Buying a historic home requires a bit more adventuresome attitude, but the rewards from living in one of these wonderful old houses can be great. The links below may help you find what you need to renovate your historic home and create the grand old houses that you’ve always dreamed of living in. One strong note of caution is in order. Make sure that you have a thorough home inspection done when considering purchasing a historic home, with a special emphasis on the structural aspects. Most of these homes are solid as a rock, but, since many were literally built on rocks (stone foundations), some have developed foundation issues over time.
Another potential structural issue to look for occurred in many of these houses when stairways were moved or rooms joined by knocking out walls. The construction techniques used back then often resulted in loading bearing walls or marginally supported staircases. Make sure that you don’t have a sagging ceiling, due to support being removed or a shaky stairway that is held up by only a couple of old nails. A good home inspector will find any issues and bring them to your attention. Dealing with structural problems may be well beyond even the handiest homeowner. A sagging floor that is solid may just be a case of the house having been built originally with “green” lumber that warped or sagged initially, but which has likely long since “cured” into wood that is hard as a rock and just as solid. Those floors just add character to the house.
You should always look for indications of mold in any house that you are considering. Strangely enough the old homes, unless there has been a plumbing problem or a roof leak, are usually not plagued with mold issues. The old houses tend to have enough air leakage that they stay dryer than newer, tightly sealed homes. You are more likely to find issues of dry rot or post beetle infestations or termites than mold. Many old houses literally have tree trunks in the basement either holding up the house or acting as the main beams. It is not unusual at all to see tree trunks with the bark still on them. Many of those old trees will have indications of bugs that inhabited the trees before they were cut down to be used in the house. Those old tracks are usually no problem.
Important areas to focus your attention upon are the major infrastructure systems –heating (cooling), plumbing and electrical systems. Many older homes have been updated sometime in their past, but updates to these systems that took place 15-20 years ago are now out of date and may need major ($) repairs or replacement. Trying to snake new electrical circuits through an old plaster-walled house is a formidable and costly challenge. Plumbing may be somewhat easier to deal with, if the paths of existing plumbing can be used, but new plumbing for an added bath or a significant kitchen update can get expensive.
Finally, most of these old houses were built with steam radiators as the primary heating source and without any ductwork to support central air conditioning. Going to a modern, forced air system is possible with systems that sit in the basement and the attic and have small tubular ducts that run to each room. It’s not cheap, but it does work well and the small openings in each room for the ducts don’t detract that much from the historic ambiance.
So, if you have not been scared off by now, enjoy the links below. There is nothing quite like living in a historic home, with all of the nooks and crannies and character. It is often said that a historic home provides the owner with both a home and a hobby. That probably sums up what the best attitude would be to take on life in one of the grand old houses of the 19th century.
And, if it’s a historic home in Milford that you’re interested in, call me. I specialize in Milford’s fine old homes and have been in every one that is for sale
