apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I would buy that first house pictured in a heartbeat--even if it meant I had buckets all over to catch the leaks! But that's just me. . . .

I am currently working on renovating an older (ca 1900) home in Hyde Park, which we are hoping to sell at some point. This is the house I grew up in, so it's hard to imagine parting with it! Luckily, my parents did a massive renovation back in the 80s, in surprisingly good taste (for the most part!), which included new windows, reinforced foundation, new plumbing/electrical, most of the things on your list. Unfortunately, 25 years on, its age is showing again, particularly with the roof, siding, and foundation.

One of the most challenging things when remodeling (and eventually decorating) an older home is how to reconcile your personal style with the character of the home.

What is interesting to me is what we as Americans (particular in more Western parts of the U.S.) consider "old" versus some of the centuries-old homes and apartment blocks in European cities. Talk about challenges!

I love old houses but know I'm not up for the challenge of maintaining one. My husband and I compromised, buying a recently converted loft, with all modern plumbing and electricity, with a view of 18th-century buildings. It has the feel of an old house, without the leaking roof or dead squirrels in the attic.

When I turned 1, my parents bought the most derelict old house in town and I don't remember a point growing up when we were not remodeling the place as a do-it-yourself family. The property has no doubt quadrupled (or more) in price, but I don't think anyone in the family wants to ever sell it. It makes renting an old house as I do now extremely frustrating because I want to do so much to it... but am not allowed. If housing prices ever go down enough in this city (which I doubt) we'd do the same thing in a heartbeat.

SEWER LINES! My 1892 Denver Victorian came cheap because of a blocked sewer line (the old ones are ceramic and roots break through them). You know you're a real grown-up when you swoon over how well your new sewer line works!!!

(Sorry for the long comment, but you hit a nerve with this one)
Pay super special attention to old brick foundations. Go on a day after it has rained and check the basement/cellar/ crawlspace interior for any leaks. You may not see evidence of water until well after the rain has stopped. Poke around at the joint of the basement floor and the walls. Make sure the bricks there are solid and the mortar is secure. Be wary if you notice any part of the foundation walls look covered over with mortar/cement or painted or recently replaced. Ask questions!!!! Keep in mind that any water can lead to elevated humidity and that can equal bugs/termites/mold/rot/any number of problems you will not want to deal with.
Don't get me wrong, I adore my 120-year old rowhouse, but there are definite problems. We had a serious water infiltration problem, as do many if not most of the old rowhouses in this area. A common solution is to have them come in, dig a trench around the foundation interior, and put in a drainage system that leads to a sump pump, but this does not keep moisture out of the house, which is the main goal. We were able to replace the bricks that had been basically reduced to dust by years and years of water erosion from the outside, but have not been able to find the source of the leaks. Our neighbors on both sides swear they do not have any water issues- it is THE most frustrating thing to deal with, because even though the water does not leak in anymore, we know we have only put a band aid over it.

I agree with zero. My rowhouse is also about 120 years old, and the major cause for concern is the basement and the foundation. My neighbors may have sump pumps and french drains, but those solutions are only reactive, the water is still getting in and contributing to a moisture problem in the home. Dehumidifiers are great but do not solve the problem, again they are a reactive solution, not a preventative one. It's a bigger issue that you think it is, especially if hazardous mold develops.

the idea of checking after a rainy day is a good one. But honestly, a good housing inspector would (should) catch almost all of this stuff. Mine could tell where water had been getting in even though it was dry when we did the inspection. i love my old house - but as everyone has said, it isn't always smooth sailing. On the upside, when I get into a panic about how I have to fix everything right now or else the house is going to crumble, it helps to remember that it's been standing for well over a hundred years, and that one more season without (insert major repair here) is probably not going to do it in.

sometimes old houses don't have closets.

also, there may be asbestos in the siding or flooring, which could be costly to remove.

i overlook these things, but they're good to consider.

My house was built in 1839, it's a greek revival. Given it's age & size you'd be shocked at how well it does as far as energy efficiency. Having an old house wasn't nearly as much work as everyone screamed that it would be...at least in my case. Pics over at iloveupstate.com or on my Flickr (iloveupstate).

Nice comprehensive post, Adrienne and AT! You might want to add issues with lead paint to this post as well.

Now that we've renovated the facade of our eighty year old home, I have new appreciation for what that means and what that entails.

The closet thing is a good catch. I was looking at an apartment in a very old building and was so thrilled over it's character that I didn't even notice there wasn't a single closet anywhere in the apartment. Someone else brought it up as I was actually pulling out my checkbook to write the deposit. I walked into the bedroom to see for myself and then I also noticed how mushy the plaster walls were by the window. I also wasn't allowed to paint or hang anything, due to the plaster walls. And the landlord had gooped white paint all over a beautiful built-in. Sigh..checkbook went back. I still think about that apartment...

Our mediterranean deco/craftsman was started in the '20s, but after the crash in '29, the builders stopped and lived in the tiny 1905 cottage in the back until they could afford to finish the house several years later. I love it--amazing light even in the bathroom, hardwood floors, built-ins--despite the fact that I've had to replace the impossibly steep pitched roof (cha-ching), update electrical, earthquake proof the foundation (another cha-ching) and redo all the floors, etc. Still working on replacing all the icky 80s brass hardware installed in a remuddle. Did most of the work ourselves--the one huge problem we can't DIY: the basement, built below the water table, which means that when it pours, the basement becomes a swamp. That's a giant pain--and estimated $30,000 to remedy, which as barely employed artists and DIYers, we definitely can't afford. Oh well. Love this house anyway.

My sister and her husband are renovating a hundred year old house in hyde park. They have had quite the time with it so far..

Don't forget about the lead paint either!

All "old houses" are not equal -- think about what problems go along with which styles/forms of architecture, and how they bear on upkeep/rehab. We live in a 150 year old Philly rowhouse and it comes with many pluses & some minuses. With rowhouses, the properties on either side are crucial -- the party walls support the joists and carry the structural load, so damage to a neighboring structure (or its foundation) will impact your building. On the other hand, party walls mean much less area exposed to the elements, compared to say a freestanding Victorian – imagine peeling paint and rotting eaves all the way round a multi-story structure. Next, the roof: I can climb up onto my rowhouse roof with a ladder, patch leaks, recoat it – even had a party up there once for the local fireworks. Picture the slate roof on that freestanding Victorian -- I wouldn’t climb up there if you paid me a lot of money – which is why replacement costs easily break five figures.

Part of the pleasure of owning an old house is learning its history, but that learning process needs to start before you buy it. Friends of my sister up in rural Vermont fell in love with a 90-year-old farmhouse, but the rehab dragged on for years and doubled their cost -- everything in the house was sagging & cracking because 90 winters under heavy snow is a long time for any wood frame structure, much less one on a (picturesque!) rough fieldstone foundation.

So talk to people who own similar properties in your desired area – people with similar budgets as you. Next, a good building inspector is absolutely vital. Get recommendations and hire someone who knows the quirks and categories of your local architecture – my guy sketched out the key elements of the renovation I’d end up doing in our walk-through, which took about three hours and was the best crash course in residential architecture I’d even had.