I am looking at a house in southern new hampshire. It was built in 1870 and has a stone foundation. I can only look at it online but will soon be there. Is there anything I should look for? Are homes over a hundred years old built to last another century? If there are no answers her = where do I go to ask?
Thanks, Bill
Find a licensed home inspector.
Some things like insulation, windows are tight you can check your self. Other wise I would hire an inspector. He knows what he is looking at and will be able to tell you about the foundation, roof etc...
Chris
While building codes now days make sure new buildings are built right (or that's the intention). There is no reason an old house can't be sturdy as long as it has been cared for and there are no major problems. Have it looked at by an inspector to get a better idea of the plumbing, electrical, structural and insulation issues. John
Go to the library and read a few issues of Old House Journal, to get a feel for what you're getting into. If the house is well-maintained and facilities (e.g. kitchen, electrical) are up to date, you may have a house that's fairly comparable to any ranch house built 30 years ago. If not, you may have to contemplate the purchase price as something like
50-75% of the cost of getting this house livable.The house itself could easily *last*. The question for you is whether the maintenance issues and possible upgrades will be worth it to you. Do you just like the way old houses look? Do you enjoy "do it yourself" where the parts aren't brand-name and baffle the guy at Home Depot? Restoring an old house is essentially a labor of love, a hobby lasting
5-20 years, and you should be sure that's what you want to get out of it.
Rufus:
R > I am looking at a house in southern new hampshire. It was built in 1870 and R > has a stone foundation. I can only look at it online but will soon be there
R > Is there anything I should look for? Are homes over a hundred years old R > built to last another century? If there are no answers her = where do I go R > to ask?
The house should last - they were built fairly solidly. As someone else suggested, get it professionally inspected. I'd suggest also doing your own inspection with emphasis on general structural integrity as well as your personal needs and desires.
General structural integrity is what the hired inspector will look at but when you look at it you might want to be considering upcoming repairs. The roof you will probably contract out; replacing the bathroom faucet you can probably do.
How's the electrical? There are never enough outlets. Does the "Computer Room" have a grounded outlet (and is it really grounded?). What about a telephone line and/or cable for the modem? Same considerations for whatever rooms will have TVs and sound systems.
Friend of mine is moving into a house under a rent-to-own option. I immediately noticed the switch plate in the entrance hall is partially covered by the molding. Should be able to remove the switchplate by pulling it from under -- this particular switchbox has a failing switch someone will be replacing (not sure if me or the landlord - I'm thinking it should be the landlord). Also the switch in the bathroom was mounted upside down: "on" is down.
- ¯ barry.martinþATþthesafebbs.zeppole.com ®
There's no substitute for knowledge and common sense. Before you pay a few hundred $ for a home inspector (and you still need to know if they are good), you want to eliminate obvious horrors.
When I started looking at a house, I was enchanted by a FSBO. When I heard the low price, I was thrilled. I looked at it outside for a few days and became truly excited. It had such a nice piece of land and beautiful antique features.
Then when the day to view it came, I looked closely actually on the property awaiting the owner. The roof sagged, but looked new. Half of the wood siding was rotted out, the other half with peeling paint and on the way.
When the owner arrived, I saw the interior. The second floor had been recently sheetrocked, but couldn't hide the leaks that has stained the new rock. The back part of the house had a floor so rotted that it barely supported the plywood over it meant to conceal the rot. The cellar was a mess, largely from the asbestos the owner removed by himself "so it won't be a problem" as he guzzled another beer. I lifted a panel in the kitchen ceiling and finally got the ultimate answer I was looking for. I saw main ceiling beams of the roof with rot and mold so bad I was amazed the house was still standing.
This was in addition to the fact the home had 150 year old dimensions, with rooms so small the house would have absolutely no resale value if it was restored.
Many old homes are beyond reasonably cost-effective restoration. Taking a good, hard look after a little learning from the library and internet can save you a ton of headaches.
Eventually I bought a home of about 100 that is built to last 100 more at least. Know the basics of homes and the issues will become obvious.
Old homes can be great and I'm a big fan of them. In addition to the obvious items, like insulation, rot, wiring and plumbing, check to see how well the floors are supported.
We had an 1890's "New Englander" that was wonderful (wide pine floors, amazing detail in the siding), but the floors were supported by 2 x 6 joists. While this never cause any structural problems (no one crashed through the floor) they were very bouncy. If you sat on the couch while someone walked through the room it felt a bit like a trampoline.
Good luck,
John
They were built when the words 'fiberglas' and 'styrofoam' didn't exist. Everything was made as tight as possible, to keep the cold out, heat in. But now we have plenty of extra heat, and the house needs to have been changed to accomodate those improvements. Any heat that gets into the attic needs to be immediately vented out. Otherwise, the snow gets melted, it drizzles down the roof till it is no longer being kept heated. It then forms an ice dam, the next water has nowhere to go except under the shingles, where it saturates the roofing sheathing, often drips down into the cornice, where it goes through some freeze/thaw cycles, and that wood is destroyed too. So check for signs at the roof, roof edge, gutters, etc. And remember that if there is not a minimum of a square foot of roof ventilation space for every 300 square feet of attic vented space, you probably have no shingles warranty, because it's been voided by the poor ventilation.
Owens-Corning 1-800-ROOFING
In addition, the building materials and craftsmanship are such as you are unlikely to see in a modern house, unless perchance you hire Frank Gehry. zemedelec
We also have a "New Englander" built in/around 1890. Unfortunately the interior of ours was reovated by an amatuer. The attached barn is the BEST!
Bill You need to check the same things you would with any house you just need to do a better job of it.
If you're doing it your self get some old clothes, a headlamp and screwdriver and crawl into every dark corner especially around the sill and look for soft wood.
Some of these are rural items, it you're hooked up to city/town service water pump and septic don't apply.
KNOW what the septic system is/ where it is/ and how old it is
Check out the water pump and the rest of the plumbing
Heater is another problem area
Roof's age
Chimney's condition
Window condition, do they need reglazing?
Is it Insulated?
If you buy Welcome to NH. I'm in central NH
Kevin
Also check the Electric Service Panel. A 100 amp service my not be enough
Kevin
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