North Seattle close to the UW. value estimate are 650 to 700k as is. this house if purchased by the right person has to be a labor of love. to me gutting this thing would be like gutting a Victorian
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would you buy a house that is 90% original to 1913?
- Thread starter CarLuver
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1) Is it worth more than the land to be torn down rebuild?
2) Gutting a Victorian and lifting it up to replace the foundation / add a floor / add a garage, may be worth it if permit to build a new house is much more than working around permit / public hearing / regulation / etc.
A couple of things if that value estimate is correct, this house must be small, this house must need a lot of work.
That price is very low considering the location.
house list as 1400 sf ,but i know it bigger than that . the lot is 3200 sft so tearing it down not much use. it does need a lot of work, mostly to bring it back to it former glory. i am pretty savvy on houses, and i was really surprised the foundation and floors were level. the owners are in nursing home and the children just want to be rid of it.
its such a rare oddity to find this house in its original condition, after 110 years. i really want to research and see how many owners there have been . usually the more owners a home has had, the more mods it gets
Not for me. I would like a brand new custom home with old style. Looking at something vs living and maintaining it is 2 different worlds. I like to relax at home. My house is from 97 and I wish it was newer.
Yes, maybe, or no. LOL. It's too vague of a question. I live in a 90 year old house of the similar vintage. I deal with small annoyances, and had the entire electrical pulled and redone to code. I had to add all the attic insulation because it was very very cold in the winter with basically nothing in the attic. I have a lot of other projects. It has good and bad points, but a lot of charm and I really like it overall.
In that era, there were no building codes of note. So the build quality is going to entirely depend on the skills of the builder. And, everyone that came after and added plumbing, heating, electrical, etc.
The BAD: You will likely deal with asbestos insulation, ceiling tiles, and possibly wall and floor coverings, and tape on any and all ductwork (white tape is likely asbestos). I'm not an expert, but it's generally safe if undisturbed, and it's a good fire insulator. You'll probably have minimal or no insulation in walls and ceilings, and a drafty house. The wiring will probably be unsafe knob and tube, or some patchwork updates. Layouts and designs are very dated and not what we are accustomed to today, as it predated entertainment/TV areas, and priorities were different. Plumbing, HVAC, electricity, were all after that era and installed at later dates. So it's a crapshoot.
Now, if over the years others have updated it, you may be okay. But a home inspection is a must.
The GOOD: If it is well built, they might have used better materials, matured true dimensional lumber, rally nice hardwoods, brick, and flooring materials, etc. if they spent some money and effort, plus charming thoughtful designs, and charming characteristics. Thin veneers and pressboards were not used as much. Might find real hardwoods used throughout, brass knobs, and so forth. Might have lead windows, like my neighbor who has a big beautiful front window that's lead glass. The home probably has a well, which is ideal as a backup for water. I'd guess it has a wood stove and/or a nice hearth and fireplace, both features I personally like. The walls will probably be lathe and plaster over wood, so very sturdy but cracks will show and they won't be as straight as modern drywall, and be careful putting nails in, drill pilot holes.
I would certainly take a look at it if I were you, it might be a nice house.
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this is not the house , but the interior looks like it with the paneling and coffered ceiling
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Empty room with wood paneled walls and coffered ceiling.American craftsman house interior. Northwest, USA
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The good news is right now there are generous energy focused federal and state tax rebates on windows, insulation, efficient wood stoves, etc. so it's a good time to update and improve efficiency. So an old house has a lot of potential in several of the deficient areas. Those are primarily insulation, furnaces, and windows.
If I wasn't clear above, one of the most important things is knob and tube wiring. I would not live in a house that has this. It's just not safe. It was around $25,000 to strip my house and bring it to code with modern wiring and 200amp panel.
If I wasn't clear above, one of the most important things is knob and tube wiring. I would not live in a house that has this. It's just not safe. It was around $25,000 to strip my house and bring it to code with modern wiring and 200amp panel.
If that's an indication of what the house looks like, it was a quality build with high quality materials, good sturdy design (looking at the exposed ceiling joists), those are likely true old-growth 3/4 inch oak floors which is about $5-10 per sq. foot for the materials, now. That looks very charming. I'd definitely go look.this is not the house , but the interior looks like it with the paneling and coffered ceiling
Empty room with wood paneled walls and coffered ceiling.American craftsman house interior. Northwest, USA
123RF - Millions of Creative Stock Photos, Vectors, Videos and Music Files For Your Inspiration and Projects.
Also, check the foundation for cracks and any cement/brick damage from settling. Many of the old houses I looked at had foundation damage. The GOOD news is that if there's no major foundation damage, over a century, the house is very very sturdy and well built.
