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Ideal_Rock
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- Mar 15, 2004
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Any old house lovers to share my pain?
- Thread starter Allisonfaye
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divergrrl
Ideal_Rock
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- Dec 9, 2002
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I have an old home and for us, its the only way to go.
I have a craftsman built in 1910, its solid, sturdy, and extremely well built. No rot, (and I live in the PacNW with LOTS of rain) no sagging, no problems. It was originally 1600 sq feet, but we hung out for 4 years before adding on another 1600 sq ft. (we have 1/3 acre lot, so lots of room).
We put in new electrical, new windows, new furnace/central air, and new plumbing. Did it cost a lot? Ummm about 130k for the addition & remodel...but....we only paid 158k for the house, which in my area is a freakin'' STEAL. We''ve been here since 1999 and love our home (I hated it my 1st trimester of my 2nd pregnancy when a detached garage & 3 stories were pissing me off, but I''m over it now that the baby is here & I have this super cool house& big yard for my kids)
So yeah, if the "guts" of the house are good, chance are the home is made better than anything new is these days. Yolu have to get a good inspection & buy in an area that you love.
The original kitchen is GARGANTUAN. We gutted it in 2004 and completely remodeled it, and its awesome. The new part of the house included a living room, master suite (huuuuuuuuuuuuuge, with ginormous bathroom & walk in closets galore) and home gym. Its really fun owning something so unique.
I also love that in the 9 years we''ve been here, the only problem we''ve had is the original water heater died.
So now I have a 3200 sq ft house for about HALF of what it would have cost to buy it ''ready made". This route is not for everyone. We lived in the original aka smaller home for 4 years before beginning work on it, and then it was another 2 years before it was done, but I don''t mind drywall dust & my son was only 4 mos when we did the kitchen, so no biggie....but if you have the stomach for it & a dh with a knack for being a GREAT general contractor (he acted as our GC, he spent MONTHS getting bids, he''d never done it before, and he did all the granite, travertine, finish work himself...we have TONS of molding...again, it was his first time, he rocked...) then its totally worth it.
if that kind of thing make you scream in fear, then look for a neighborhood with big yards. new homes are nice, all modern & easy to live in/clean...so fresh & nice...but the small yard thing sucks....unless you like small yards. (I secretly love small yards, but then I hate yardwork! LOL)
But when I see all the fenced in legroom my 3yo and my dog have in our fenced in yard...its all worth it.
I have a craftsman built in 1910, its solid, sturdy, and extremely well built. No rot, (and I live in the PacNW with LOTS of rain) no sagging, no problems. It was originally 1600 sq feet, but we hung out for 4 years before adding on another 1600 sq ft. (we have 1/3 acre lot, so lots of room).
We put in new electrical, new windows, new furnace/central air, and new plumbing. Did it cost a lot? Ummm about 130k for the addition & remodel...but....we only paid 158k for the house, which in my area is a freakin'' STEAL. We''ve been here since 1999 and love our home (I hated it my 1st trimester of my 2nd pregnancy when a detached garage & 3 stories were pissing me off, but I''m over it now that the baby is here & I have this super cool house& big yard for my kids)
So yeah, if the "guts" of the house are good, chance are the home is made better than anything new is these days. Yolu have to get a good inspection & buy in an area that you love.
The original kitchen is GARGANTUAN. We gutted it in 2004 and completely remodeled it, and its awesome. The new part of the house included a living room, master suite (huuuuuuuuuuuuuge, with ginormous bathroom & walk in closets galore) and home gym. Its really fun owning something so unique.
I also love that in the 9 years we''ve been here, the only problem we''ve had is the original water heater died.
So now I have a 3200 sq ft house for about HALF of what it would have cost to buy it ''ready made". This route is not for everyone. We lived in the original aka smaller home for 4 years before beginning work on it, and then it was another 2 years before it was done, but I don''t mind drywall dust & my son was only 4 mos when we did the kitchen, so no biggie....but if you have the stomach for it & a dh with a knack for being a GREAT general contractor (he acted as our GC, he spent MONTHS getting bids, he''d never done it before, and he did all the granite, travertine, finish work himself...we have TONS of molding...again, it was his first time, he rocked...) then its totally worth it.
if that kind of thing make you scream in fear, then look for a neighborhood with big yards. new homes are nice, all modern & easy to live in/clean...so fresh & nice...but the small yard thing sucks....unless you like small yards. (I secretly love small yards, but then I hate yardwork! LOL)
But when I see all the fenced in legroom my 3yo and my dog have in our fenced in yard...its all worth it.
divergrrl
Ideal_Rock
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- Dec 9, 2002
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divergrrl
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Dec 9, 2002
- Messages
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And this was right after the addition, so please excuse the unfinished "undercarriage" of my lower patio & the chewed up yard (from the excavators that dug out the foundation)....
