How old is your house?

[scotrace]

99 years old -- and is known in the neighborhood as "the new place."

Best chuckle I'll have all day.

Ours is about 85 years old and I absolutely love it. I'll love it even more if I ever figure out the thermostat.

 

[Nathan Flowers]

1943.

 

[draws]

Built in 1952 -
Here are three photos. Purchased in 1970, 1990 and current.
1970

1990 - Roof was replaced and new garage built

Current 2010 - Siding replaced on house and Garage, Landscaping, and completely rebuilt inside

 

[Edward]

The house I lived in when I was born was built in 1970. When I was five, in 1979, we moved from a suburb of Belfast to a small, seaside village which was formerly a seaside resort that had grown up around the railway. The house we lived in was right in the middle of the town, and was one of the original 'Railway Villas' - so called, as at the time anyone building a house in the town was offered a free season ticket on the railway for some considerable period. In 1990, my parents built their current house, up on a hill at the very top of the village, overlooking the town. Most of the old town (including my parents' house) is now covered by a conservation order.

My flat in London was originally built as post-war social housing. The remaining buildings along Mile End Road (such as the infamous Blind Beggar public house) are predominantly Victorian, but there is also a considerable quantity of late forties / early fifties buildings, following extensive remodelling of the area by the Luftwaffe in the early forties. I believe my block was opened in either 1951 or 1952, and is very typical of the period. I am trying to slowly remodel the interior with a vintage-inspired look which at least nods to the late forties / early fifties as it might have looked when first inhabited. Practicality and limited space mitigates against true vintage looks, though. Maybe one day....

 

[airgrabber666]

My house was built in 1921, and still looks pretty much the same...

 

[draws]

An old Camp

Here is my summer home (camp) built in 1944.
The first photo is taken when purchased in 1975

This photo taken in 1995

This photo is current 2010

 

[Miss 1929]

Happy Birthday, house!

100 in 2010!

50 years older than me.

 

[bburtner@moran]

Camp house

The red tin roof looks great on you camp house!

 

[draws]

The red tin roof looks great on you camp house!

Unfortunately, the average snowfall there is about 18 feet (-/+) per winter. Many of the storms contain heavy ice buildup and most buildings must be roofed with steel. Fortunately, the roof is well built and very strong. The walls and roof are supported with turnbuckle construction so it's not going anywhere soon. In addition, Homes in the area cannot be insured unless the roofing has been reinforced in this way. Also, the stair case has been removed until the siding can be completed. It will then be re-installed.

 

[dhermann1]

Since we're posting pics, here is a view of my building:

And the cornerstone:

 

[PistolPete1969]

My new house was built in 1961. It has a lot of original features (glass fuses for the furnace & water heater, two-prong plugs, etc..). We purchased it from the daughter of the original owner. It sits on 1 1/2 acres with a blackberry patch at the back treeline. it has beautiful hardwood floors, covered with blood-red shag carpet when we moved in.

Cant wait til spring!!!!

 

[Tourbillion]

Mine was built about 1921, however it is in pretty bad shape. The only reason it isn't falling down is that it was stuccoed about 10 years ago. Before that it was a wood frame building.

It was originally housing (2 room shack) for fishery workers. It started out under 300 sq feet and was added onto later, maybe in the 40's judging from the built-ins. It is still very rustic, I have to nail the casement windows shut to keep them from blowing open when it rains.

It is very not to "code".

 

[airgrabber666]

scotrace - I love your house's flared eaves. Very Craftsman-like!

 

[vitanola]

Our big old house was built in the 1840's still during the period of first settlement of our small Michigan town. My new little project house ( a very early "Airplane Bungalow" was built in 1907.

 

[Smuterella]

built in 2008, so I'm working very hard to vintagify it!

 

[LordBest]

Mine, rather, my parents, was built in 1913. Originally the property was all but surrounded by the property of the local Bishop, with the Bishops Palace visible from our backyard. The house immediately to the north of ours was the groundskeepers cottage. Very different times.
The house was originally built with gas fittings, but the city was electrified almost as the hosue was being built, so it was wired up soon after.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Ours is roughly 26-27 years. We've had it for a little over 15 years. While I'd prefer something along the lines of a Craftsman bungalow with all the built-ins and charm, we're happy here, and making little changes here in there to make it a little more classic looking. And we have lots of friends with 100 or so year old houses in Seattle and the suburbs. Dnjan mentioned, on the first page, that a lot of older houses in downtown Seattle are no longer there due to the skyscrapers and offices and other business buildings that were constructed. True enough, but I think that's the same in most any metropolitan area or large town.

But Seattle and its suburbs has no shortage of 50-100 year old and older homes. In fact, with the ordinances and tax levies the Seattle city council keeps heaping on the residents, the houses are really expensive AND the cost of living & property taxes are high. Moving out of the city of Seattle and you can find loads of bargains.

While I'd love to live in an older home, at the time we moved, there were a lot of things going on that I had to deal with. My main concern was to find something that was semi-rural and approximately 10 years old because I had plenty on my plate to take care of and didn't want the headaches with wiring, plumbing, roof, and various other costly repairs & upkeep an older house requires. And I was just coming off of renovating Mom's old house in California that had to be sold before the move here and I decided I wasn't in the mood for having to do any remodeling or repairing for at least a few years out.

 

[rumblefish]

Mine was built in 1947 for a veteran returning from New Guinea after the war. He flew as a navigator in B-24s and eventually piloted A-26s. Normally when the engineer inspects a prospective new house for you, you might want to follow him around and ask questions. I sat in Mr. Johnson's living room listening to stories of missions and looking at photos. The house engineer would poke his head in from time to time to tell me something and I would tell him "just wright it down, I'll look at it later". After our second meeting the Johnsons allowed no one else to make an offer on the house, they told our real estate agent they were "glad Chris and Leslie liked the house and hope they buy it". Our closing, we and our lawyers sitting at opposite side of the table (this is how it has to be done in NY ), lasted for 15 minutes, and ended with teary hugs and smiles. Mr. Johnson left me a load of WW II books and later I found in the basement a load of his photos; air crew next to their planes, A-26s all in a row, etc. When I called to tell them they had left them there, Mrs. Johnson said "Don't worry, well come and get them one day". The next day I looked at them for a few hours then boxed and mailed them, the Johnsons had moved out of New York state. We still keep in touch with the them, Christmas cards, updates and such. Their last visit, which was some time ago, Mr. Johnson laughed and said of the backyard "If I knew it could look this great I would have never sold this house". I was thrilled to hear that.

 

[Paisley]

Built in 1952 -
Here are three photos. Purchased in 1970, 1990 and current.
1970

1990 - Roof was replaced and new garage built

Current 2010 - Siding replaced on house and Garage, Landscaping, and completely rebuilt inside

Your property has greatly improved in your care. :eusa_clap

 

[draws]

Your property has greatly improved in your care. :eusa_clap

Thanks, Paisley. It has been a lot of work but well worth it. After all, our homes used to be our biggest investment. No longer the case with dwindling resale values.

I have since added a new steel roof as well with a lifetime warranty. Looks and feels like shingles but it heavy duty steel. The house is now ready for sale in the spring.