Is Your Historic Home Worth Renovating?

Are you buying an investment or a money pit?

You’ve found the perfect home. It’s older, in an established neighborhood, and full of charm and originality. You’re already envisioning how beautiful it will be once you make a few changes. First, you’ll knock down a wall and expand the kitchen. Then you'll paint the exterior, replace the tiles in the bathroom, pull up the carpet, and before you know it, you’ll be ready to move in! Sounds easy enough, right? Not so fast.

When looking for your dream home, it’s hard not to be seduced by the beauty and allure that an older or historic home boasts. It’s even harder to not get carried away with visions of your family gathered around the table in your newly renovated kitchen. What you probably don’t visualize are the potential pitfalls that can pop up and turn your dream home into a nightmare. Sure, almost anyone can make your home look beautiful with the right paint colors, floor stains, and finish out, but if the foundation, plumbing, and structural systems aren’t in good condition, you could be wasting both time and money. So how do you know if you’re making a smart choice when it comes to buying and renovating an older or historic home? Here are three potential problem areas that could indicate that you might be taking on more than you bargained for:

What Lies Beneath

If you think of your home in terms of building blocks, the first and most important is the foundation. If the foundation is bad, the rest may not matter. You could be in for some costly problems either now or down the road. If you have concerns about the foundation, consider having a structural engineer inspect the home for potential problems. If issues exist, the next thing you need to do is understand why. Sometimes a faulty foundation is the result of a minor drainage issue or the shifting of the pier and beam base found in many older homes. Both of these are often simple fixes and would be worth the investment. A more serious, and potentially expensive problem comes when the ground isn’t solid. For example, if the foundation sits on shifting clay, or a fault line runs underneath, it might not be worth the investment.

The Root of A Plumbing Problem

Older homes are notorious for electrical and plumbing issues. It may be safer and more economical to rewire the electrical system depending on the original wiring and breaker panel as these are sometimes outdated and will not meet code. Plumbing isn't always so simple. Plumbing lines tie back to the street, not just the house. As an example, if tree roots are growing through the sewer line, you might be looking at some expensive and extensive excavations that might not be worth it in the long run. To get to the root of the problem, consider hiring a plumber who can take a camera and look at the sewer lines both inside and outside the home. It could be that only one section isn’t working because of a rogue root system. If that's the case, the excavation will be much less costly.

Get to the Bare Bones

A home is only as good as its bones. In other words, it may not make sense to try and salvage a home that was constructed with shoddy materials or workmanship. Having said that, typically the quality of both the craftsmanship and materials that pre-date the 1960’s are excellent.

To determine the craftsmanship of an older home, consider having a knowledgeable contractor or framing inspector go into the attic and crawl space and take a look around. They should be able to give you some indication of the quality of construction and materials used. If the quality is not there, you might as well be building from the ground up.

These are three of the most important things to consider when deciding whether or not to renovate an older or historic home. Remember, you don’t know what you don’t know. Unless you hire someone qualified to inspect these elements, you could be in for expensive surprises. At Group KG Historic Renovation and Remodeling, we have years of experience in historic homes and we understand quality craftsmanship. Our team can help guide you in your decision by showing you the potential costs associated with the home's renovation and help you determine whether or not to invest. Please give us a call if you need a consultation.