Ridding a property of an old House (wood floors, to buy)

[brighteyes818]

We saw a property we like with an old house on it and we're wondering if we can just burn it down? or maybe someone has a better idea,,, recycling the old boards, what do you think?? thanks

[topher5150]

I don't know about Tenn. but in Michigan you can volunteer your house for practice for the fire department

[Wmsn4Life]

That would be my first suggestion. Then they would take care of cutting off any utilities and doing it safely.

[brighteyes818]

I guess I often wonder why people don't do this more often to rid properties of blighted buildings..

[Pam& Bill]

Originally Posted by brighteyes818

I guess I often wonder why people don't do this more often to rid properties of blighted buildings..

Maybe because what one person sees as blight is another's vision of time worn beauty that needs to be restored and preserved.

Are you sure it Tennessee you want to move to???????
Pam

[DubbleT]

Really old? As in possibly pieces that might be worth salvaging? Glass doorknobs, carved fireplace mantle, clawfoot tub, solid hardwood flooring, other interesting things people might be willing to buy?
Maybe have someone check it out for you if you aren't familiar with what 'old house' people treasure and might want.
Shoot, put an add on CL and invite people to take what they want. Bet you wouldn't have much left to have to destroy.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by brighteyes818

We saw a property we like with an old house...

Define old.
Completely decrepit and condemned as uninhabitable?
Or maybe still with power, well, septic etc and OK enough to be OK for a while?

Point being that in some places "remodeling" with those existing utilities
is a whole lot less bother than abandoning them and then starting over.

hth

[brighteyes818]

Originally Posted by DubbleT

Really old? As in possibly pieces that might be worth salvaging? Glass doorknobs, carved fireplace mantle, clawfoot tub, solid hardwood flooring, other interesting things people might be willing to buy?
Maybe have someone check it out for you if you aren't familiar with what 'old house' people treasure and might want.
Shoot, put an add on CL and invite people to take what they want. Bet you wouldn't have much left to have to destroy.

Ohh, putting it on Craigslist was a great idea,, I'm all into recycling and reusing,, I'm also in nostaligia and preservation,, I'm familiar with This Old House,, I'm not interested in redoing a gut project, some of this nostaligia is just to much work, I don't have enough time, money or experience for that..

[jimj]

And in many places all you have to keep standing is the fireplace to get by with calling it a "remodel" vs a new build with all the attached fees.
As was stated before, if it's real old there's usually lots of good stuff in them from wood floors to copper pipe and wire,old glass that's "sagging" etc. Old brick can be worth $$$ as well.

[brighteyes818]

Originally Posted by Pam& Bill

Maybe because what one person sees as blight is another's vision of time worn beauty that needs to be restored and preserved.

Are you sure it Tennessee you want to move to???????
Pam

Maybe your definition of blight and mine is different,, I'm not talking about an old barn sitting out on beautiful landscape that someone might want to load in their truck and haul off,, I'm talking about a trailer home that was made to last 20 years, now it's been sitting, leaking, walls fallings down but left their to rot...around here blight is looking at building, (one that at one time was functioning, beautiful, has nostaligia but that have been sitting collecting rats, graffti, drug dealers, and homeless people...