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"Yes, I actually love the history, and the crookedness, and not looking to add new or too modern touches, just as you said, respect the house, take care of it for a while and pass it on. We are European, used to history, and old things, so that is actually something I would seek, rather than shy away from."
Here is something else I want to tell you about. You might not necessarily need to get a house from the 1700 or 1800's to get what you want. In the 1900's there was an architect named Royal Barry Wills in Boston MA. He is the unsung hero of a lot of the charm that abounds in MA, CT and RI. Many times when you go into a "charming" town there are not as many historic houses as you think. The real historic older homes tend to be on Route 1 (the Post Road) and all the Main Streets, main roads and squares in lower New England. There was a revival of sorts in the 1900's in lower New England of the classic cape and colonial style and many of the builders used Royal Barry Wills architectural plans. Look at this picture of some of his designs and you would swear they are historic. He is another person to read about. Attachment 222513
"I would imagine that a house like that is 300K-400K would need at least another 100K set aside for repairs, no? And prices in CT seem not to appreciate in leaps and bounds, unless majors renovations are done.. that is my impression from looking at Zillow."
Outside of Fairfield & Litchfield County that might not be so. The house might be done for the most part. Here is an area that might e good for you. When I retire I am looking at the coastal towns east of New Haven because I want access to NYC also. I would probably go in two to four times a month. Metro North into NYC goes all the way to New Haven. After that there is the shoreline east but that train line does not run a lot of trains like Metro North. Here is what the realtors tell me. There are quite a few folks that live in Branford, Guilford and Madison that work in NYC and go in about two times a week. One realtor that lived in Old Saybrook told me her husband goes into the NYC two days for work. I know that Guilford and Madison have pretty strong historical societies. I bet Old Saybrook does too. Guilford, Madison and Old Saybrook also have great schools. The Guilford Town Green is like a charming New England post card.
If you are looking in the $400,000 to $500,000 range with good schools for the house you desire that will probably put you outside of Fairfield and Litchfield counties.
I put a filter on Zillow for houses build before 1800, and there are so many! Some of them are in a really bad shape, you can tell even from the pic. For some, there is a huge clash of old exerior and too modern interior, which is worse.
At my work, our CIO commuted DAYILY from New Haven by car I believe, for 8 years. Before that he was in Lower Manhattan and commuted DAILY! I dont know how he did it, must have had an amazing house.
Your CIO was crazy. I used to commute to uptown Manhattan using West Haven train station and I live in Guilford. No I did not like the commute.
Before pandemic, I commute from Branford station to Stamford, which was a lot more comfortable ride. I would never want to drive from New Haven county to Stamford, too far away, let alone NYC.
Riding a train is a lot less stressful than long distance driving.
Keep in mind, train schedules are still altered because of reduced ridership. They're not as frequent and they've eliminated some of the better express trains, so they take longer generally at rush hour.
Your CIO was crazy. I used to commute to uptown Manhattan using West Haven train station and I live in Guilford. No I did not like the commute.
Before pandemic, I commute from Branford station to Stamford, which was a lot more comfortable ride. I would never want to drive from New Haven county to Stamford, too far away, let alone NYC.
Riding a train is a lot less stressful than long distance driving.
I don't know anyone who would like a Guilford to Manhattan commute. That's not an astonishing announcement, but I'll take a car commute over mass transit any day all day.
I have an iphone and Apple Carplay stereo. Installed it myself too. I have my favorite podcasts and baseball talk. I can pop in any one of my favorite records all with voice command. I have a million songs to choose from. Sometimes I long for those days of commuting now with WFH.
I put a filter on Zillow for houses build before 1800, and there are so many! Some of them are in a really bad shape, you can tell even from the pic. For some, there is a huge clash of old exerior and too modern interior, which is worse.
It really is amazing. I stumbled upon the CT faction of City Data some time ago and I feel like I learn something new everyday. There's a star studded cast of regulars here who never cease to amaze with knowledge. They say you get what you pay for, and here its worth every penny.
Nice home posted but a bit much on the decorating and wallppaper. It could be toned down a notch.
I put a filter on Zillow for houses build before 1800, and there are so many! Some of them are in a really bad shape, you can tell even from the pic. For some, there is a huge clash of old exerior and too modern interior, which is worse.
The Nichols section of Trumbull is like a little community & town on it's own. You would have lot in common with the people that live there who also have a love of historical homes. You would have instant friends if you moved to Nichols.
Trumbull would be a much better commute too. I went to the Pratt Institute in Manhattan in the 1990's when it was in SOHO (Houston & Lafayette) from Stamford and again in 2005/2006 when it was in Greenwich Village (14th Street) when I lived in Trumbull. I take the train out of Fairfield now that I am in Trumbull. I would go in two or three days a week depending on my classes.
Guilford and Madison are so nice you should go see those towns. There are some really nice towns just north of Fairfield County in Litchfield County also and you can take the Hudson line of Metro North. I would go antiquing in Woodbury, Southbury etc. It's really nice and peaceful up there.
I put a filter on Zillow for houses build before 1800, and there are so many! Some of them are in a really bad shape, you can tell even from the pic. For some, there is a huge clash of old exerior and too modern interior, which is worse.
Thank you for recognizing that!
On the subject of reproductions, there is a company in Hebron that makes them, and I've seen a number of them in the Hebron area. Country Carpenters / Early New England Homes. I've stayed in one built in the 1960s and it was really nice (and I'd never want to buy anything newer than 1930ish). Hebron sounds like it's a bit far out for you, but maybe they can give you an idea of where else they've built.
On the subject of reproductions, there is a company in Hebron that makes them, and I've seen a number of them in the Hebron area. Country Carpenters / Early New England Homes. I've stayed in one built in the 1960s and it was really nice (and I'd never want to buy anything newer than 1930ish). Hebron sounds like it's a bit far out for you, but maybe they can give you an idea of where else they've built.
I’ve seen them too and they are beautiful. Country Carpenters builds post & beam sheds. The post & beam home division is called Early New England Homes and is based in Bolton. There is a model home there. They are gorgeous but pricey. Here is a link to their website. Jay
OMG, there homes are gorgeous. I could not find pricing, maybe I will call them. I cannot imagine taking on a home building project, by maybe they can help me find out how to identify when those homes sell.
I actually found a video where a team took apart an old colonial, disassembled it and moved/rebuild it to a different location. Amazing.
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