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Hi,
I've decided to move to the East Coast (possibly outskirts of Philadelphia) and I've never lived outside of CA before so I'd really appreciate any and all advice on buying a house where there's snow and humidity.
Here are a few questions I have but please feel free to give advice on anything related to the topic. Any examples of typical monthly bills are also greatly appreciated!
Why do so many houses have only 1 bathroom? I know that was normal 50 years ago but most are quite big (1800 sqft+) so you'd think that someone would have added a bathroom in 50 years?? What am I missing? Are permits really hard or expensive to get?
A lot of houses I've seen online have baseboard heaters which seem like they would be pretty expensive. Should I only look at homes with gas heat or oil heat? I've seen some very old stone houses are they a nightmare to heat?
How many months is the AC on? Heat on? No a/c or heat?
Is it better if your doorway is inset so snow doesn't block it or the opposite? Are roll-up garage doors better than swing-out so they don't get blocked by snow? Does everyone have a snow blower? I'm worried about living in snow as everyone can probably tell
You'd have better luck posting in the Philly forum. In general, the homes in the Philadelphia metro area tend to be much older than many other metros. You don't tend to find as much modern/new model housing as you will in other cities, which gives a lot of charm/character to the homes. However, that may be why you're seeing some of the structural things you are seeing. I would post these questions to the Philly forum.
If you are living in an urban area, you probably are worried about snow more than you have to be. Does it snow in Philly? Sure it does. However, in more urban areas especially, snow removal (at least on main roads) is generally pretty fast. Snow does not fall constantly. Much like rain, there are periods where there are snowstorms. During those periods, you will likely run into bad roads, but, at least for main roads, the snow should be removed relatively quickly. Further, the Philly area (unlike my home area in the Pittsburgh metro), is relatively flat. Driving on hills in the snow can be tricky, and it's really only to help with getting up hills on bad roads that four wheel drive really does much good anyway. In a flat, urban area like Philly, you probably could get away without four wheel drive.
It's very unlikely that you would run into situations where your doors or garage doors are blocked by snow. Snowfalls of a few inches at a time are common; snows where more that a foot at a time falls are quite rare. If you don't mind shoveling, you probably could get by without a snow blower. Shoveling a few inches of snow really isn't that big of a deal (unless you have a large area to shovel).
As for heat and AC, here in Pittsburgh we generally use heat from mid to late October until mid to late March. AC is generally needed late May to mid September or thereabouts. Of course, conditions can vary so those are just approximate guidelines. Keep in mind that the weather in the Philly area is typically a bit warmer (about 5 degrees or so) than Pittsburgh. You might find that you'll use the air and heat during a slightly different part of the year in Philly.
Hi,
I've decided to move to the East Coast (possibly outskirts of Philadelphia) and I've never lived outside of CA before so I'd really appreciate any and all advice on buying a house where there's snow and humidity.
Here are a few questions I have but please feel free to give advice on anything related to the topic. Any examples of typical monthly bills are also greatly appreciated!
Why do so many houses have only 1 bathroom? I know that was normal 50 years ago but most are quite big (1800 sqft+) so you'd think that someone would have added a bathroom in 50 years?? What am I missing? Are permits really hard or expensive to get?
A lot of houses I've seen online have baseboard heaters which seem like they would be pretty expensive. Should I only look at homes with gas heat or oil heat? I've seen some very old stone houses are they a nightmare to heat?
How many months is the AC on? Heat on? No a/c or heat?
Is it better if your doorway is inset so snow doesn't block it or the opposite? Are roll-up garage doors better than swing-out so they don't get blocked by snow? Does everyone have a snow blower? I'm worried about living in snow as everyone can probably tell
Is a 4 wheel drive essential?
Bathrooms - In the 1960s, it wasn't unheard of to build, buy a new home with 1 1/2 baths. People add baths if they have the means or the room to do it. Often, there just isn't a good place to put one. If there's no basement suitable for remodeling, a full/walk-up attic or room on the property for an addition, there isn't going to be a second bath.
Heat and AC - What type of baseboard heaters? Are they electric or steam? Gas or oil? Electric baseboard heat is expensive. I've never lived in a house with oil heat, but from what I've heard and read, I think it's more expensive than natural gas. The heat gets turned on some time in October and off in April.
AC use could start in May or June and usually ends in the first half of September. It can be quite humid and you'll probably use more AC than your neighbors for the first couple of years.
Doors - I wouldn't buy a place with at least an inset door, but preferably a covered entry or porch. I don't like to stand in a cold rain with bags and packages while I hurry to get my key in the lock. You don't want a swing-out garage door, either. I've never owned a snow blower. If you have a paved driveway and sidewalk, you might want one.
Cars - You won't need 4WD. It'll take a while to get used to driving in a bit of snow, but you'll be fine. I moved to the Philly area with a TWD beater and I was fine. Two years later, I bought a Subaru. It served me well, especially during the occasional heavy snowfall during a winter storm.
Is it better if your doorway is inset so snow doesn't block it or the opposite? Are roll-up garage doors better than swing-out so they don't get blocked by snow? Does everyone have a snow blower?
It's even better to have a front porch. That way the entrance doesn't get blocked when there's a blizzard. Roll-up garage doors are better. My yard worker cleans the snow every time, so it's no problem.
I wouldn't be concerned so much about the snow, but more so the cold. That could take some getting used to coming from a mild climate. You should probably take flu shots every year in the fall.
If you are living in an urban area, you probably are worried about snow more than you have to be. Does it snow in Philly? Sure it does. However, in more urban areas especially, snow removal (at least on main roads) is generally pretty fast. Snow does not fall constantly. Much like rain, there are periods where there are snowstorms. During those periods, you will likely run into bad roads, but, at least for main roads, the snow should be removed relatively quickly. Further, the Philly area (unlike my home area in the Pittsburgh metro), is relatively flat. Driving on hills in the snow can be tricky, and it's really only to help with getting up hills on bad roads that four wheel drive really does much good anyway. In a flat, urban area like Philly, you probably could get away without four wheel drive.
Although much of Philadelphia proper is fairly flat, the suburbs are known to get rather hilly (at least, on the Pennsylvania side) and don't exactly have tons of high-capacity roads. Many of these secondary roads can take a bit of time to plow.
That's not to say 4WD is an absolute necessity like other areas, but it's certainly not out of the ordinary among those who like to play it safe--particularly if you're living in some of the outer-suburban townships.
Thank you everyone for the great information and kind wishes I'm seriously relieved to hear that I'll never get barricaded inside my house by snow.
It sounds like you either pay for heat or air conditioning all year long. How much does that cost for a 1800sq ft house?
I've never heard of steam baseboard heaters! Wouldn't that make your walls damp and eventually moldy?
I have a question about attached homes and bugs. I have a SERIOUS phobia about the "R" bug or "C" bug if you want to use the long name. Should I avoid twin homes in case the other side had them? I know they can go from one apartment to the other through openings in the walls but I've never been inside a twin home. I would spray before I moved in but I know the little #@*! are hard to get rid of. About 1/3 of the houses I've seen online are twins so I'd rather not exclude them if I dont have to. Are stone homes less likely to have them? I'm sweating bullets just writing about them :/
no advice on that area but good luck to you! i'm a southern californian transplanted to the east coast too, roanoke area in virginia...we don't have tons of snow here but i had the same snow concerns as you did! i think philly might get more than us but i don't really know...i don't have a 4wd and do just fine in my mini van but where i live they are quick to do the main roads and if not, i stay in! i'm still a big chicken about driving in any amount of snow!
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