Existing Homes - How Old is "too" old? (Austin: house, living)

[Trainwreck20]

As far as basic design, most of the homes built after sometime in the early 2000s pretty much meet a very high design requirement for energy efficiency, especially if they were in the city limits of Austin at the time of construction. The 80s and back can be very bad design in regards to efficiency. 90s are generally in between and you have to look at them on a case-by-case.

[turf3]

I generally steer clear of houses built before about 1910, because somewhere around there is when they started putting closets in houses. Gotta have closets.

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by turf3

I generally steer clear of houses built before about 1910, because somewhere around there is when they started putting closets in houses. Gotta have closets.

Yeah, and that knob-and-tube wiring is the bomb!!!

[Austin97]

our house is 15 years old but seems pretty much brand new because we have taken care of it

The biggies as stated above were

1) roof (replaced due to hail damage) - 8K?
2) windows this year - 12K
3) AC 2 years ago - 8k?
4) All major kitchen appliances over the last 3 years 8K

the build quality is great and the new windows are much more energy efficient.

I would expect the water heaters to go out at some point

[Glenn Ross]

If you purchase a home in Austin serviced by Austin Energy, an energy audit is required to be given to the buyer if the home is 10 or more years old. The seller doesn't have to follow the recommendations in the audit, but it does have to be provided.

[verybadgnome]

You can change everything about a house except its location* so I do not worry about the age. I do take into consideration the foundation, though, as that can be a huge issue. Buying an older home allows more room for customization as I have done things to mine that are not on any option list (well maybe extremely high end) for a new builder.

*pier and beam homes can be moved

[turf3]

Slab houses can be moved too. They basically cut 'em off at the knees, run big beams through and attach the walls to the beams, jack 'em up and off they go.

[gpurcell]

Originally Posted by turf3

I generally steer clear of houses built before about 1910, because somewhere around there is when they started putting closets in houses. Gotta have closets.

No original closets in our 1917 house, actually.

[gpurcell]

Originally Posted by 10scoachrick

Yeah, and that knob-and-tube wiring is the bomb!!!

It's particularly amusing when a previous owner blows cellulose insulation over it.

[turf3]

One would hope that any currently inhabited house would have had knob and tube wiring replaced by now. But you never know what you'll find.

I just think it's amusing that some people act like a 15 year old house might be "too old". When people in England are living in stone houses built 300 years ago. Same mentality that tells me my 8 year old cell phone is "obsolete". No it isn't. I can receive and send calls on it, ergo it's not obsolete.