Older Homes and the headaches
By wildguy2
@wildguy2 (1349)
Canada
February 15, 2007 4:11pm CST
Long story......
We purchased this home we have 2 years ago, and now I am wondering if it was a good idea.....st this moment I am sitting in our master bedroom and outside the wind is blowing hard, the temperature is dropping to minus 20 tonight and I can feel the wind blowing right through one of the closets in this house.
As of last year we have managed to put a new bathroom in upstairs, install a new electrical panel, new plumbing throughout, a new energy efficient heating system, and this week I am finishing up putting in a new laundry room.
I paid $48,000.00 for this house and put over $10,000 cash into it so far. I still have to replace all the windows and doors redo the hardwood floors, and remodel the kitchen, and this will likely cost me another $15,000 to $20,000 to complete....
I am wondering now if I should just finish up doing the remainder of the started projects and put the house on the market for sale, as the insulation in this old house is terrible, actually back in 1940 when they built it, they never even used insulation, so the wind is passing right through the house and my heating costs is terrible....I can fix the problem, but this requires me to tear out all the old plaster in the house, install insulation and drywall and paint the whole house again. I could probably with all that has been done to this house so far, put it on the market for $85,000.00 and sell it....but my wife loves this house and I can't bring myself to sell it as she would hate me if I did...
Has anyone else had any problems like this and if so how did you fix the drafty problem?
9 people like this
25 responses
@slickcut (8141)
• United States
16 Feb 07
like your wife I love older homes...I think it is worth fixing,the price was good and you don,t have to do everything at once just take your time and do a little each time you can..yes my son had a problem such as yours but him and his wife made it their home.They worked a little here and there,meanwhile they were making memories in the old house..My daughter in law had a baby ,and about 3 years later they had another baby,as they worked on their home their memories were bulding at the old home.They got disgusted a few times and would leave the old house,but they would end up missing all the memories that they had built there and they would pack up and move back home..They have finished with there home now a few years later and its like home ,and all of their memories are there,the home is a comfort to them...If your wife loves th house stay there do what you can and do it togeather,don,t get discouraged,,you can make this work ...Best of luck to you ...
2 people like this
@wildguy2 (1349)
• Canada
16 Feb 07
Yes we can make this house our home as long as my patience doesn't wear away first. The price was what got me intertested in this house, as it is over 2000 square feet and everything is or was original to the home including all the plumbing fixtures, hardwood floors, and trim, even all the original glass handle and brass door knobs....
But I only wish they had at least updated the insulation, I think maybe now that I am renovating the house backwards, I should have started on the outside first and worked my way indoors.
This may have been the reason the house sold for such a low price...........
1 person likes this
@heynow123 (147)
• Canada
16 Feb 07
Yeah fixing up older homes can be fun. It is those a matter of paitence like mentioned. But it is great when finished.
1 person likes this
@mridulatj (4)
• India
16 Feb 07
well, there is two sides to this. first of all we have to think whether the amount soend for this particular house is enough to buy a new house with all these facilities including the additional things done. If ever thats possible and if you will get some profit then i think it wise to sell this off. But on the other hand, if the amount spend is too much but if more money is required to buy a new house with all these facilities, then i think some renovations can be done according to our taste and interest and preferences. It would be wise not to hurt your wifes feelings and plan accordingly.
2 people like this
@wildguy2 (1349)
• Canada
16 Feb 07
One of the things we made sure of is that we would not borrow any money from the bank to remodel this house, we planned that from the start, and so far we haven't. We have done a lot to this house so far and all of it was from money we saved up....So if we were to sell this house and get more from it than what we paid, we would owe only what we paid for the house, and the rest would be profit. I have asked a few people already what they would be willing to pay for a house this size and with all the new renovations we did, we didn't tell them what we paid for the house and they said they would think to pay about $80,000.00 to $85,000.00 for the home, so this would give me a profit of about $35,000.00
Then I would have to purchase another home and try to get one at around that cost, or a little more, this way we could live without a mortgage.
