Buying Old House - Tips and Pitfalls

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MissRibena

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Hi everyone

I'm buying a detached house built in approx. 1930. It is being surveyed on Saturday for me but I wondered if anyone had experience of buying older houses and had tips on what to look out for. I know dampness and dry rot are common and may require special testing so I'll make sure the engineer takes care of that. I could see no visible signs of either but am far from an expert.

The house has no central heating but has been rewired and has modern storage heaters in all the rooms. The first thing I want to do on ownership is get rid of this and get central heating (probably dual oil/gas and solid fuel).

All the original woodwork is there and is in very good condition. The original windows have been replaced with PVC ones.

The extension housing the kitchen, bathrooms (up and down) and one bedroom is a pitched roof so no flat roof to worry about at least. I want water, sewerage and plumbing in general looked at really closely since it would be easier to get the plumber for the central heating to do the lot if needs be.

None of the four fireplaces have been blocked up and they seem to all be in working order (obviously I want to get the engineer to look at this more closely). There are no visible signs of cracks in the chimney breasts or soot or smoke, although I know that that doesn't say much.

My intention is to keep it as close to original as possible without actually living in 1930! The original rooms have high ceilings and picture rails so I'm not keen on drylining if I don't have to. The original woodwork looks fine and I'd really love to be able to hold onto it too.

So should I be looking out for other problems, steer the engineer into any particular direction? Has anyone bought a house of this vintage and run into unexpected problems?

Also, anyone know good places (preferably in the sticks) where you can buy old furniture, kitchen units, tables and that kinda thing - either restored or not? I'm keeping an eye on the Buy and Sell because anything modern will look mental in this house.

Thanks
Rebecca
 
Beware of asbestos - this was used in some places in days gone by where you wouldnt expect it to be so get engineer to explicitly state if there is any internally or even externally in sheds or garages etc.

Get him to check for sudsidence - any signs that the house has sunk an inch or two, any cracks etc?

Cross your fingers that theres no rot in the woodworks - its true that it can be treated in isolated areas but I'd get rid of the lot if its found anywhere to save the hassle taking the rest of it out soon after.

Get him to check for any depressed joists, uneven upper floors, both of which indicate strucutural problems, but youd notice a problem with joists by cracks in the plaster on the ceiling below.

Check for any lead pipes that may be remaining - you'll want to replace any of these. For that matter, the original woodwork might have lead based paint on it which might be a concern if theres any kids around.

How well was the rewiring done? If its a piecemeal job best get it replaced at the same time as the central heating so all the chasing damage done to walls can be done and plastered in one go. Good luck with it - sounds like itll be lovely when its all polished off!
 
Check the water tank in the attic ,if it dates from the 30's you might want to replace that too, are you on mains sewerage?
 
You need to check for rising damp and especially for rot etc. to floorboards. Unless your engineer can get permission to lift carpets and some boards you really won’t know what’s down there. Check the damp proof course, especially in the extension and the floor in this area for damp. Check for damp at the back of the living room. Look for bubbling on plaster – a sign of damp. Don’t assume that your engineer will take care of everything. Put your requirements to him / her in writing. I agree with Fingalian to check out the tank in the attic. If it’s cast iron you will have to replace it. Check the water pipe to the rising main. If it is lead you should replace it. All lead pipes will need to be replaced. Check that all plumbing is to today’s standards. Check the wiring to ensure it is up to scratch and not a botched DIY job. Look for cracks running away from the house outside as this could be a sign of subsidence and any cracks in brickwork, especially cracks that run through bricks, window sills, etc. Pull back any heavy wardrobes etc. in back bedrooms and check for cracks. Lift up all loose carpets to see what the owner is hiding. Pull back furniture downstairs in corners and check for damp. Tap the plaster, wallpaper, especially incorners, to see if it has bubbled or sounds flaky, hollow, i.e. for signs of damp or water penetration. Check that the ridge tiles on the roof are straight, sagging here could indicate poor roof support, also the chimney should be well pointed, i.e. not likely to fall down. Check if the attic is insulated. Even if the woodwork looks in good condition check for woodworm, etc. Kick the skirting boards and see if they are rotten, have woodworm, etc. Check soffits, weatherboards, etc. as these may need replacing. Then ask the engineer for a list of renovations that are (a) essential (b) optional - with estimated costs, if possible. Don’t be scared to put ‘real’ modern furniture in a 1930s house. Real modern furniture, i.e. furniture designed in the 20s and 30s, art deco, Bauhaus, Eileen Grey, Corbusier, etc., if it is to your taste, will look fine.
 
best of luck with your survey on saturday. is it wiser to engage a structural engineer or a surveyor when buying older property, or does it really matter. i am confused. will be shortly looking at an old turn of the century cottage with an asbestos roof and need to know what exactly i am taking on if idecide to buy.
 
Thanks a million everyone. There's some really meaty tips there for me.

