While this house is beautiful and magnificent, it probably also needs to be gutted, insulated, rewired/replumbed, and lacks common hidey holes for central air. All those shingles are custom now, and the whole thing needs repainting regularly. The doorways and stairs are narrow, and most of the rooms are small by today’s standards. The windows aren’t low-e, and even with all that, it’ll still probably leak air like a sieve.
It is a magnificent house, but it’s also an absolute money pit to maintain, heat, and cool.
Agreed. I have never lived in a house younger than 70. While there are upsides beyond style (old growth forest framing, solid wood floors) there are downsides - have always been able to get central air, even in the 1925 house, but so very many things have to be changed and fixed. I wouldn’t even try with a 200 year old house unless I was so rich. But if I was, I might. Or might build a reproduction with some reclaimed materials and some modern touches.
Even in our house, half 1940 half 1990, new metal roof, roof attachments, hurricane windows, and we are not yet close to the current building standards. An endless work in progress, I would enjoy that if it wasn’t financially stressful, but the house I love and it’s not as stressful as a mortgage and taxes on a 1.5M ugly house.
While this house is beautiful and magnificent, it probably also needs to be gutted, insulated, rewired/replumbed, and lacks common hidey holes for central air. All those shingles are custom now, and the whole thing needs repainting regularly. The doorways and stairs are narrow, and most of the rooms are small by today’s standards. The windows aren’t low-e, and even with all that, it’ll still probably leak air like a sieve.
It is a magnificent house, but it’s also an absolute money pit to maintain, heat, and cool.
Agreed. I have never lived in a house younger than 70. While there are upsides beyond style (old growth forest framing, solid wood floors) there are downsides - have always been able to get central air, even in the 1925 house, but so very many things have to be changed and fixed. I wouldn’t even try with a 200 year old house unless I was so rich. But if I was, I might. Or might build a reproduction with some reclaimed materials and some modern touches.
Even in our house, half 1940 half 1990, new metal roof, roof attachments, hurricane windows, and we are not yet close to the current building standards. An endless work in progress, I would enjoy that if it wasn’t financially stressful, but the house I love and it’s not as stressful as a mortgage and taxes on a 1.5M ugly house.