You’ve found a perfect house and just love everything about it. Perfect location, great school district, big yard, and the right amount of square footage – that is what you have always wanted.
Old homes are charming, aren’t they? Well depends on whether you are living in one, as the old house comes with a lot of challenges.
An old home might be completely redone, but the skeleton of the house could be decades old.
Old roof
Have you considered this common issue – are you buying a house with an old roof?
It is no surprise for an old house to have problems with roofs. Unless the old roof has been replaced, you may be facing a deteriorating roof and it is most certainly no longer watertight.
Tell-tale signs that it might be leaking include missing or cracked tiles, loose sagging gutters, and crumbling cement.
Look inside for moisture in loft insulation, rotten timbers, and water stains on the floor. Don’t forget to inspect the underside of the roof as you could find cracks.
Even if the house has a sound roof, you may find issues elsewhere resulting in a cold and draughty interior.
Energy Inefficiency
You got those gorgeous huge windows on your old house, but winter is coming, and you might start thinking of thermal losses, leaking ductwork, and compressed insulation.
Take a look for difficulty closing or opening windows, condensation between glass layers, feeling of a draft, and empty space between floorboards, in-wall cavities, and lofts.
Most of these problems can be solved with basic tools. With help of Google you could find out how to fix and repair most of things, or even do something more complicated like installing a new quite garage opener.
Plumbing problems
We all know that nothing lasts forever. Older homes often have fixtures, supply line connections, and faucets in bad condition. Corrosion can lead to broken knobs; restricted water flows, and makes using water quite unpleasant.
Galvanized pipe is made of iron but coated with zinc and over time, the zinc erodes and makes the pipe very susceptible to breakage and corrosion. Another problem with pipes is when they shift downwards and create a negative slope or so-called “belly.” The belly restricts the water flow and creates pools that accumulate sediment or waste.
PVC pipe leaks are another problem that occurs quite often. Improper installations, short insertion, are the most common causes of pipe leaks.
Condensation
The most common problem in old houses is condensation on walls or within them. When the air circulation is stopped, you can expect those problems. Installation of plastic windows with no ventilation, blocked up ventilation bricks, no extractor fans to bathroom and kitchen – they can all cause condensation.
To reduce condensation and damp make sure you dry clothes outdoors, use pan lids while cooking, stop using paraffin heaters, wipe down cold surfaces…
Boiler insufficiency
A very common problem in old houses that can quickly become an expensive job is boiler insufficiency. It is rather important that the boiler is the right size for your home. Check out its age and how it works under pressure. The older your boiler is, the more insufficient it will be!
Remember to service your boiler annually to ensure it is going to run efficiently.
Houses age slowly, and most of the problems we mentioned above gradually accrue. The original quality of construction and maintenance are the main factors that affect how old the house is and whether it is in good condition.