The double doors go to my gym & the upper deck leads to the kitchen & master suite...
ETA: haha, the staircase is missing! That's what looks so odd...lol...but the left half is new, and what is behind/under the deck on the right side is from 1910.
Just to show you what an add on in an old house looks like. We remodeled the inside to look old too...all beams & craftsman molding.
The double doors go to my gym & the upper deck leads to the kitchen & master suite...
ETA: haha, the staircase is missing! That's what looks so odd...lol...but the left half is new, and what is behind/under the deck on the right side is from 1910.
Just to show you what an add on in an old house looks like. We remodeled the inside to look old too...all beams & craftsman molding.
Allisonfaye
Brilliant_Rock
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phoenixgirl
Ideal_Rock
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- Mar 20, 2003
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Our house was built in 1916, and we love it. The previous owner bought it from a long-time occupant and did many major things (adding central A/C upstairs and a window unit down, knocking down walls, moving doors, enlarging and adding bathrooms, enclosing the upstairs porch, etc.). So nothing is do or die, but the list of things to do is never-ending.
Still, it''s fun to do things at a reasonable pace. We''ve replaced the water heater, made a closet where there was a pass-through, ripped out an ugly vinyl tub/shower and replaced it with period (we hope) tile, replaced lots of fixtures, bought all new appliances, etc. My husband just removed the death-trap railing that wasn''t even necessary on the front porch. We''ve added a porch swing and gotten a bistro table to eat out back.
But since I grew up in the suburbs, I never knew that I''d love living in the city. DH has more of an aesthetic eye and a passion for architecture and history. I figured, well, he cares about this more than I do, so I was willing to look in the city instead of the suburbs. Now I love living here. I pity my friends with new houses out in the suburbs!
Perhaps your husband could likewise be convinced to move into the house because you love it. This might not be a situation where you could find a house that you both love passionately.
Still, it''s fun to do things at a reasonable pace. We''ve replaced the water heater, made a closet where there was a pass-through, ripped out an ugly vinyl tub/shower and replaced it with period (we hope) tile, replaced lots of fixtures, bought all new appliances, etc. My husband just removed the death-trap railing that wasn''t even necessary on the front porch. We''ve added a porch swing and gotten a bistro table to eat out back.
But since I grew up in the suburbs, I never knew that I''d love living in the city. DH has more of an aesthetic eye and a passion for architecture and history. I figured, well, he cares about this more than I do, so I was willing to look in the city instead of the suburbs. Now I love living here. I pity my friends with new houses out in the suburbs!
Perhaps your husband could likewise be convinced to move into the house because you love it. This might not be a situation where you could find a house that you both love passionately.
divergrrl
Ideal_Rock
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- Dec 9, 2002
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The front part is 1910,and the back part that bumps out is 2003. We are planning on doing a wrap around porch & extending the roofline off the side. It will start where the addition butts out and wrap around the front past the front door. It will be huge. DH is going to do craftsman pillars with stonework. We'll bump out the entry way & do a large front door with leaded windows on the side (I like the ones that look like diamond shape..on the point?). Then we'll re-do our walkway, make it straight, slate, and have it lead to an arbor with gate & add on a picket fence in front.
. I just need a good bonus year to git 'er done. No more home equity stuff....ETA: that little building you see off to the left is ours too...two car garage, shop & open work area. It's really a large property for being in a neighborhood & not on "land" per se.
dani13
Ideal_Rock
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- Nov 12, 2004
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lovelylulu
Ideal_Rock
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- Jul 6, 2005
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i love older homes. my DH and I bought a condo in a great 1920s building with lots of *charm* and my dream would be to move into diver''s house tomorrow
i would seriously snap up a craftsman in a second if only our bank account was substantially fatter...
my brother and his wife have absolutely different priorities (far more practical those two are) and moved into a perfectly lovely development, new construction home. before they owned that place, i was pretty sure that i could never live in a community where all the houses looked the same or where there were roughly 4 different, yet similar designs -- however, on our first visit there i started to understand the appeal of new construction - their heat worked perfectly, roof was brand new, nothing needed to be spackled, etc...it''s a lot less work.
my brother and his wife have absolutely different priorities (far more practical those two are) and moved into a perfectly lovely development, new construction home. before they owned that place, i was pretty sure that i could never live in a community where all the houses looked the same or where there were roughly 4 different, yet similar designs -- however, on our first visit there i started to understand the appeal of new construction - their heat worked perfectly, roof was brand new, nothing needed to be spackled, etc...it''s a lot less work.
Allisonfaye
Brilliant_Rock
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Allisonfaye
Brilliant_Rock
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Past, Present, Future: The Meaning of Three-Stone Engagement Rings
Past, Present, Future: The Meaning of Three-Stone Engagement Rings - 04/14
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