question about residential construction in the past versus now

[murielm99]

8. I think we all know that older homes

can be money pits. I have never lived in anything else, and maybe I have been lucky.

We looked at buying newer places, and found them lacking.

My dad always said that my first house, built in 1951, and the farmhouse I live in now were more well-constructed than anything he bought, built much later.

I live in a farmhouse that is more than one hundred years old. When we have refurbished, we had a hard time finding the quality materials we wanted. We had a hard time finding the people to do the work, too. Many of them wanted to do things the cheap and easy way. But the right people are out there.

One of the great things about my house is the natural ventilation. It was built with that in mind. In the summer, if we open the front and back doors and run the ceiling fan, we don't have to use the air conditioning all the time.

The woodwork is another great thing. We have refinished the floors and replaced some doors. Otherwise, it is solid and beautiful.

Heating can be a drawback. In an older home, there was not always central heating. We have had problems keeping the upstairs cool enough or warm enough for modern standards. Many people with homes like mine put in window air conditioners in the upstairs bedrooms. They use more blankets in the winter. They understand that an older home is is going to be like that, unless they invest in redoing the heating and cooling ducts extensively. We invested in new windows and sealed the foundation.

If you live in an older home, there can be drawbacks. But I will keep my house.