OT...Older Homes...

[jennifer293]

Le me rephrase that: It is not that brick and mortar chimneys themselves are not safe .it is that if they are not lined with flue tile or a stainless liner that is not safe..I will PM you to give you further info!!! Just wanted to clear that up not to scare anyone.

 

[ducklite]

My sister has owned two older homes. She's also dealing with lead poisoning in her family. When painting older homes, there's a very specific way it MUST be done to minimize lead exposure, and most contractors either don't know how, or take short cuts when you aren't looking. (That's what happened to them.)

They are involved in extensive litigation right now because my niece is developmentally delayed due to lead poisoning. Thank God it was caught early in a routine blood screen when she was about six months and her problems are not as severe as they could have been, but the entire family had elevated lead levels, even the dogs!

Anne

 

[grlzmom]

We live in an old house and are very happy with it, a 1920s three story Georgian/Colonial solid brick (actually FOUR bricks thick the entire way around the house).

I agree with everyone about the inspections. My dh is paranoid and we actually had two separate inspectors come. The first one spent four hours there and we thought he was so thorough (500 bucks). The second one came and spent ALL DAY there and was REALLY thorough (375) and it was so worth the money to know what we were getting in to. We got separate inspections for the plumbing, electrical and chimneys. The house was pretty much updated in most areas but you will still end up dumping money into it when something goes wrong. It still has all the original doorknobs, fixtures, stained glass, built in vanities and dressers and molding which we love. The floors and staircases are gorgeous. It can at times be a headache when something goes wrong. The utility bills are horrendous in the winter. In the winter the house feels drafty because it is so big and very high ceilings. We know that any money we dump into it is for our own enjoyment because where we live you just dont get it back when you sell.

Our last home was a brand new custom build and the only thing I miss is the kitchen. The rest of it doesnt compare. Our teenagers love having an entire floor to themselves (third floor).

I also agree with ducklite, never fool around with the lead paint. Thank goodness ours was all taken care of by the previous owners, it can be very expensive. Our previous owner also had all the asbestos insulation taken off the basement pipes. We asked for all their receipts and records and those have come in VERY handy when we need to provide info to our contractors/repair people.

Good luck in your decision/purchase.

 

[jennifer293]

My inlaws bought a house built back in the early 1800's and they have totally restored it. They got it for around 50K with 3 acres and it is now appraised at over 300K. While it is a BEAUTIFUL home it is very drafty. They have all gas heat so I can imagine this time of the year the bills are outrageous. They had to install new plumbing, they too had to deal with the lead issue. They left the original windows in it the ones that are really low on the front porch (MIL says they had those back in the day because when people died they could fit the casket through the window as they used to have viewings at homes before funeral homes were existent) Not too sure how true all that is but I do KNOW that I will not sleep there, because I don't want to "see dead people"..LOL The house quite frankly freaks me out...HAHAHA!!!! But it is GORGEOUS!!!

 

[Chicago526]

We have a 60 year old home, has many of the features you meantioned like plaster walls, hardwood floors, etc. Definatly check out the utilities, plaster homes often have little to no insulation so that can have a big effect on heating and cooling.

Otherwise, I'd look out for "handy man do-it-yourself" projects that either went haywire or weren't done exactly right. We've discovered this in our upstairs bathroom. It was an addition, and the homeowner did it himself. Unfortunatly, he didn't know what he was doing and did a lot of VERY odd things. We were just going to do a basic remodel (new vanity and shower, paint and tile) but once we got back there and saw how he jury-rigged the plumbing, we're going to have to gut it and start over.

Our other issue is the electric service. We have fuses instead of circut breakers, and everytime they ever added something on to the house, they just added a new fuse box (I think we have 4 boxes!). The house as a whole is under-powered by todays standards, and 90% of the outlets in the house have 2 prongs instead of 3, so it can be a challange to plug things in sometimes. So this is something we'll have to address in the next few years.

What I really recomend is to get a really good home inspection done, hopefully by someone that has lots of experiance with older homes, they'll know what to look for and be able to spot things that you never would have noticed, even if you'd lived there for 6 months.

 

[mickeyfan2]

They left the original windows in it the ones that are really low on the front porch (MIL says they had those back in the day because when people died they could fit the casket through the window as they used to have viewings at homes before funeral homes were existent)

Not sure about the window part, but yes the body was in the livingroom. In my family the men would rotate all day and night playing cards. The body was never alone. The front door was open so all could come to pay their last respects. Don't remember how long this was (2 - 3 days).

