Older homes

[Anonymous]

Pros: The devil you know. Major issues have either been resolved or ruined the house. Minor issues are part of the rhythm of living in an old house. (e.g., the reason that planter box is there is to keep rainfall from splashing onto the siding; prevailing winds cause the snow to drift against the basement door, then water dribbles inside when it melts, etc.)

Cons: More care and feeding required. Potential for odd door widths, have to order custom millwork to match trim, less energy efficient, etc.

[Anonymous]

We live in a 1950s ranch. Renovated it, so more open with high ceilings. Had to redo plumbing, electric, but everyone comments on how well-built it is. Our HVAC inside system is in a weird area because originally no central air, so to get it serviced or when we need a new one that will be annoying (we did not put the system there, previous owners did).

Neighbors have new build from maybe 2019, it is poorly built. Neighbors complain all the time and inside it just looks cheap. It is a larger home (4000-4500 square feet not including basement), but they are having issues with almost everything.

Pros and cons to everything. You have lead and asbestos, but who knows what all the new construction materials will do to us over time either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in a 1950s ranch. Renovated it, so more open with high ceilings. Had to redo plumbing, electric, but everyone comments on how well-built it is. Our HVAC inside system is in a weird area because originally no central air, so to get it serviced or when we need a new one that will be annoying (we did not put the system there, previous owners did).

Neighbors have new build from maybe 2019, it is poorly built. Neighbors complain all the time and inside it just looks cheap. It is a larger home (4000-4500 square feet not including basement), but they are having issues with almost everything.

Pros and cons to everything. You have lead and asbestos, but who knows what all the new construction materials will do to us over time either.

I think the only issue is if you have to disturb it. In most cases, people just go over it, no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in a 1950s ranch. Renovated it, so more open with high ceilings. Had to redo plumbing, electric, but everyone comments on how well-built it is. Our HVAC inside system is in a weird area because originally no central air, so to get it serviced or when we need a new one that will be annoying (we did not put the system there, previous owners did).

Neighbors have new build from maybe 2019, it is poorly built. Neighbors complain all the time and inside it just looks cheap. It is a larger home (4000-4500 square feet not including basement), but they are having issues with almost everything.

Pros and cons to everything. You have lead and asbestos, but who knows what all the new construction materials will do to us over time either.

I think the only issue is if you have to disturb it. In most cases, people just go over it, no?

False. I have a friend whose kid is in really poor shape just from living in an old home and it wasn’t even “disturbed”. Think every time you open a door or window, lead particles enter the air and also your childrens’ brains causing permanent damage.

Live new. We bought a gorgeous new build in part for that reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in a 1950s ranch. Renovated it, so more open with high ceilings. Had to redo plumbing, electric, but everyone comments on how well-built it is. Our HVAC inside system is in a weird area because originally no central air, so to get it serviced or when we need a new one that will be annoying (we did not put the system there, previous owners did).

Neighbors have new build from maybe 2019, it is poorly built. Neighbors complain all the time and inside it just looks cheap. It is a larger home (4000-4500 square feet not including basement), but they are having issues with almost everything.

Pros and cons to everything. You have lead and asbestos, but who knows what all the new construction materials will do to us over time either.

I think the only issue is if you have to disturb it. In most cases, people just go over it, no?

False. I have a friend whose kid is in really poor shape just from living in an old home and it wasn’t even “disturbed”. Think every time you open a door or window, lead particles enter the air and also your childrens’ brains causing permanent damage.

Live new. We bought a gorgeous new build in part for that reason.

Maybe the kid is just dumb?

I grew up in an old house, in a neighborhood built entirely between the 1890s and 1920s. Packed with kids. We all grew up just fine and dandy. High performing schools sending many graduates to elite universities.

I currently live in a neighborhood built mostly in the 30s and 40s. Packed with kids too. The schools send graduates to the best colleges in the country.

If you're scared, then you know where you need to live. But you are more scared than realistic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in a 1950s ranch. Renovated it, so more open with high ceilings. Had to redo plumbing, electric, but everyone comments on how well-built it is. Our HVAC inside system is in a weird area because originally no central air, so to get it serviced or when we need a new one that will be annoying (we did not put the system there, previous owners did).

Neighbors have new build from maybe 2019, it is poorly built. Neighbors complain all the time and inside it just looks cheap. It is a larger home (4000-4500 square feet not including basement), but they are having issues with almost everything.