But my wife is not going to go for selling this house, so that plan is out the window.
1 person likes this
@gabs8513 (48686)
• United Kingdom
16 Feb 07
Wildguy it sounds like you have already put a lot of work into the House. So don't give up now and if your Wife loves the House it has got to be worth while. To be honest I would work on the Insolation first now before you do anything else. Then that way your Problem is solved with the Heating. But, honest you have put a lot of work in already and I will be honest I would carry on.
@wildguy2 (1349)
• Canada
16 Feb 07
Thanks Gabs, I will most likely continue the remodel as I cannot go against my wifes wishes, just love her to much to do that. I am definately going to put the rest of the renovations on hold until I find the insulation problem, but I will have to wait until spring or summer first to do so, but I swear if I have to I will litterally tear this house apart until I find the insulation troubles...or they get the best of me...which ever comes first....lol
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160696)
• United States
16 Feb 07
My house is in the same, or worse condition, and I have been here many years. We have for various reasons not done the things necessary to improve this house. Mine is about 110 years old. I cannot help with the problem of the draftiness, other than to wonder if you put siding on it if it would help? At one point someone put very thin drywall, and cheap panelling over my walls. I have learned to appreciate cool. I do not appreciate the thin drywall and ugly panelling. The thing I covet is one of those new metal roofs, with a fo year warrantee. I think they are called heritage roofs. If your wife is in love with the house, I think you are stuck, until she falls out of love with it, which actually might happen.
2 people like this
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
16 Feb 07
When I had an older home we put in insulation and then started doing windows one by one. Installing tighter windows will help cut some draft and little things like caulking around them tightly or installing door runners and rollers that turn and keep the draft out from underneath can help too.
In the winter, if you can get insulated curtains for the main windows in the house (expensive but soooo worth it) it makes a huge difference too!
If your income level is low enough there are government programs out there to help you insulate and upgrade your home to make it more efficient. I'm not sure what the cutoffs are but I know you can truly work and still qualify.
Good luck.. and just remember.. for all the extra little things you get from an older home like beautiful wood and such... you give up a little bit too.
1 person likes this
@wildguy2 (1349)
• Canada
16 Feb 07
I have already gotten a quote to have the windows replaced with vinyl insert windows, the cost is $8000.00 for all 21 windows installed. To replace the main entrance door is another $1500.00 as it is a huge door, and right now it is a solid wood with a inset panel, very nice and I hate to remove it and install just any door, so this is why it costs so much to replace.
As of April there is supposed to be a Government Grant coming out in the amount of $5000.00 to people with lower to modest incomes that they can apply for to help do a little renovating to there homes to make it more energy efficient, I will definately be applying for that as this is a grant you do not have to pay back. There is another I can apply for that will lend you up to $30,0000.00 depending on income, but this has to be paid back over a period of 25 years, at low interest.
@TerryZ (22076)
• United States
16 Feb 07
I hear on that. we live in a older home too and all the windows need to be replaced. Just this past week the heater broke it figures it would do that in the middle of winter. Right? Im so disquisted I feel like packing up and leaving this dump. LOL Best of luck to you.
1 person likes this
@wildguy2 (1349)
• Canada
16 Feb 07
My dear it sounds to me you are in need of the best of luck....lol...
I also need new windows installed as I can sit here and literally watch the blinds and curtains blow in the wind. It is a rule of thumb, heating will never break in the summer....not even in the winter....only when it is that damn cold out that it will fail....
@ossie16d (11821)
• Australia
16 Feb 07
It seems to me that this house has something of you in it after all your hard work, and if your wife loves the house, then it is obvious to me that you should keep it. Of course any old house takes time, effort and money to restore but well worth it in the end. Regarding the insulation, firstly you can put them into the ceiling space and that will help keep the warmth in and the heating costs down. Also insulation helps keep the place cooler in the summer and you save on cooling costs.
Before pulling all the old plaster off, talk to a builder as they might have an easier way to do it. I would think that you should be able to do it easier but then again I am not a builder. In the interim, make sure you have heavy drapes on the windows. The rooms that you have to make the warmest are those that you use all the time, and in particular the bedrooms.
