We have found a 1920 Farm House that has been completely updated, electrical. plumbing, appliances, floors, windows, doors, insulation, metal roof.......
Exterior is the original design and it is absolutely beautiful, but it was built in 1920, the foundation is original and there is really no way to tell what is behind the walls.
What do I need to look for?
Has anyone done this?
I grew up in a 1800s house. Fieldstone foundation & cellar. Some of the wiring was cloth insulated on ceramic insulators. Fusebox instead of breakers. Non-standard plumbing & septic. No insulation. Wood-framed windows with separate storm windows. Lots of things out of square. Framing didn't match modern dimensions. All that said, the basic structure was very solid.
Sounds like the one you're looking at has addressed a lot of those issues.
I'd want to know more about the insulation and other factors that'll affect operating costs.
Electrical, plumbing, and insulation, in that order for me.
When you say electrical, are we talking about new distribution box, new conductors, and updated fixtures?.
I could be typing all day if I start telling you about all of the sketchy shit I have seen behind drywall when it comes to electrical.
Plumbing? Does complete mean all old copper /cast replaced with pvc and pex? What is the water supply, well or other?
"And for a regular dude I’m maybe okay...but what I learned is if there’s a door, I’m going out it not in it"-Duke
"Just because a girl sleeps with her brother doesn't mean she's easy..."-Blues
Originally Posted by wvincent
100%
I want to be able to run multiple appliances at the same time.
Also, not just the plumbing in the house. If the pipes running through the yard are cast or galvanized, roots WILL grow through the pipe walls and clog them up. Not the end of the world, you just need to put root dissolver through the pipes occasionally.
I've lived in a 1904 farm house for the last 14 years. Did several of the projects you mentioned since we moved in. Slopping and uneven floors can make replacing worn flooring or doors a challenge. We had to install a drop sill the length of the kitchen and dining room.
My layout is unusual and plumbing, HVAC, and closets were not part of the original design. No bathrooms or running water in the house when it was built and so the moderate rise/run of the retrofitted plumbing can make slow drains and backups more likely for me. Old landscaping, even trees and shrubs no longer there but with old substantial root systems, can contribute to foundation or plumbing woes.
Insulation as already mentioned. If you have good attic insulation and new doors and windows that should help alot. It did for us. No insulation for me in the walls or floors, but between the subfloor and hardwoods they are a couple inches thick which helps some too. Having a house in the south built before AC means they actually took the sun exposure, breeze, etc into consideration during design and construction which prob helps in keeping it warm/cool too.
Mine sat empty for a few years so I had to spend some time having removing rodents and making sure attic vents, eaves, and foundation were sealed up good. Settling foundation and house could definitely have opened some gaps between the two and you may want to have that checked.
Chimneys is another thing you may want to have checked if you have them. I have six fireplaces and two chimneys. Old broken fire brick, lack of caps, etc could make for a house fire if not a smokey room if they haven't been checked.
All in all though, for a 116 year old house, I haven't had a higher instance of issues than I had in our previous much newer home.
Cast iron rusts on the inside. Over time it will rust enough to restrict flow.
I tore all of the CI out of a house built in the 40's and inspected it. Looked like about 50% restricted.
In the P-F basket of deplorables.
I've had a 1906 and a 1924. I wouldn't trust anyone else's updates. There are lots of things to skimp on.
Just understand that with a house like this whats seems to be a small problem has a habit of blooming into a larger one. My biggest issue has been uncovering how previous owners overcame things they ran into. In other words clugy MacGyver workarounds hidden behind the walls. With that being said when i open a cieling for example and the floor joists are notched in true 4x10's connecting to a backbone 12x16 beam, it makes overlooking the annoyances easier
The electric panel as well as all fixtures are new and the plumbing is pvc/pex. It is a well and septic so not sure of the main line from well pump or the age of pump and septic.
The finish work looks good but I have seen a lot of nice finish work hiding a shit shit show behind. I am going to see if I can get some additional info, some work was homeowner and some contracted. Supposedly permits for everything so maybe I can follow up with the county on permits and contractor info.
The problem is some contractors do better work than homeowner and vice versa and things behind walls may never be seen. I am trying to get ideas of things to look for. I am getting a better look this weekend.
Please keep ideas and concerns coming and thanks for the ones so far.
My last house was circa 1918. Based on my experience, and input from a couple of local electricians, with a house that age, if they didn't tear out walls and ceilings, you're basically guaranteed to have the old cloth-covered wiring in the walls and ceilings. Well, it was cloth-covered when the house was built anyway. If there's an attic, you can look up there and see what the wire runs look like above the ceilings, but even that won't tell you what's in the walls. If there's still plaster and lathe on the walls and ceilings, it's probably the original wiring. That said, the wiring in that house was less problematic than the wiring in my current house built in the late '50s and added to in the late '80s, so...
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