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paul_ma_gw

Is this site fading away?

last month

I used Garden Web extensively for kitchen discussions back in 2008. Since then, after it moved to Houzz, I have used it occasionally for questions about household things. Now I'm back to look for advice on patio doors. But what I find these days is that when I search for pretty much any topic, I see that most of the answers are old - often more than 10 years old. Very little seems to be current,

Has this site gone out of fashion? Is it just for people who disdain social media sites?

Comments (15)

  • PRO
    last month

    Yes the site reflects the people that use it. I think we're seeing people that have moved from Reddit.


    The people that used the site years back had money for large projects. Money is tight and people are not taking on the large projects we used to see.


    Now many of the users have a difficult time formulating a question, don't think posting photos or floor plans are necessary and seem to think going back to answers from 10 years ago will provide them with current information. It's a quandary.


    If you find a replacement site please let us know.

  • last month

    Yes, please let us know if you find a better site out there.


    Many people are now also just asking ChatGPT and considering that to be fine advice. I miss the good old days of garden web and earlier Houzz.


    I appreciate Reddit for more technical construction and contracting questions.

  • last month

    I'm concluding that there has been a generation change since I was remodeling in the early 2000s, and that new generation is *different*. I suspect that the people who can afford to do stuff now may outsource everything, or just move.

  • last month

    Maybe many are just trying AI. I still Houzz being used as the defining source for construction and design trends.

  • last month

    This site is skewing older and I presume not as appealing to a younger crowd.

  • last month

    I too have really noticed the reduced traffic on this site during the past 6 months or so. Sad. I wondered where everyone went.

  • last month

    Speaking with my friends in the construction, remodel and design biz, money is tight. Folks are adding a few pillows and accessories rather than projects for which they sought advice. I think Houzz reflects that pullback and the general malaise people are feeling right now about many, many things.

  • last month
    last modified: last month

    Some other sites have gone the same direction. It's a study in human behavior more than anything. Majority of activity is occasional trolls making a senseless post to never be seen again and those willing to feed them.. RV , vintage cars and others where members are likely to meet face to face one day have grown and improved over the same period.

  • last month

    Yes it is. I stopped coming here for suggestions or provide comments years ago. It was once a friendly site with useful information but that has become more rare as the years have passed. Too many times, some people will make ugly comments that have nothing to do with the OPs issue. I rarely read most of the threads anymore.

  • last month
    last modified: last month

    I know I’ll get hammered for this but I think when the all gray era came in we lost a lot of followers. I know I started losing interest when everything was the same and there was no room for individuality. I’ve never been a trend folower but I feel there is always room for good taste of any tyoe. I also feel there has been some unnecessary harsh responses that I find to be a turnoff. hammer away!

  • last month
    last modified: last month

    Houzz killed Gardenweb. Then it killed it’s own forums when it banned Sophie. The nail in the coffin is when they removed all the “disappeared” accounts archives, and all the good data disappeared. You can occasionally come across an old Sophie posting, but all it says is ”User”, and all her idea books folders are gone where she clipped so much. You can’t search for her past posts. Or any of so many other disappeared members.


    They tried to ease the past. And they erased themselves.

  • last month

    Reddit has taken up a lot of the users who ask questions. For ideas, the younger folk go to TikTok or Instagram. The world keeps changing.

  • last month

    Years ago Houzz got a new owner who stopped all the common sense questions from the members and made it more of an "Angie's List" for contractors and designers. Notice it asks questions when you log in to get your info. to send to contractors, desiners, builders, etc. This site is now for contractors, etc. not the public.

  • last month

    Summgardner, I never thought of Houzz as having an owner! But what you say makes sense—more emphasis is placed on monetizing the site now.

  • last month
    last modified: last month

    So far this morning I have flagged 10 to 12 obvious fake posts. I am not sure that the company cares about the garbage that shows up everyday.