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I agree! In fact, please DON'T renovate or "update" an old house; preserve its charm for the next owner.
I couldn't agree more. My house is almost 120 years old. If it had been recently renovated, I wouldn't have bought it or even considered it. I wanted as much of the old house still there as possible. The old claw foot tub was still there which was a big selling point for me as well as pocket doors, unmolested fire places and the original floor plan was still intact.
I fixed a few cracks in the plaster walls and left some as well. I painted dirty old walls, and made it more original looking with proper colors for that era and removed some vinyl siding to expose the transom windows again
The house didn't have every feature I wanted, but it was close enough. I respect the house for what it is and never attempt to make it something it's not. In return, every time I walk in the front door, the house gives me a warm comfortable feeling I've never felt in newer houses that I've owned.
Last edited by marino760; 02-03-2023 at 06:40 PM..
Seriously considering buying a really old but historic farmhouse that has some issues. In my late 50s and this house sits in a bucolic and peaceful setting. Wanting out of the city life. Am I nuts? I'll have the inspections done etc etc. Anyone else happy with or regret buying an much older home in their later years? I'm on the fence. Anyway just looking for thoughts. Thank you kind people.
I have not read this thread, just your post, and it sounds wonderful to me. Of course any property is going to need repairs and whatnot. This one may need more work than a newer home, but to me, if had the money, it would be worth it.
I've built 2 new homes (that most would consider "high end" construction). I only say that because these were not mass produced tract homes (nothing wrong with that, but important for context).
Both new homes had way more issues in the first 5 years of ownership than this old house. Small stuff like tile cracks from settling, nail pops, systems issues, etc. Nothing that necessarily costed money since there were contractor warranties on the homes, but annoying nevertheless.
With older homes, especially revivals, you're chasing down issues stemming from age, which are different sets of problems (i.e finding crystal doorknobs that match).
I was thinking the same thing. It could be entirely possible that a much newer home could have even more problems than an old one.
We were young and ambitious when we bought our 1911 wreck of a house. It needed everything including new plumbing and rewiring. We had live gas jets with cloth wiring wrapped around them. It was dangerous. I woke up one morning to see a bird sitting on our ceiling fan. The kitchen? Well we won't go there.
It took us well over 20 years to restore it. It has literally been touched inside and out on every inch, not once, but twice. We have put in nearly three times what we paid for it, but it is worth more than double what we have put into it. You have to buy right and we got the deal of lifetime in a super hot market.
There are still some big projects coming up, and at our age, that tall ladder work is a concern.
Was it and is it still all worth it? Definitely. I love working on the house. Those staycations doing projects were some of the best and most rewarding "vacations" we've ever had.
We are happy here and in nearly the 112 years of its life, we are only the 3rd owners. That says something.
This house isn't for everyone. If you don't like antiques or feeling like you've just stepped back in time, you won't like our house. If you can appreciate all of that old growth oak wood work that's never been painted and those 112 year old windows with all that wavy glass, this house is for you.
I hope the next owners honor it and preserve it for future generations. This old girl will be still standing long after we are gone. She's a rare find after that modern open concept swept in and ruined many old historic houses here.
Old houses are not just homes. They're a piece of history and a way of life. Our old girl is a demanding mistress, and if you don't want that lifestyle? Well, live in a condo?
So yes, by all means, go buy an old house if it's your calling. I can't imagine living in anything else. I love this quirky old girl and I'm not leaving without a toe tag. Maybe then I'll finally figure out who or what walked up and down the stairs and through the hallway upstairs and ripped that towel off of the towel bar when I was alone here naked and afraid.
This old girl is my house and I plan on haunting it if possible. So move over whatever or whoever you are. I plan on slapping you upside the head for scaring me like that.
I feel EXACTLY as you do, animalcrazy! Your home sounds utterly wonderful. I would LOVE to see it.
Do you really think it is haunted? What exactly happened? Was it only one instance of anything like that happening?
I agree! In fact, please DON'T renovate or "update" an old house; preserve its charm for the next owner.
++++++++++1 How many times have I seen beautiful old homes gutted and turned into ugly things that look like any other newly built home, at least on the inside for sure. Tragic....
I'll echo what others have said: that if you want to own an old house, it's definitely helpful if you're handy. Little things do come up, and it often doesn't make sense to call a handyman service for every one of them. (isn't this true for most houses that are over 20-30 years old?)