The other thing to consider is what you can buy with the money you get for this one, always providing you can sell it for what you think. Remember though that there will be selling expenses to take into consideration, as well as costs associated with the purchase of a new place. How much less will you have available to you if you decide to proceed down this track?
Personally if it was me, then I would continue with the house renovations as and when you can afford them, doing the most important things first, and stay where you are. Your wife is very happy in that house, you have put so much effort into it that it would be a shame to leave for some a minor thing. So says me who is currently sweltering here in Australia. :)
1 person likes this
@wildguy2 (1349)
• Canada
16 Feb 07
First of all Ossie, I would love to be sweltering in Australia, right now with the wind chill it is -35 so I envy your sweltering butt...lol
I can get what I paid for the house back if I were to sell it, as of right now the houses on the market here are selling like crazy. I will never get back the work I put into the house, but that just goes with the territory I geuss. This is another reason that holds me back from selling, is knowing all that I have done so far maybe undone when someone else was to purchase the house, This happens to me when I start to do a project her, I think about the previous owner who has passed away, and think would she mind me doing this to the house....weird isn't it.
I am sure there must be some way to get insulation in this house without destroying all I have already done, I will have to call upon the experts and see what they have to say.
Thanks for the advice Ossie, and letting me know that there is heat somewhere in the world....lol
@rogue13xmen13 (14403)
• United States
16 Feb 07
I have the same issues with my house. The older it got, the more repairs it needed. Luckily for inheritances, we were able to pay for repairs.
@wildguy2 (1349)
• Canada
16 Feb 07
This house came old and is not in need of actual repairs, but renovating and updating. The previous owner was an elderly lady so she never really put a lot of effort into updating the house, she did put a new roof on the house and vinyl siding, but she never did anything with the insulation at all. How she managed to live here all these years with this much cold coming through the house is beyond me.
@nana1944 (1364)
• United States
16 Feb 07
Have you thought of maybe blowing insulation in? That might be able to be donw cheaper and easier than tearing out walls and putting up drywall. It would be easy to check into. I have an old house and as a widow on widow's benefits on social security, I don't get enough money to get the stuff to fix it. But I still like it.
1 person likes this
@wildguy2 (1349)
• Canada
16 Feb 07
I have investigated into blown in insulation, and it might be cheaper, but the construction of this house will make it difficult to do, as the framing is spaced weird and they put cross bracing in the walls so this will make the insulating a lot harder to do, I am going to get a contractor to have a look and see what the project will entail and the cost.
1 person likes this
@mari61960 (4893)
• United States
16 Feb 07
I feel you here boy. We live in an old house over 100. And though it has been sided it lacks insulation and the windows that were supposed to be so good in the 70's all have drafts and are useless except for keeping rain and snow out. But cold air comes through no problem. I'm freezing my butt off right now while it's 11 degrees out with 15 mph wind and gusts over 30mph. I'll tell you it's gusting right across my shoulders and my fingers are getting stiff and numb...lol I had to go down and fill the heater with water because it was out...again.. We can't seem to get the temp past 62 and it's only 58 in here right now..brrr
I'de say if your wife loves the house...maybe you should stay. My mother always hated this house and because it was my stepfathers we ended up living here since 1968. Now it's a bigger pain to move than stay..lol But I would definately do what work you can and stay. You've already invested time and memories and you wouldn't want your wife to hate you...hehehe
1 person likes this
@wildguy2 (1349)
• Canada
16 Feb 07
This house has the 1970's aluminum storm windows installed as well, but they are not worth a crap. Like yourself the wind is blowing heavy and has been for the past 2 days, and I can feel it coming right through the house. Having arthritis this is causing me a lot of grief....I will most likely end up staying here at this house as my wife will hear nothing of selling it, even though I throw my temper tantrums, she just loves this house to much to part with it.
I love renovating older homes and the beauty you can acheive from doing so, you cannot get that same beauty from a newer home, but it is getting to be very over whelming at times.