 

[jennifer293]

Not sure about the window part, but yes the body was in the livingroom. In my family the men would rotate all day and night playing cards. The body was never alone. The front door was open so all could come to pay their last respects. Don't remember how long this was (2 - 3 days).

OHHH that CREEPS me out!!!!!

This is exactly why I will only live in BRAND NEW homes..I know nobody has died in them.LOL

 

[malibuconlee]

You might want to ask to see copies of all (electric/gas/water/sewer/heating oil) utility bills for the last 12 to 24 months. If they don't have copies, ask to see the cancelled checks for the utilities. If they don't have these either they may be trying to hide impossible expenses.

You can call the utility company and they will give you this information. Or they will give you the current budget billing amount. Your real estate agent can do this for you as well.

Also ask the utility company about rebates for adding blown in insulation. Ours will refund 70% I believe for each type (wall, attic, foundation). Makes it pretty inexpensive. We'd be doing it if we were staying in our house.


Our home was built in 1890. We love it, but are selling it because we are moving for DH's job. We love the charm of the older neighborhood. The trees, the neighbors that have lived here longer than I've been alive.

The bedrooms are good sized in our house. We have plenty of closets. I believe the bedroom closets were added after the fact. They take up one wall of each bedroom. But the rooms are still plenty big, especially for an older house.

DH does miss having a master bath attached to the bedroom.

After living her, it's not the "perfect house", be we've really loved it. Our house has charm and character we wouldn't get in a new house.

That being said, I think I would go with a new hosue next time we buy. We just haven't been keeping our houses long enough and we've done a bathroom remodel on both houses we've bought.

 

[NotUrsula]

I just want to mention one of our biggest difficulties is the lack of closet space! I don't know how they did it back when the house was built.

They used armoires. In many communities, the property tax assessment may have been based on how many closets were in the house (how many windows was also a popular method, and also measuring the width or height of the frontage, which is why camelbacks are so popular in some areas.)

Anyway, armoires are wonderful, especially nice antiques. They can be showpieces of the cabinetmaker's art, and are often lined with cedar, so they protect what they store, and can hide so many things you don't want to display full-time. They also come with you when you move, so they are a decent investment, too.

 

[mickeyfan2]

OHHH that CREEPS me out!!!!!

This is exactly why I will only live in BRAND NEW homes..I know nobody has died in them.LOL

But what if they are on an ancient burial site!!!!

 

[jennifer293]

But what if they are on an ancient burial site!!!!

OH don't even go there!!!!!

 

[d-man's mom]

I haven't read all of the replies- just the first page here and it sounds like good suggestions so far.

My house was built around 1840. Utilities aren't that bad because someone was smart enough to put in a woodstove that heats the whole house.

Like any old house, it has it's fair share of problems, but I knew about them from the home inspection.

I have water that comes in my basement when it rains (and a pump to push it out), and I need to spend a decent chunk of change this year on masonry work. BUT, I knew this going into the house last year.

The only costly surprise so far I had was termite damage that was missed by the home inspector (should have had the termite inspection!)- and treatment & repairs for that was about $1800.

I have also found really neat surprises- like the meat smokeroom next to my chimney in the attic, the original fireplace in the basement, hidden storage in the one bedroom floor, etc. It's made of solid oak and definitely has character.

I'd really check out those walls. Some of my walls are still plaster. Others have been redone. The thing about plaster walls (and older homes in general) is that NOTHING is level. From what I know, my living room walls were bowed in all kinds of crazy ways before the previous owners gutted the room.

Also, make sure ALL of the electic is updated. My basement still had active knob & tube wiring from the 1920's in it. And around here you can't get homeowner's insurance with knob & tube! No one would cover the house.... Fortunately, the rest of the house was updated, just not the one light in the basement.

The home inspector should be there for at least 4hrs. If not, you aren't getting your $$ worth.

You can buy lead paint testing kits online, and do have the radon test done.

I'm selling my house next year as it's getting too small for us (2br). I hope to end up in an old farmhouse with a transom window over the front door!

 

[d-man's mom]

Not sure about the window part, but yes the body was in the livingroom. In my family the men would rotate all day and night playing cards. The body was never alone. The front door was open so all could come to pay their last respects. Don't remember how long this was (2 - 3 days).

My brother's house still has the coffin corner on his stairwell...

 

[mickeyfan2]

My brother's house still has the coffin corner on his stairwell...

What is a coffin corner. The body in the home was before my time. I know of it from stories that my Aunts tell. I'll have to try to remember to ask.

