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Old 01-30-2016, 09:28 PM
 
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Looks like a project house for "This Old House". Interior tear down to the studs. Then install new pipes, wiring, HVAC, repair any structural damage, seal off the weird door leading to a long underground tunnel, new cabinet, a bathroom upgrade and sand the floors. You could flip it for a decent profit then.
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Old 01-30-2016, 09:55 PM
 
Location: NW AR
2,438 posts, read 2,801,129 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marino760 View Post
If you loved old houses, would you ever buy one and renovate it or would you find it too creepy? Most people picture a typical spooky old Victorian mansion with ghosts, but what about an old house built in 1820? I see this old house, nothing fancy but it must have had many people born in it and die in it. It was there during the Civil War and every war since then. If money to renovate was not an issue, would you take a chance and hope it's not haunted or is the risk too great that a house like this would have so much history both good and bad that it would freak you out whenever you heard a strange noise. I'm not thinking of buying this, but someday an old house will be in my future.

223 West Factory Street, Harrodsburg, KY For Sale | Trulia.com
What's the square footage of this house? Why is the lot size on there and NOT the square footage? This listing is complete bunk. I don't want to know what the 'lot' square footage is.. WHAT is the square footage of this house with four bedrooms and one bath?

Last edited by thegreenflute334; 01-30-2016 at 10:06 PM..
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Old 01-30-2016, 10:16 PM
 
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I'd love an old home like this, and wouldn't worry at all about invisible "residents". It's actually my dream to find that needle in a haystack of an original, well-kept but un-renovated mid 19th century house in a good location with some land around it. To me, the whole point of such a place is to keep it as original as possible in appearance, and only change the necessary electric/mechanicals to make it safe and functional.

In this house, I especially love the original interior trim, stairs and foyer, doors, floors, and the high ceilings. But that bathroom (ugh), that needs help. The kitchen is nice but totally doesn't fit the style either. Still, it's such a rare thing to find a house minimally changed for 180 years! I can't understand why someone would buy this just to gut it and turn it into a generic clone of everything else out there. Why destroy historic one-of-a-kind to turn it into a boring and ordinary Home Depot showcase? For that purpose, there are TONS of crappy looking 1970s houses out there perfect for rehabbing, and not such a rare find as this, that deserves to be restored, not renovated!
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Old 01-30-2016, 10:39 PM
 
17,320 posts, read 11,192,172 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thatdudebob View Post
I'd love an old home like this, and wouldn't worry at all about invisible "residents". It's actually my dream to find that needle in a haystack of an original, well-kept but un-renovated mid 19th century house in a good location with some land around it. To me, the whole point of such a place is to keep it as original as possible in appearance, and only change the necessary electric/mechanicals to make it safe and functional.

In this house, I especially love the original interior trim, stairs and foyer, doors, floors, and the high ceilings. But that bathroom (ugh), that needs help. The kitchen is nice but totally doesn't fit the style either. Still, it's such a rare thing to find a house minimally changed for 180 years! I can't understand why someone would buy this just to gut it and turn it into a generic clone of everything else out there. Why destroy historic one-of-a-kind to turn it into a boring and ordinary Home Depot showcase? For that purpose, there are TONS of crappy looking 1970s houses out there perfect for rehabbing, and not such a rare find as this, that deserves to be restored, not renovated!
I couldn't agree with you more, especially about the bathroom. This house needs to be restored by someone who can bring it back to what it once was, not turning it into another DIY network project of tearing down walls and bringing in everything new. I can picture this house coming back to life, especially once the exterior has a proper paint job and the interior is fixed up showcasing the old fireplaces and staircase.
If I were to buy a house like this, and I'm not, I would bring in an architect and probably spend a ton of money on it taking as much time as it takes to do a good job. When all is done, I would live in it, not turn around and sell it. That would be like selling part of me after all the work and love put into it.
All that being said, I do find this house on the creepy side and I'm not sure why. I suppose that's why I started this thread to see how others felt. I rarely find old houses creepy. The fact that it has had about 30 owners and no one lived in it more than 15 years is very odd considering the house is about 200 years old and people used to live in their houses for lifetimes. That in itself says something to me adding to a negative feeling. Also the fact that now it looks like it was included in a cemetery tour and the cemetery is only a block away leaves the door open that maybe when it was built, it's land butted up against the cemetery.
When I visit Harrodsburg, seeing this house will be on my list of priorities for the fun of it. Hopefully by then, it will be restored.
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Old 01-30-2016, 11:15 PM
 
