWN choice (might even take some canned goods in case they have some Foodbank box set up).

If you go and don't like the agenda, then don't contribute - is what I would do.

In all the stresses of trying to move back into and finishing up a new house, they may not be in a position to think it all through in a Politically Correct manner. But hopefully, it's meant in a nice way. After ALL, they've later got to live amongst the people in the neighborhood - wouldn't want to look like cheapskates looking for quick housewarming gifts. If they've got the money to do a teardown and rebuild (permit processing included) they're probably not scratching for dough. IMO

[yellowcanine]

15. It is tacky but not as tacky as building a house that is oversized for the neighborhood.

Particularly if it has a larger "footprint". More hard surfaces = more runoff. Now that's tacky. I am assuming they didn't install a "green roof". If they did I will take back some of the tackiness score.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

20. The size is not out of character

for the neighborhood. It's a mix of smaller "cottages" built in the 20's or 30's (like mine, 1926 and about 1300 sf) and newer, larger houses. The new house is equal to or smaller than some just 2 or 3 blocks away. And some of the older homes have had remodelling to add extra bath or bedrooms. Is a "green" roof that rubbery stuff? Some houses have that, supposed to be impervious to hail, a big problem here.

[yellowcanine]

23. A green roof is a roof with plants growing on it. Reduces runoff and cools the house.

Enough green roofs and it can cool a whole city down a degree or two.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

26. Gotcha

I don't think I've seen one like that although I have probably seen pictures, like in Mother Earth News or somwhere.

[stuntcat]

16. ick, for sure

I don't know if tacky's the feeling I get exactly.. but it's kind of creepy and dumb. Ick sums it up!

(I do hope they help a charity though, in their own icky way.. It's probably a dumb charity lol, like supplying poor kids with stupid dollhouses or something)

[LeftinOH]

18. The tacky-o-meter is redlining.....n/t

[Connonym]

19. Sort of weird but if they meant it as a way to meet the neighbors

and that was their way of saying "no gifts" then that's sort of cool I guess but it's really hard to figure their motivation. In my town some designer bought an unused water tower and spent a fortune making it into a home. I know that she did an open house with donations to a charity, I don't think it was so much to meet the neighbors so much as there was a ton of curiosity about the water tower turned into a luxury house and this was a way to satisfy curiosity while giving money to charity. I guess it was pretty amazing what she had done to the inside and even a year later people still talk about it.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

21. Wow, a water tower?

The only kind I know is one of those things on legs. Kind of like the aliens in War of the Worlds. Maybe she had something in brick like a lighthouse??? How cool.

[Connonym]

24. let me see if I can rummage up a photo online and will update if I can find one **updated with link

I didn't go on the tour but only because I didn't know about it until after the fact. From what pictures I've seen and what I've heard it's really spectacular. But it's like a $1 million home right across the street from the city's hospital and the rest of the houses are all very small starter-type homes. Definitely doesn't fit the neighborhood but it's interesting. Let me see what I can find. It is sort of silo looking not on legs.

Here's a link I found from the Milwaukee newspaper about it, it's pretty cool http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=579031

[TheCentepedeShoes]

25. Thank you

That is really cool.

[BlueJazz]

22. I agree with your Hubby. Tacky as hell.