PMU - the house is operating about 20 or 30 years behind its era. That's what you get for being 105 miles away from Dublin and lightyears behind Paris. It suits me better to be honest, because although I'm a fan of modernist art, I am a bigger fan of art nouveau design and luckily, the few details that are there (mouldings on fire place surrounds and other woodwork), are of that style. It's in the countryside but I don't want to fall into the cliche of "country cottage" or "french rustic" so I'm still working on what direction to take it in really. I'm all excited. Still though, if you have any Eileen Grey or Corbusier hanging around, taking up space, I'm sure I'd find a good spot for it I've a friend in Holland that has been collecting art deco furniture from flea markets for about 30 years - he must be worth a fortune.

Rebecca
 
Let us know how you get on MissRibena.

I am currently renovating a 1930s 2-storey farmhouse, also well outside the pale. In my case, the house needed to be gutted, literally stripped back to the stone walls and rebuilt entirely on the inside. Why? Bad ventilation and faulty damp proof course! Quite common for houses of this era to have slate DPCs which crack over time (especially with any settlement). I hasten to add that we knew we would have to do this so it did not come as a surprise.

Many houses of this era were built with lime rendering so be careful if you are replastering anywhere. And when it comes to dry rot, make sure your surveyor knows what to look for. Anyone can see wet rot but dry rot is a little more specialised (you can usually smell it before you see it). As PMU has suggested, most of what you need to find will be hidden so your surveyor needs to be as agressive as possible (and willing to get his hands dirty).

I hope you are lucky with your house. It sounds nice - pity about the PVC windows but what can ya do?
 
Extopia’s point on the rendering reminds me that if the house has pebbledash / rendering / stucco on the exterior walls look for discoloration or fungal growth on the surface. This could indicate that the rendering is detaching itself from the masonry. It may not need immediate replacement (we didn’t do it for about 10 years) but you need to check if any water penetration has occurred. This may not be a problem if the rendering was regularly whitewashed, treated, etc. Also check the gutters, connection to down pipe etc. The main problem here is not that they may need replacing, which they may, but to see if they have already caused any damage to the property by water penetration. Water can leak / overflow from a gutter and get behind the rendering. So, you need to check the walls in the upstairs rooms to see if the plaster is damaged from water penetration. Everything I’ve mentioned in my posts comes from personal experience of renovating a 20s house. Best of luck.
 
Hi again Rebecca
There is a second hand shop in Longford town. More details on [broken link removed]. Haven't been in yet, but it might be worth a look.
HP
 
Thanks everyone for all the tips. The engineer spent about 3 hours going over it with a fine tooth comb and could find nothing amiss. I'm sure things will crop up over time but for now it's all systems go!

Rebecca
 
Nothing at all amiss? That could be *almost* too good to be true... unless the house was renovated for resale?
 
Well when I say nothing, it's nothing I didn't already know about. It needs to have central heating installed. The septic tank needs emptying. Nothing to worry about really. There are more than enough manholes out the back which I was worried about but he figured it out and it's to do with seperate fowl sewer and waste pipe systems and also the older pipe system for when the loo was out the back.

It just seems to be that the house was well built. I checked out the builders with my dad who remembers them (just about) and reckons they were the local rolls royce of builders. And also, the owners were meticilous in maintenance. You should see how neat the re-wiring is; it's better than my own five year old house. No conduits anywhere, even on the outside walls. Even the telly aerial is brought down through the wall and not via conduit. The hot water tank has been replaced. The gutters have been too. No damp, no rot.

There's a weird set-up for the shower where they built cubicle walls up on top of the free-standing cast-iron bath walls (I know, it's mad). And the downstairs loo and utility area is titchy and I might change it.

Maybe it'll all fall apart after I move in but I suppose you take that chance with any house. So fingers crossed.

I don't really know when I'll be moving in sueellen. I'm still trying to decide whether I should move in before the central heating goes in or hang on til after. It doesn't matter really at this time of year I suppose.
Rebecca
 
That sounds pretty good! A good rewire is indeed a good way to assess the previous owner's attention to detail. As is the absence of damp or rot!

If the septic tank needs emptying or desludging you might consider installing a replacement bio-type system. Can be expensive though.

My advice would be to do the heating before you move in. It's a surprisingly disruptive process, no matter which type of system you put in.
 
For old furniture in Dublin you can try oxfam at home on francis st. or christy bird near rathmines bridge. Will probably take a few visits, mainly full of junk, but every now and again something of interest turns up. (of course one persons junk is another persons gem...)
 
Henny Penny,
I called into that shop in Longford and it's a lot bigger than I expected. There are all kinds of things in it; some you wouldn't go near but some real little gems and nothing is overly expensive. I'll definitely go back when I actually have occupation cos I want to get mismatched dining chairs and that kinda thing.

You wouldn't have any recommendations for a decent plumber?

Thanks for the pointer on the shop.
Rebecca
 
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