@wildguy2 (1349)
• Canada
16 Feb 07
She has no intentions of leaving, and she has got me wipped so what she says goes.....lol
Problem I am having is that I know what I have to do to make this homes better, it is a lot of work, but I cannot get her to follow me, there are certain areas in the house that litterally have to be destroyed in order to fix them right, but telling her that is just a recipe for disaster, for instance, in our bedroom there is a closet that I can litterally watch the wind come through, I told her that the only way to fix it is to either tear it out and find the draft, or stuff it full of insulation and cover it over.....she will not have either way, so the wins keeps on blowing through and the hydro bill keeps getting higher.
I am afraid I am going to have to put my foot down and just do what needs to be done, as she is not tuned into reason at all.
1 person likes this
@lifeiseasy (2292)
• United States
16 Feb 07
Sounds like you have bben hard at wok ...I love to remodel homes ...but I have always tried to buy ones that are built after the 70's ...thats the problem with older homes ...the electrical and plumbing definetly had to be redone ... as for your problem with the drafts ...is the house an off grade home ...if so you can add insulation to the underneath of the house ...its not fun ...but it will help immensely ... also they have a blown in foam insulation that can be blown right into the walls now of the older home s..its not too bad exspensive...but you have to have them install it as it can literally bust through the walls ...hopefully some of this info has helped you ...take heart when you get the project all finsihed you will be very proud ...good luck ....
1 person likes this
@wildguy2 (1349)
• Canada
16 Feb 07
I wanted to purchase a newer home but my wife fell madly in love with this house.....and I cant break her heart.
The house has a full basement underneath, and it is warmer then the rest of the house, I am going to take a look this summer at the underside of the vinyl siding and see if there is any draft openings, I will also have to check around the fascia and eaves for any potential culprit areas. This house has what they call baloon style framing which is the walls are one complete height from bottom to top, no headers, but upon futher inspection I found they put braces in the walls at different areas, so the only way to blow insulation in is to cut holes in the walls every 16 inches both top and bottom. I am going to get a contractor to have a look at the house and see what it will cost to have the insulation blown in.
@yanjiaren (9031)
•
17 Feb 07
insulation costs money bro..my sis in the u.k is forever fixing her victorian house..she had to get a remortage to put in a new kitchen and bathroom and fix the roof and the windows and rewire the ruddy thing..so i can understand you..the only thing think about it that it won't lose value the money you put into fix it..it is an investment long term just a hassle though that is all..i hope there are some builders here that can give you some good tips..if it is a house full of memories i can understand why she has the jitters to move..maybe talk mto her again about the possibility fo moving..maybe she might relent..good luck
@ginny36 (266)
• United States
16 Feb 07
I feel your pain on this one.
I too have an old house. I love it and the tree-filled yard, but the work required to maintain and upgrade it has been crazy!
Since buying the house, I've had to replace the furnace and have central air installed. Like yours, the insulation in this house was awful. We ended up having to have many of the walls ripped out, insulated and then re drywalled and painted because the drafts were just too unbearable in winter and all the coolness from the air conditioning escaped in summer.
On top of that, the electrical wiring is old in the house so there are some rooms that only have one outlet.
I don't have much advice, unfortunately, just sympathy. I guess if your wife loves the house that much you either have to find something she likes even better or bite the bullet and have insulation put in, which is a TON of work but I can say is worth it in the long run.
@wildguy2 (1349)
• Canada
16 Feb 07
I already managed to update the heating system with a new heat pump unit that is very energy efficient, but unfortunately with all the drafty spots, I am not receiving the amount of efficiency I could be. The electrical had already been updated to code before I bought the house, I did have to install a new 200 amp breaker box to handle the new heat pump. I really don't want to have to rip into the walls to install insulation, but I fear this maybe the only way....problem is that I have already finished 2 bedrooms with ne paint and border, and the master bath has been refitted with ceramic tile 4 feet up the wall, so in order to tear those walls apart I will have to rip all the new tile out.....just can't see that happening. Blown in insulation I think is the only way I see it being done, but I am wondering how efficient that is, not to mention damaging.
