So You Are Buying an Old House?

Old houses have my heart. Double-storey, wrap-around verandahs, wide skirtings and gingerbread details. I love everything about them and I’m guessing you do too if you are reading this. So, you are ready to buy and you want an old house with charm and character? Sure, buy it! But remember the old saying of ‘buyer beware’. It’s so true when purchasing an older home. You need to know what you are getting into. Once you have all the facts then its a case of do you go with your heart or your head. Gavin and I have never been swayed by the prospect of work to be done but that’s just us. I know a LOT of people who would run a mile at the work. So, below I’ve listed 7 things I think you should remember before you think about buying an old house.

Then promptly forget them and get on with your love affair! 🙂

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Get a Building Inspection

We have never done this but and I should have heeded my own advice on a couple of occasions. You need a building and pest inspection when you’re a first-time buyer, especially if the home is run down and needs work. You should understand the problems you are dealing with and the amount of money it might take to fix them. A building inspection will tell you about the foundations and what’s in the roof space. You’ll find out about little things you might not have noticed such as the electrics and whether the windows open and all the lights work. It won’t give you costings but if you know a good builder who can tag along, they might be able to give you a rough estimate. Then you’ll know if the love affair should continue or you drop your new bae like a tonne of bricks. Now.

There are a number of jobs you can do yourself but if you’ve never seen asbestos or you don’t know about cracking in walls the building inspection will identify all of these. If you don’t know the house is riddled with fleas because you can’t see them, a pest inspector will know.

Our philosophy has always been to save the costs of inspections to put towards the renovations but to have a VERY HEALTHY contingency.

Be Prepared to Adjust your Plans

When you fall in love with an old house you most likely have grand plans of knocking down walls, adding functional laundries and creating ensuites. Generally bringing the old girl into the new century. I hate to burst your bubble but your dreams are not always possible. Not even if you have an unlimited budget. Old houses often come with listings and you may need to work closely with the Heritage Council in your area to achieve something you love and they will agree to. Then there’s the cost.

Instead, when buying an old house, think of ways you can modify spaces you have to make them fit your lifestyle. In our case, the kitchen became a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite. We only had to fill in one door and create another. The plumbing was existing so the cost was less. Moving the main bathroom away from the front door was not an option by the time we’d finished the other renovations. Instead, I chose to gut the bathroom and create a new bathroom with the same layout to save money.

If space is what you are after, think about ways to change the layout without changing the walls. part of the charm of the old house is the quaint, segregated rooms.

You Will Need a Contingency

If you are considering buying an old house I cannot stress the following enough. Whatever you think you will need to complete the renovations on your fixer-upper, double that amount. As soon as you open a wall you will find problems. Dodgy wiring, rising damp and dry rot takes a lot of cash to fix.

Our little cottage was riddled with damp and rot we knew nothing about. The original floor in the dining room above had to be completely replaced at a cost of $3000 we had not budgeted for. Not to mention the cost of rebuilding the entire lean-to where the kitchen is because it was not built on foundations! So, whatever you are keeping aside, DOUBLE IT!

Don’t Try To Do it All

I don’t know about you but my time is limited and I have never had the desire to live in a fixer-upper with holes in the floor for years on end. There comes a time when you don’t see the holes anymore and the house will never be finished.

So my next tip when buying an old house is to budget for professional help. In Australia, you are legally not allowed to install bathrooms and wiring without a certification. Personally, I wouldn’t want to anyway. If the house burned down because of my dodgy wiring efforts I would not be able to forgive myself. So, unless you are a plumber or electrician by trade you are going to need a professional.

It’s fine to learn new skills like tiling or plastering to do small jobs but honestly, if you hire someone skilled to do these tasks the job is finished in a quarter of the time and could look a hundred times better.

Set a Budget And Get Quotes

Our convict brick home had a number of issues that had never been addressed. The walls in the hall being very bumpy and the original windows being painted shut two of the major ones. The first thing we did after our budget was set was to consult professionals and prioritise the jobs we must do versus the ones we ‘wanted’ to do. We looked at our budget and then decided to get further quotes. The walls turned out to be a pleasant surprise as the heritage plasterer told us if we painted the walls with latex paint the original plaster work would last at least another 50 years!

It will be Cold and it will Leak

Old houses are cold and unless something has been done to the roof before you bought the property it will most likely leak. The roof on our farmhouse cost $30 000 to replace but the difference it made to our quality of life inside the house was immense. Having a budget to fill in gaps in walls and replace windows is a good idea too. You have no idea how cold it gets when you have one electric heater over winter and no insulation. So be prepared to either have a skyrocketing electricity bill or fork out for repairs to fix gaps and roofs. Below is the reality of renovating in winter with no heating!

You Don’t Have to Listen to the Builder!

This is my favourite tip if you are thinking about buying an old house: It’s YOUR house. So, if the builder suggests something different to the way you want it, tell him no! (Other than actual building works of course!) If you want the new windows to look exactly like the original ones find someone who is prepared to do that for you. If you get sucked in to having a cheaper option that does not look the way you want, you will regret it. Even if you save $1000 you will regret not having what you wanted.

Our attic bedroom was filled with skylights. Like four of them in a 4x3sqm room. It was lovely but so damn hot and we were constantly being woken at 4 am by blinding daylight. I asked the builder to plaster sheet over them (so if anyone wanted to reinstate all they would have to do would be take the plaster away. He tried to talk me out of it but in the end, agreed I was right. The room was much more comfortable and still filled with light.

Buying an old house is like starting a love affair. It’s all sunshine and roses to begin. I hope these tips will have your eyes open when you come to purchase your old girl!