Hello from a wannabe Old Home Owner. Help, where do I begin

[DreamWalker (WavyGlass)]

Hi, I am a hopeful future old home owner. I have always loved old homes and have dreamed of loving an old home back to life for as long as I can remember. In high school I even quit a decent paying summer job to work at a state historical site giving tours of an antebellum mansion for tips just to walk among the beauty and history.

Our family is finally in the position to be on the look out for our dream home, but I really don't know where to begin. We have a budget for the house and renovations, an area in mind where we would like to live, and we have talked with a realtor about the type of property we are on the look out for. What we don't have... experience or know how.

Here are my main getting started questions:
1. When looking at a potential property, how do I know if I am getting over my head? What is the best approach for evaluating the home for the amount of work and money will be needed to restore it?

2. How do I find the right people/team to help in the process?

We are going to look at a house in few days. The realtor says it's at 1850s greek revival that is occupied but "hasn't had work done to it in ages."

Here are a few pictures: What are your thoughts on style, age, condition, first impressions?

[Neighmond]

It sure cuts an impressive figure! What does the inside look like?

[DreamWalker (WavyGlass)]

@Neighmond I haven't seen the inside yet and there are no pictures posted. I hope to get a look inside after the holiday weekend.

[Superbeetle]

What a beauty!

As far as getting in over your head -- if you own an old house, you will be in over your head. I think all of us old house lovers are optimists who completely minimized how much work it would be. I thought my house would take six months. Six months!!! It's been over six years, and I'm not even half done. I don't think I would have dived in if I'd been more honest about it, though, and I'm really glad that I did dive in, even if I'm still going to be stripping wallpaper when I'm 85.

Do you cope pretty well when things are a little chaotic? Rehabbing an old house often means ongoing construction that you have to live with. People who want everything DONE, finished, and over with quickly probably aren't good candidates for old houses.

Are you a control freak? This is a really bad trait for an old house owner to have. Having an old house is more like having a relationship than a possession. You can't just impose your will on an old house, you have to listen to it and compromise so you can make the most of it.

Do you want the most beauty you can get for your budget? New houses simply cannot compare. High ceilings, tens of thousands of dollars of woodwork, beautiful doors, solid brass hardware, stained glass, wood floors, etc. My house was valued at $5000 in 1890. It's equivalent today would easily hit a million. Fixing up an old home allows me to have something incredibly beautiful that I could never own any other way. If that really resonates with you, then you're definitely an old house soul. It makes dealing with all the other stuff worth it.

[Superbeetle]

Oh, I forgot to add -- sometimes being untouched is really a good thing. It means you won't have to spend a lot of time and money fixing horrible remuddling.

[mattswabb]

I agree that not being touched in ages can be a good thing. Mine wasn't touched since the 90's and therefore missed a lot of DIY rehab being done to it. It did get a kitchen in the 90's and the original back porch was replaced with a deck but missed the replacement window craze whe everyone was getting home equity loans and doing rehabs. If the owner from the 90's hadn't passed away then who knows what could have happened.

[DreamWalker (WavyGlass)]

Thanks for all the great input. @Superbeetle I love the way you described it as a relationship. That's a great thing to keep in mind. We are prepared for years of rehab...at least in our minds. When we drove past it my husband said "This could be our lifetime labor of love." Of course the reality of living it is another story. You and Matt both also made a great point about a house not having work done in a long time being a good thing.

We are prepared in our heads for years of mess and seemingly snail-paced progress. Our biggest concern is getting into a situation where a house needs many major repairs that we just can't afford.

I'm excited to see inside. We are going to see it on Tuesday. Should I post some pictures in this thread?

BTW: Matt your house is gorgeous.

[clover]

Beautiful house. You never, ever have to ask if we want to see pictures. The answer is always YES (unless it's a pic of soon to be installed replacement windows)!

You've already received some excellent responses, so I'll just say that I concur. Especially the part about being OK with things taking a while. When we first bought our house 7 years ago, I was so excited about painting, new reproduction light fixtures, etc. Really small things in the grand scheme of things. Seven years and approximately 80k later, I have TWO rooms that have been painted and TWO light fixtures replaced. But I've become much more comfortable with the process. The longer you wait to do things (other than updating mechanicals, etc.) the more come to understand your house and the more time you have to cultivate your style.

I am SO glad I didn't get to jump in and paint that first year. I'd be regretting every color. Meanwhile, my BIL and SIL bought and old house and she had to paint and update right.this.minute. Before they even moved in. Now they realize the dining room paint is too dark, the woodwork that added warmth has been painted over, and major drywall and HVAC work was done in rooms that will eventually be torn out to add an addition.

You'll always be over your head - but your home will also be the envy of all your friends. Guests to my home never seem to notice the dingy walls and dated light fixtures. They only notice the original wood windows that have been meticulously restored. The fireplace so big we can cook meals in it. The original (and unpainted) curved banister installed in 1865 by my husband's great-great-grandfather. Like Superbeetle, my home would cost a million dollars to replicate. Even with 80k in it, we've still paid only a quarter of that.

[mattswabb]

Yes post pics. You'll get more input from others here as to the extent of work needed. One thing that is often said here is to live in the house a while before making changes. We did the wood floors and a bathroom remodel before moving in. We don't like our bathroom floor and will be changing it in the future.

We pulled off wallpaper and lived with crappy walls for a year or 2. I still have 2 "light fixtures" that are just a socket with a bulb hanging off the wires. Most here are living in the middle of some sort of project. Some more than others. So don't feel it needs to be done fast.

Also how handy are you. That will help with the advice you get here. If you do most of the work yourself then the advice will be geared that way and if you hire it out the advice may be different.

[Powermuffin]

Our best decision before buying our old house was to have a structural engineer go over it. He told us exactly what to do. We also had a home inspection, which was not as valuable since he missed things. We have been in our house 8 years and enjoy projects. But it is important for my sanity to do one room at a time. Out of all the houses that I have owned, this is the only one that grabs my heart.
Diane