15,633 posts, read 26,186,341 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thegreenflute334 View Post
What's the square footage of this house? Why is the lot size on there and NOT the square footage? This listing is complete bunk. I don't want to know what the 'lot' square footage is.. WHAT is the square footage of this house with four bedrooms and one bath?
In some areas square footage of the house isn't stated. The reason given is that agencies have been sued for incorrect square footage quotes. No idea if that's true or not, but I know where I look in Pittsburgh, square footage isn't listed at all.
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Old 01-30-2016, 11:27 PM
 
Location: NW AR
2,438 posts, read 2,801,129 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallysmom View Post
In some areas square footage of the house isn't stated. The reason given is that agencies have been sued for incorrect square footage quotes. No idea if that's true or not, but I know where I look in Pittsburgh, square footage isn't listed at all.
I found it on another site. It's around 2,460 according to Willow. I dunno, it also has four chimneys on the roof, some of fireplaces are closed up, moved. It looks like the only house on the block with four chimneys. I would have to see it. There is a lot of mold on the second story. The walls are likely plaster and lath.
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Old 01-31-2016, 07:58 AM
 
2,481 posts, read 2,221,384 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gerania View Post
I don't like the property, location. As others have pointed out, the lot is small, it's on a corner, next to RR tracks, and it's across the street from a business with a rather large parking lot in front. I wouldn't want to look at that every day.

I think the house has been haunted ever since someone installed that bathroom tile.
ain't that the truth, Ruth!
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Old 01-31-2016, 10:34 AM
 
Location: Pahoa Hawaii
2,081 posts, read 5,583,582 times
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I'd be more worried about lead paint. When I was a kid we rented a house where a woman was murdered, there were still bullet holes in the bedroom screens. Never saw or heard anything mysterious. It was fun pointing out the holes to my friends though, such a bunch of 'fraidy cats.
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Old 01-31-2016, 11:16 AM
 
17,320 posts, read 11,192,172 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by leilaniguy View Post
I'd be more worried about lead paint. When I was a kid we rented a house where a woman was murdered, there were still bullet holes in the bedroom screens. Never saw or heard anything mysterious. It was fun pointing out the holes to my friends though, such a bunch of 'fraidy cats.
I'd be a little worried about living in a house where someone was murdered. The lead paint can be removed but lead paint isn't harmful unless you swallow it. Not good for little toddlers just in case. Millions of people grew up in old houses with lead paint without problems.
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Old 01-31-2016, 11:36 AM
 
Location: Mid-Atlantic
32,849 posts, read 36,161,804 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by marino760 View Post
All that being said, I do find this house on the creepy side and I'm not sure why. I suppose that's why I started this thread to see how others felt. I rarely find old houses creepy. The fact that it has had about 30 owners and no one lived in it more than 15 years is very odd considering the house is about 200 years old and people used to live in their houses for lifetimes. That in itself says something to me adding to a negative feeling. Also the fact that now it looks like it was included in a cemetery tour and the cemetery is only a block away leaves the door open that maybe when it was built, it's land butted up against the cemetery.
When I visit Harrodsburg, seeing this house will be on my list of priorities for the fun of it. Hopefully by then, it will be restored.
It feels a little cold to me, but that may be the lack of embellishment (and lights) and the fact that it's been neglected for so long.

I don't think the cemetery has anything to do with it. Even though the property was larger when the house was built, it was still lot #31 in town. Remember, too, that the cemetery would have been much small then. When did it even open?

People didn't always live in their homes for a lifetime. The 1800s? We had economic panics, war, nasty diseases like cholera and yellow fever killing people, and a Western frontier. There were plenty of reasons to move.
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