We had a house built between 1928 and 1930. Very little had been done to it which was a blessing. Lovely house in a neighbourhood of similar houses.
Just realize what you're getting into. Your house is going to become your hobby. A ton of work and worth it. The only house we've ever owned that was considered for a movie. Or had people walk up and leave their name in case it was ever for sale.
Knob and tube electrics work just fine but should be replaced. We had small areas of woodwork replaced with custom reproductions. We learned to do lath and plaster wall and ceiling repairs. And putty windows. And so on.
Just realize what you're getting into. Your house is going to become your hobby. A ton of work and worth it. The only house we've ever owned that was considered for a movie. Or had people walk up and leave their name in case it was ever for sale.
Knob and tube electrics work just fine but should be replaced. We had small areas of woodwork replaced with custom reproductions. We learned to do lath and plaster wall and ceiling repairs. And putty windows. And so on.
As others have mentioned, a full inspection will give you a good idea. Asbestos, lead paint, plumbing , electrical etc.
The age of the home is not a negative. Around here there are a lot of older homes that were built with large straight grain fir. That was common around here and if maintained they hold up for a very long time. Our house we grew up in was built in the early twenties and still looks great. Our second house is from 1928 and is sturdy as a rock. Check if the floors are oak as they are likely to be. Also check the millwork. What is considered luxury today was common back then.
Id get it for the right price.
Original windows sounds expensive to either heat/ cool and/ or replace. The house is likely poorly insulated with the old school plaster and lath. (My house has some of this still and was simply dry walled over.)
My biggest concern would be electric. It could be knob and tube.
Original windows sounds expensive to either heat/ cool and/ or replace. The house is likely poorly insulated with the old school plaster and lath. (My house has some of this still and was simply dry walled over.)
My biggest concern would be electric. It could be knob and tube.
There's a lot of "ifs" that come into play. It all depends on the price, how soon you want to move into it and how much of it you are willing to do with your own sweat.
About 20 years ago, I took a 100-year old house, actually moved it down the road about 6 miles, put it on a full basement (that I actually poured myself) and completely remodeled the inside. The plaster and lathe was gutted and replaced by insulation and dry wall. Where it used to have maybe one outlet per room is now replaced with complete modern wiring. The old house actually had absolutely no plumbing and now has modern plumbing. The house had some stained glass windows that I had completely refurbished and reused them in a wall between the living room and the dining room.
I wouldn't recommend buying a house like the one described and having somebody else do it. Too much of a money pit.
About 20 years ago, I took a 100-year old house, actually moved it down the road about 6 miles, put it on a full basement (that I actually poured myself) and completely remodeled the inside. The plaster and lathe was gutted and replaced by insulation and dry wall. Where it used to have maybe one outlet per room is now replaced with complete modern wiring. The old house actually had absolutely no plumbing and now has modern plumbing. The house had some stained glass windows that I had completely refurbished and reused them in a wall between the living room and the dining room.
I wouldn't recommend buying a house like the one described and having somebody else do it. Too much of a money pit.
I'm thinking that the original 100 year old electric and plumbing are long gone.
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Sort of on topic since we have knowledgeable old house folks here. I studied up on asbestos but yesterday I saw an old farm house where the Amish were studing up the exterior walls with 2x4s over asbestos siding... Thoughts?
Was in Maryland.
Was in Maryland.
Yes, for 90% of the value in 1913.
The general theme is that enclosed and intact asbestos isn't dangerous. And I agree with that.
But I'm not sure I'd enclose asbestos shingle siding. I think I'd have them removed or remove them myself (using appropriate safety equipment of course). That way you'd be done with them.
In our 1928 - 1930 house we had an asbestos covered boiler. We had it professionally enclosed (wrapped in plaster and cotton strips) by the top local contractor. I knew the senior official at the provincial health and safety regulator and asked who to get to do the job. Some of the homes in our area no longer had asbestos covered boilers and you might think that would be a good thing. But the standard way to remove them was to knock them over first so they would split into sections (like knocking over a stack of doughnuts). I can only imagine what happened to their asbestos cover (since they all had one) - and don't even like to think about where all the dust went.
Houses of every era have problems, they just vary depending on the era. Really old houses tend to have poor wiring, bad plumbing, knob and tube electrics and inadequate insulation. But they have great charm, terrific wood trim and are they ever solid. Different eras have different problems - lead paint, aluminum wiring, polybutylene plumbing, untreated pine shakes, ice dams, flimsy construction, leaky windows, urea formaldehyde foam insulation, vermiculite insulation contaminated with asbestos, asbestos sheeting, and on and on.
Those problems are due to the materials used. Crappy workmanship is another problem and in some locales, a timeless one.
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