The other problem I have is that I am a good handyman, and prefer to do all the work myself, so paying someone else to do something is really hard for me to swallow. But I have begun to spread myself to thin, trying to tackle all the projects myself is really wearing me down.
@beautyoperater (1890)
• United States
16 Feb 07
Join the club. Our house is really old and drafty also. I actually put up plasic on the windows and hang blankets in the doorways where I can feel the cold air. We are getting refianced so we can fix it up. Our home is over 100 years old so we have the same problem with the plaster walls. It really bites.
I figured if we do all the work we could sell to. I don't mind at all leaving the town I live in. It's just the fact that I would lose my business. I have my hair salon in my house so that would be the only down fall.
Good luck on all your remodeling.
1 person likes this
@kathy77 (7486)
• Australia
16 Feb 07
Yes well firstly we bought a home in the country side and we spent approximately $25,000 renovating it as well and then turned around and sold it. When we sold the home we made a profit of $50,000 so it did pay off to renovate the home, when anyone buys a an older home it is best to renovate the home and then sell it to receive a profit back. Our home we sold due to the freezing weather there and in the summer you would melt away as it was extremely hot as well, I do not know how you are going to fix these other problems though sorry.
@brihanna (381)
• United States
16 Feb 07
Hi
I bet you and I could share alot of "older house" stories.
Here is what I did for the heating issue
1)if you do not have good doors, hang a large comforter over the doors/door you do not use.
2) see if you can get on a monthly heating budget. It is crappy to pay $315 for heat in the summer, but last winter, my bills for heat were over $700 month in the winter. budgeting 315 a month is much better.
3) Put up the plastic over the window. It doesn't look good, but it sure helps.
4) get a portable electric heater and put it in a central place -living room/kitchen, and try to close off as much of the house as possible.
5) fill the closets with as much "stuff" as possible. clotheing, boxes, they all act as insulation.
It is a lot of money and work, but it could very well be worth it in the long run.
GOod luck
1 person likes this
@sasklily (240)
• Canada
16 Feb 07
Well, here I sit in a house built in 1913, and have all the same problems! It was the 'balloon' building method, with plaster and lath walls. I took all the plaster and lath out upstairs (it's a story and a half), put in the insulation batts, drywall, renovated the bathroom and that's pretty much as far as I got. I am still working on a few things up there, baseboards, a molding on the landing and I'm refinishing the fir floors. Downstairs I removed two walls to open the kitchen to the dining room, but other than that, that's as far as I've gotten on the main floor. As I'm alone now, I don't know if I will get anymore done on it...I think the kichen will have to wait for the next owners; just too big a job for me.
For your heating problem, possibly look into having the blown-in insulation added. It's maybe not the best, but it would save on taking out walls and starting from scratch.
Good luck with your renovations!
1 person likes this
@Bongoheads (283)
•
16 Feb 07
Hi, so sorry to hear your house troubles - I'm in a similar boat myself. Hubby and I bought our Victorian cottage (built 1900) about 10 years ago and so far we've installed a new boiler, sorted out the electrics, replastered most rooms, installed a new period front door, done front and back gardens, had the front of the house repointed, new bathroom and kitchen - not to mention all the zillions of little things you get done as and when and there's still lots of things need doing. When we first moved in there was a gale blowing through the house - we identified it as coming from the big gap at the top of the original wooden sash windows in the living room and also blowing down the chimney which was just open brickwork (no insert). Once we'd restored the sash windows, inserted a cast-iron fireplace insert, place draft excluders at the bottom of each door, fitted a heavy curtain to the inside of the front door and fitted wooden shutters to the inside of the windows we reduced the draft by about 80%. Old houses will always be a little drafty, they're meant to breath but lots of little measures like those I've mentioned above will help a lot. The very best of luck with your renovations - keep your chin up, it'll be all worth it in the end :-) and isn't it nice to be able to make your wife happy?
1 person likes this