 

[goofydad621]

Check to see when the plumbing was upgraded because of lead. See what you have for electrical service, you need at least 100amp preferable 200amp. Your house is old enought to have three or four types of wiring so make sure your electrical is safe. So older homes have aluminum wires connecting to copper and that is a bad mix. If you have great needs for either heating or cooling check your insulation to see what is exsisting, beware of blown in in walls as from what I can tell it can absorbs water over time and settle in walls buldging the palster and reducing the R value considerable amount.

I love in a 200 year old house and have been learning as I go for about 6 years, still love the old place

Best of luck

Dave

 

[kellyg403]

I appreciate all the replies. I agree the charm of the house and property is something that can awe you so much you forget the rest. I find myself totally thinking about what a great piece of property and forgetting about the hidden costs. The house itself is quite charming also, lots of history to the house. Such a big decision though with such little time. The house has been on the market 60 days and we heard today there were possibly two offers coming in.

Thanks again!

Kelly

 

[jonestavern]

we live in an old (1775-1780) former tavern--see siggie.
Old windows are priceless visually & energy suckers, too.
There are ways to restore windows, retaining the house's unique architectural heritage, while making them much more energy efficient. there are also reproduction windows, shop around, they can get quite pricey & while some are super nice, they may be too much quality for yr job, for instance, we decided against having teak windows & are going for another hardwood--after all, they will be painted out & should last for at least another 50 years!
It is always a temptation--believe me even I am sorely tested here- to go with a 'blow out' after all, it's much less expensive & research is minimal compared to doing it up faithfully & monumentally less time consuming!
Yes, I would like a high tech kitchen, but have decided to add on so as not to disturb the great room. We figure we are 5 yrs into a 20 yr project
You have to decide how much of yr house's historical integrity you are willing to sacrifice to accommodate yr living standards. so many people will, for example, pull down plaster & wooden keys, because it is rippled. A restoration plasterer--as OP said, you need to get workmen familiar with old homes--is needed. Often walls have important stencilling beneath layers of paint & those can be saved. We like our rippled walls & ceiling, the wide planked floors with a topography all their own
Contact yr local historical societies, preservation groups for history on yr house & its inhabitants (hopefully, all have gone 'to the light' ) & for tradesmen & craftsfolk who know old houses & are competent to work on them. I also work & volunteer at a museum house & we do this sort of thing, often for free If you decide to gut still contact them so they may document. They can advise you on what can be salvaged to be sold to yr benefit & make another restorer happy to have it

as I write this, restoration masons are in the great room restoring our main chimney--3 fireplaces, beehive oven--from top of roof (3 stories) down--about $20,000, & that is with DH doing a lot of the tear down himself. since many of the old ballast bricks crumbled into dust as soon as we picked them up, we have spent plenty of hours scouring the state to obtain old brick(the one's we're using are 1750's), pick through, clean it up & transport--
by the by, you can insist that there not be any ghosties in yr home, it can actually be in the contract. I do know of a few other homes that have 'activity' in them
we do plan, if we ever decide to sell our house, to sell it with a HNE-Historic New England--(SPNEA) covenant on it. It will probably mean less money, but it is a way of preserving the history & physical features which make all historical homes, cultural gems.
I often think of what the people who lived here went through--they marched with Gen.John Stark to Bennington, were at Breed's (Bunker)Hill; distinguished themselves in the War of 1812, provided shelter on the Underground Railway,
feared Bristish invasion of NH during the Civil War as well as marching off leaving their families behind. Each morning I put my hand on the original banister, plain, worn to a polish; that hard working women & staunch patriots put their hands upon.

Jean

 

[d-man's mom]

What is a coffin corner. The body in the home was before my time. I know of it from stories that my Aunts tell. I'll have to try to remember to ask.

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=8109

 

[rumrunnergirl]

That house sounds lovely.

ITA! I would love an older house with hardwood floors, a fireplace, etc. We live in a new house (built in 2003), and I tell ya, they just don't make them like they used to.

Sounds like you are getting lots of great advice. Good luck!

 

[tinan]

Our house was also built in 1925. First and foremost, like others mentioned, make sure to have a home inspection. We failed miserably at this and paid for it in the end. Long story short, we'll say we were helping a friends brother by buying the house. Anyways, we have been here for 5 years and have replaced the furnace, hot water heater, and windows. Even with replacing these the house still feels a little cold because most older homes don't have great insulation. We decided to finish the attic and hired an electrician to do the wiring. We had to run all new lines in the attic and he inspected the "original" wiring. The wiring itself did not need replaced as everything is working properly, but the electrician was shocked to see that it is the original wiring. The older homes definitely have more character and were built better, but lack closet space, better insulation and may need more repairs. You have to decide if you like the trade off.