But, I want to point out that you don't need to renovate a house, just because it's old. At my 120 year old house, I tend to only fix things that are broken. Some of the posts in this thread seem to assume that buying an old house requires a major renovation, when that's not necessarily the case. So, if the old house you're looking at is just perfect in your eyes, then be happy in it, and only fix things if they break.
Exactly. The inspection (which unfortunately often doesn't catch everything but at least hopefully major issues) would be the key in whether you'd want to buy (unless you're good with taking on major projects).
Like I said, the inspection at the 1860s home I bought didn't turn up anything major. There was nothing majorly wrong with it. Aesthetics could be improved. The house I bought built in 1947 was the best home I owned. That 1860s home was second. The expanded 1900/1970s wasn't that great (that was the worst one--it was a one-room cabin in 1900 and additions were built onto it) and this current one built mid 1950s is average. It's better than the 1970s house, but way less desirable than the 1860s house.
I'll echo what others have said: that if you want to own an old house, it's definitely helpful if you're handy. Little things do come up, and it often doesn't make sense to call a handyman service for every one of them. (isn't this true for most houses that are over 20-30 years old?)
But, I want to point out that you don't need to renovate a house, just because it's old. At my 120 year old house, I tend to only fix things that are broken. Some of the posts in this thread seem to assume that buying an old house requires a major renovation, when that's not necessarily the case. So, if the old house you're looking at is just perfect in your eyes, then be happy in it, and only fix things if they break.
Quote:
Originally Posted by otterhere
I agree! In fact, please DON'T renovate or "update" an old house; preserve its charm for the next owner.
Quote:
Originally Posted by marino760
I couldn't agree more. My house is almost 120 years old. If it had been recently renovated, I wouldn't have bought it or even considered it. I wanted as much of the old house still there as possible. The old claw foot tub was still there which was a big selling point for me as well as pocket doors, unmolested fire places and the original floor plan was still intact.
I fixed a few cracks in the plaster walls and left some as well. I painted dirty old walls, and made it more original looking with proper colors for that era and removed some vinyl siding to expose the transom windows again
The house didn't have every feature I wanted, but it was close enough. I respect the house for what it is and never attempt to make it something it's not. In return, every time I walk in the front door, the house gives me a warm comfortable feeling I've never felt in newer houses that I've owned.
You are my people!! I didn't even bring this up in my post because sometimes it's like going against the tide with the naysayers.
I've lived in my almost 100 year old house for decades and it's been a great house. I work on my windows as needed, repaint rooms, reapply shellac. I think in the first five years I was convinced I needed a new front door for more light but thankfully I was too broke to buy one and now you couldn't pay me to remove the original door.
But - I do most of my own work. I paid for a roof and a chimney liner in the past 5 years - and those are things any house could need. I think this year I'll paint my garage.
I only fear older homes because of possible "hauntings"
Yes there is that. My house is definitely "different" and I was afraid of it for years, but there is something about living here that everyone before us stayed for decades.
Phinny, I PM'd you with some information about things that have happened here.
Some have mentioned heating it. Our house is part brick in the bottom and frame on top. The plaster and lath are attached to the brick so there is no way to insulate it without pulling the plaster down and studding it out. Not an option because the living room, dining room, and foyer have a textured stucco. We had to remove the plaster on the south side of the house which included the kitchen all the way up to the bathroom and second floor bedroom. There is some foam insulation on those walls but the living room, foyer, and down stairs bedroom have no insulation. We made interior storm windows for all of the windows and we have good exterior storm windows. We ripped off all of the old rotten shingles outside on the second story and had the house insulated from the outside in and house wrapped. We then had stucco put on the upper story. The color I chose matched the tuck pointing on the lower story we had done decades ago. The front porch and block foundation was painted white with the wrong paint. We spent two summers stripping it down to bare cement. Underneath all of that white was a brownstone hiding with black piping between the block. All of that has been restored and the stucco paint matched it perfectly.
Our last gas bill which includes heat, a dryer and oven was $245 dollars. The house is about 1800 sq. feet. That was going through a rather intense polar plunge for a week. We use two radiator like space heaters and the house is comfortable. Our electric bill was $125 dollars.
You can make old houses more energy efficient.
I have pictures of our house in two albums on my profile page. Look in the Halloween photo album and the our house album.
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