Pros and cons to everything. You have lead and asbestos, but who knows what all the new construction materials will do to us over time either.

I think the only issue is if you have to disturb it. In most cases, people just go over it, no?

False. I have a friend whose kid is in really poor shape just from living in an old home and it wasn’t even “disturbed”. Think every time you open a door or window, lead particles enter the air and also your childrens’ brains causing permanent damage.

Live new. We bought a gorgeous new build in part for that reason.

Stupid take. Kids used to grow up around loads of toxic materials and nobody freaked out about lead or mold or asbestos. Yet, it's youngest generation that's getting intellectually regressed in comparison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in a 1950s ranch. Renovated it, so more open with high ceilings. Had to redo plumbing, electric, but everyone comments on how well-built it is. Our HVAC inside system is in a weird area because originally no central air, so to get it serviced or when we need a new one that will be annoying (we did not put the system there, previous owners did).

Neighbors have new build from maybe 2019, it is poorly built. Neighbors complain all the time and inside it just looks cheap. It is a larger home (4000-4500 square feet not including basement), but they are having issues with almost everything.

Pros and cons to everything. You have lead and asbestos, but who knows what all the new construction materials will do to us over time either.

I think the only issue is if you have to disturb it. In most cases, people just go over it, no?

False. I have a friend whose kid is in really poor shape just from living in an old home and it wasn’t even “disturbed”. Think every time you open a door or window, lead particles enter the air and also your childrens’ brains causing permanent damage.

Live new. We bought a gorgeous new build in part for that reason.

Stupid take. Kids used to grow up around loads of toxic materials and nobody freaked out about lead or mold or asbestos. Yet, it's youngest generation that's getting intellectually regressed in comparison.

Ah but if it’s not the house or environment or vaccines, it could be genetic, which means the parents are technically responsible. Can’t have that : )

[Anonymous]

What a weirdly general question.

The older homes in the super high-end, expensive coastal Connecticut town where I grew up are just absolutely wonderful. Many of the homes in the country where I was born are literally centuries old and have been meticulously maintained. Our 1940’s Northern Va starter home? Totally different story. Thrown up quickly to accommodate the influx of government workers to the area during WWII. At the time, valuable building materials like copper were requisitioned for the war effort so every home in the development was plumbed with galvanized steel, which rusts and corrodes from the inside. Drain pipes were were literally made of soft terracotta, causing sewage to flood people’s yards when strong tree roots pushed through.

Think about literally any other category of stuff—cars, clothing, toys, novels, literally anything. There’s tons of creepy old sh*t out there, but also things that will always be classic and beautiful. Terrible faddish things, things that are worn down past their glory days, meticulously maintained things made of pure materials that reflect fine craftsmanship, things that reflect outdated ideas that can probably just disappear forever, things made of, or coated in, plastics, resins, paints that are degrading or otherwise toxic. Why would houses be any different

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in a 1950s ranch. Renovated it, so more open with high ceilings. Had to redo plumbing, electric, but everyone comments on how well-built it is. Our HVAC inside system is in a weird area because originally no central air, so to get it serviced or when we need a new one that will be annoying (we did not put the system there, previous owners did).

Neighbors have new build from maybe 2019, it is poorly built. Neighbors complain all the time and inside it just looks cheap. It is a larger home (4000-4500 square feet not including basement), but they are having issues with almost everything.

Pros and cons to everything. You have lead and asbestos, but who knows what all the new construction materials will do to us over time either.

I think the only issue is if you have to disturb it. In most cases, people just go over it, no?

False. I have a friend whose kid is in really poor shape just from living in an old home and it wasn’t even “disturbed”. Think every time you open a door or window, lead particles enter the air and also your childrens’ brains causing permanent damage.

Live new. We bought a gorgeous new build in part for that reason.

Stupid take. Kids used to grow up around loads of toxic materials and nobody freaked out about lead or mold or asbestos. Yet, it's youngest generation that's getting intellectually regressed in comparison.

Ah but if it’s not the house or environment or vaccines, it could be genetic, which means the parents are technically responsible. Can’t have that : )

Could be anything. PP is assuming kid's problems are due to living in an older home. That's a lame way to pat yourself on the back for affording $$$ new construction.

