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KEEPING THE PLEASURES OF OLDER HOMES
Regular maintenance, proper upgrades are key to enjoyment
Floor squeaks break the cool night air. Gently rolling floors crest blindly, creating a persistent wobble under your favorite table. Lights dim romantically each time the refrigerator comes on. These are just a couple of the "pleasures" of owning an old house.
If you own or have ever thought of buying an older home, you might be wondering if old means weak, or worn out. Older homes are usually very well built.
Those in the real estate business jokingly refer to these old-house personality traits by their technical term "charm." But charm or not, maintaining an older home involves special duties and responsibilities not realized by those used to buildings that have not surpassed adolescence. If you own or have ever thought of buying an older home, you might be wondering if old means weak, or worn out.
Older homes are usually very well built. There are some good reasons for this. Years ago it was easier to get quality lumber. Today's lumber doesn't hold a candle to what you could buy in, say, 1930. The sloping floors and walls associated with older buildings are usually the result of decades of settlement, which is seldom harmful. Older homes may also be better built when it come to the craftsmanship. When many of these homes were built, labor was cheap compared to materials. Builders could afford to take a lot more time to construct buildings and the old-fashioned workmanship that resulted is almost impossible to replace today.
But even though old homes may have been better built, don't make plans for the weekend. The character these buildings display is a result of the tremendous attention to detail paid by the original craftsmen. But details can take a lot of time to maintain. Hand-crafted wood siding will need repairs to the occasional rotted boards, and painting one side of the home a year should be your regular summer project.
Remember the term "maintenance free" was not even in the dictionary when these places were built. But if you like surprises, living in an older home won't disappoint you. Old plumbing, heating and electrical systems deteriorate over time and will usually fail on New Year's Day, just before the family is due in for the big dinner. And there's nothing like waking up and finding that new built-in pool that used to be known as your basement, supplied courtesy of a badly leaking water heater.
PLAN AHEAD FOR UPGRADES
Budgeting for unexpected repairs can be as important as making the mortgage payment. But the best strategy to avoid the emergency repair projects common with these buildings is to recognize the most common old house weaknesses and plan upgrades before they plan themselves. Frequent mechanical repairs or upgrades needed in older homes include:
PLUMBING: Replace steel plumbing pipes. Once these pipes get to be more than 40 years old or so, they'll clog up from internal rusting. Since rust will expand to eight times the thickness of the original steel, the pipes can virtually rust shut or burst if not replaced. To avoid this hassle, replace old steel pipes with copper. If budgets are tight, here's one trick of the trade: replace all the horizontal pipes in the basement or crawlspace first, leaving the pipes that run up between the walls for a future upgrades. The horizontal pipes usually rust the worst and are also the easiest to replace.
HEATING: Heating system efficiency wasn't an issue when the original boiler was installed. Replacement with a modern, efficient boiler will usually reap a rapid return in energy savings. Also, hot water pipes wrapped with asbestos insulation are common in older homes. This material can cause health problems if it becomes deteriorated. Have it removed professionally. Don't do the job yourself. Although it looks easy, you can contaminate the house with asbestos fibers and place yourself at great risk from breathing the stuff. Cooling: Most old houses don't have central cooling systems. However, they are usually large enough to make use of a special ventilation fan known as a whole-house fan. This device, larger than an attic fan, gets installed in the second floor ceiling and can pull a breeze through every room in the house. It is a great alternative to central air conditioning systems and costs a lot less, usually around $500 installed.
ELECTRIC: Knob and Tube wiring is the most common type of old-house wiring. This wiring is easily identified since it is strung between ceramic knobs, which are attached to the beams in the house. The issue is that the wiring may be unsafe. Knob and Tube wiring is not grounded, which means you can get a shock from it. Also, the insulation on the wires is rubber, which dries out and deteriorates after many years. And, the wiring is designed to be air cooled which means you can't even insulate around the wiring, a real issue since the wiring often runs through the attic where thick insulation is a must to keep energy bills down. The solution? Replace the wiring with a modern system. It may be costly but should be considered one of the most important upgrades your old house may need and one that will make sure it stays around for years to come.
Despite the work needed to maintain an older home, the rewards of old home ownership can be well worth it. The comfort, stature and charm of these buildings can never be duplicated. And it's hard to imagine a modern building will ever feel quite the same way.
HIGH TECH HELP FOR OLDER HOMES
High-tech help for old homes Looking for knobs to match your 1940‘s kitchen cabinets? Want to share home-improvement war stories with other old house buffs? Check out these great Web resources:
Old House Journal - The Old House Journal includes great preservation advice and a restoration directory billed as the "complete source of products and services for homes built before 1960 as well as newer homes built in the traditional manner."
The Old House Web - The Old House Web is a fun and friendly community for lovers of old homes. The site, started in January 1999, offers a great collection of how-to stories, features, first-person adventures and pointers to products.
National Trust for Historic Preservation - For more than 50 years, the National Trust has been helping people protect the irreplaceable. A private nonprofit organization with more than a quarter million members, the National Trust is a leader of the vigorous preservation movement that attempts to save the best of the past for future generations. It also helps thousands of people each month answer their preservation questions.
Tom Kraeutler and Mary Barretta host the nationally syndicated radio show "The Money Pit." Send your questions to The Money Pit by calling their radio show hotline anytime toll free at 1-888-MONEYPIT. Their Web site is www.888moneypit.com.
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