Monday, May 19, 2008

Construction City

There is so much construction going on in Nashville that it is hard to drive down any major street and not see a crane or the shell of a new building or something related to building.  Saturday morning, workers were busy with construction of some new building downtown. I'm not sure if it's another condo tower or a parking garage, but streets were partially blocked so the guys could work safely.

What amazes me is how HUGE some of the machinery and things they work with are.  A few weeks ago, I was stopped at a light next to a semi-truck that was hauling a number of spools similar to the one in this photo.  I drive a Mini Cooper, and I swear those spools are bigger than my car.  I imagine the guy in the photo is at least six-feet tall, so that spool is close to seven feet in diameter.

Re:  Construction of condo towers . . .  I have mentioned this before, but I cannot, for the life of me, figure out who is going to buy the condos in the towers being built both in Nashville and other large cities around the country.  I heard over the weekend that a few developers have decided not to build the previously approved condo towers, which I think is good because there are so many already in different stages.   

Would you rather have a downtown condo or a home in the 'burbs?

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

If the condo is good, I wouldn´t say no to a condo downtown!

Quanto à tua pergunta: a Madeira é uma ilha e eu moro no Norte de Portugal; acima do Porto.

Denton said...

Our move to a downtown condo was the best move of our life. We love the experience and highly recommend it ... As a condo owner I also worry about overbuilding. And as in Nashville we also have seen several construction sites put on hold ... Hopefully the house market will stabilize in the near future and hopefully more people will consider an urban lifestyle if for no other reason than to conserve on gasoline usage ... bravo for driving a mini.

Olivier said...

un travail pas facile a faire, j'aime voir les immeubles se monter petit a petit, et a la fin on a une découverte.

Ming the Merciless said...

As a kid, I had to mow the lawn in our backyard and I vowed never ever to mow the lawn again when I get my own place. So downtown condo, it is for me.

However, if I could afford gardener, I won't mind a nicely landscaped yard. :-)

Okay, I'm just plain lazy.

*stomps off*

Carlos Lorenzo said...

Hard to choose. Can't I choose both? It depends whether is a nice house in the suburbs or a shack. I like living downtown but some green and fresh air would help. Huge spools indeed.

Jim Klenke said...

When I was a kid growing up I wanted to be the Jefferson and live in a deluxe apartment in the sky. Now that I am old, I would like the country better. Terrell is just the right mix, far enough away, but just close enough.

smilnsigh said...

What I'm wondering is ~ is all this construction a good thing, or not? Some construction is. Some isn't. And I suppose, the answer would change, with the person being asked.

I'd rather out farther, than right in the city. But then, this is a small city, in which I live. So a downtown condo could be quite nice, too. Especially since it's a safe city to walk downtown in.

But ~ I couldn't afford to buy them! -grin-

Mari-Nanci
Smilnsigh
Photos-City-Mine

Knoxville Girl said...

Whenever I visit Nashville, there always seems to be some sort of construction - and closed sidewalks (just like in Knoxville). I've lived in a downtown condo for 10 years, and have never looked back. The public works guys plant the flowers in the park so I don't have to.

Miss H. said...

I've had thoughts of buying one of those condos in the Gulch but they are so small - for the price! But I think it would be fun to live there for a little while but I'd always come back to the 'burbs.

brian stout said...

I'd take both... a downtown flat made out of an old building, and a house out in the country for weekends...

a mini cooper, huh.. very cool, I've wanted one of those forever..

Lynette said...

Downtown, no contest, here in Portland. The same thing is going on in the condo market here, Chris. I really like renting, though.

magiceye said...

the condo construction bug has invaded all the cities all over the world! in mumbai too we have this frenetic activity ..

Unknown said...

There is a lot of construction in Cape Town - always seems to be something going on!

Wayne said...

Good questions! I often wonder how much trouble the developers are in, that had projects going even as the housing market started to crash. Sucks to be a builder right now! All that pressure from overbuilding will have a greater and greater negative impact on the economy at large over time.

As for me... neither the city nor the 'burbs if I had a choice... give me acres of rolling meadow dotted by small forests. I love the country life.

Clueless in Boston said...

Being a city boy, born and bred, I'd choose a downtown condo in a minute. A big house in the 'burbs with rolling meadows is pretty, but it's not for me.