Sure, we might be in the era of new-build developments, but few would disagree that there is still a huge market when it comes to older houses as well.
For a lot of people, they retain a charm which any new-build home cannot compete with. Whether it is the historic features, or sometimes the larger size which older houses are renowned for, we’re not going to speculate.
However, something else which is clear is that these homes do prompt a few extra considerations. Through today’s article, we will now take a look at some of the questions you should be asking yourself before you decide to buy one of these houses.
Load-bearing walls
If you were to inspect a lot of new-build properties in the current era, it would become clear that actually very few walls are load-bearing. This is all due to the method of construction and means that it is really easy to change their configuration.
However, as soon as you take a look at an older property, things change. They tend to rely on internal walls for support, meaning that the vast majority have to be kept. Of course, you can remove them, but it is a more complex project and will involve the proper respiratory protective equipment and some know how.
Lead paint
As most people know, lead paint is something that should be taken pretty seriously. Unfortunately, if you do buy an older property, there’s every chance that it is going to contain traces of it. Most of the time this will be around the window and door frames and there’s also a good chance that it will have started to peal as well.
Sometimes, it might be possible to fix this yourself. On other occasions, you might have to get the experts in. Either way, it’s hassle and expense you could do without.
Mould
Again, due to the differing construction techniques, mould is another issue that is fairly common in older houses. Quite often it is found in the basement, which is hardly surprising when one considers the lack of ventilation down there – and also the fact that a lot of water makes its way in through the walls.
Of course, on some occasions you might just have to install additional ventilation, or an injectable damp-proof course. On others, mainly involving the basement, this can result in significant costs to your project though.
The invisible signs
Older homes might have plenty of charm, but that doesn’t mean to say that you shouldn’t investigate what lies beneath them. Over the years lots of problems will have been disguised, both intentionally and unintentionally, and this can again unearth eyebrow-raising costs.Sometimes these surprises will be nicer ones though. For example, it’s not been unheard of for carpets to be laid on top of solid oak flooring which as we all know, tends to be very expensive. At the same time, you can find rotten wood and all sorts of other nasty surprises under flooring surfaces, so prepare yourself for both situations.