[Anonymous]

I think there should be separate categories for older homes. I wouldn't bunch historic homes built pre-war with the post war mass construction homes even if they are all brick. These are 2 distinct types of housing with their own separate sets of pros and cons. You cannot even bunch homes built 30-20 years ago with the new construction of recent few years, different sets of pros and cons right there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think there should be separate categories for older homes. I wouldn't bunch historic homes built pre-war with the post war mass construction homes even if they are all brick. These are 2 distinct types of housing with their own separate sets of pros and cons. You cannot even bunch homes built 30-20 years ago with the new construction of recent few years, different sets of pros and cons right there.

I have experience with both, and the main pro of the historical older home (or an urban rowhome or a detached prewar home with period detail) is that any improvement you make on your property you will get your money back and it increases your equity should you sell. It's the opposite with post war homes because in many areas where there is a lot of construction they are considered tear downs and will not be worth more than the price of the land. It makes costly renovations and additions very risky because you aren't likely to get your money back. This will limit what you would be motivated to do to an older home or even its landscaping to increase your QOL if you ever consider selling, even years down the line.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about new builts post pandemic? Are those typically draft and leaky?

They use thermoply for exterior sheathing now. It's supposed to be better, but it's basically cardboard.

Older homes don’t necessarily have good bones. They were built with lumber and brick veneer, just like new homes, but without proper codes for weather resistance and insulation. If not brick veneer, many older homes used materials like asbestos siding, which is even worse.

These older homes were cheaply built “Mc-shacks,” thrown up to accommodate the post-WWII housing boom. If they were built during WWII, they often used low-quality materials due to wartime shortages.

Newer homes, on the other hand, are built under the latest building codes, which provide better standards for safety, insulation, and weatherproofing. The only real advantage older homes might have is that, over time, they’ve passed through multiple owners who may have corrected some of the original issues. New homes haven’t gone through that process yet, but they do come with warranties to address problems as they arise.

No thanks.

New homes around here are built with OSB, not Thermo-Ply like in cheaper areas of the US.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about new builts post pandemic? Are those typically draft and leaky?

They use thermoply for exterior sheathing now. It's supposed to be better, but it's basically cardboard.

Older homes don’t necessarily have good bones. They were built with lumber and brick veneer, just like new homes, but without proper codes for weather resistance and insulation. If not brick veneer, many older homes used materials like asbestos siding, which is even worse.

These older homes were cheaply built “Mc-shacks,” thrown up to accommodate the post-WWII housing boom. If they were built during WWII, they often used low-quality materials due to wartime shortages.

Newer homes, on the other hand, are built under the latest building codes, which provide better standards for safety, insulation, and weatherproofing. The only real advantage older homes might have is that, over time, they’ve passed through multiple owners who may have corrected some of the original issues. New homes haven’t gone through that process yet, but they do come with warranties to address problems as they arise.

No thanks.

New homes around here are built with OSB, not Thermo-Ply like in cheaper areas of the US.

I think the pre-war versus post-war distinction continues to be a good rule of thumb. Pre-war home were not built with brick veneer or asbestos!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about new builts post pandemic? Are those typically draft and leaky?

They use thermoply for exterior sheathing now. It's supposed to be better, but it's basically cardboard.

Older homes don’t necessarily have good bones. They were built with lumber and brick veneer, just like new homes, but without proper codes for weather resistance and insulation. If not brick veneer, many older homes used materials like asbestos siding, which is even worse.

These older homes were cheaply built “Mc-shacks,” thrown up to accommodate the post-WWII housing boom. If they were built during WWII, they often used low-quality materials due to wartime shortages.

Newer homes, on the other hand, are built under the latest building codes, which provide better standards for safety, insulation, and weatherproofing. The only real advantage older homes might have is that, over time, they’ve passed through multiple owners who may have corrected some of the original issues. New homes haven’t gone through that process yet, but they do come with warranties to address problems as they arise.

No thanks.

New homes around here are built with OSB, not Thermo-Ply like in cheaper areas of the US.

I think the pre-war versus post-war distinction continues to be a good rule of thumb. Pre-war home were not built with brick veneer or asbestos!

Beware that asbestos can still turn up. Our home was built in 1915, but during a renovation we uncovered old floor covering that had asbestos in it. Even though it was a small amount, it required special handling and added. Few thousand dollars to the cost of the project.

[Anonymous]

Old homes pre-1940s =/= old homes post 1940s