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

[DreamWalker (WavyGlass)]

I have a discouraging update… I think the house needs more work than we can manage. We knew it would need A LOT of work. However we were hoping that we could put 100-150K into fixing the major structural and mechanical issues before moving in to make the house livable and safe and then have 100K-150K to put into slowly restoring the home over time, doing much of the work ourselves. My husband is very handy and a great carpenter and would love to bring the house back to life in time. Unfortunately the listing agent seems to have downplayed the extent of work needed and we would have to do much more of the work up front. We walked through with our realtor this week and here is a rundown of what our inexperienced eyes saw that the house needs to make it livable:

1. New roof, gutters, and downspouts. (The roof is leaking in several places, the gutters are falling off)
2. Repair of rotting wood on roof.
3. New plumbing. (The plumbing is leaking in several places and has caused extensive water damage to the ceilings, plaster walls and floors.
4. New electrical. Lights don’t work when it rains. You can’t plug anything in an outlet without shorting the circuit.
5. Replace all the ceilings (water damage, holes, falling down)
6. Repair most of the windows (They are original, yay. But there are many broken or missing panes letting rain and mosquitos in)
7. Repair/Replace the busted banister. (A sad hazard for the children)
8. Replace the bathroom (there is nothing original, just yucky). It currently does not function due to major leaking around the tub, broken toilet and tub, rotted out floor. I would be fine living with an old bathroom for a while but it’s a problem when running a bath causes a flood.
9. Make the kitchen function. There are no countertops, cupboards are broken, no appliances, pealing, burned up vinyl floors.
10. Painting (at least to cover areas of graffiti)
11. AC (my northern husband will never adjust to the heat and humidity of the south.)
12. The house is covered in aluminum siding and what is beneath is a mystery

I’m sure an inspector or structural engineer would have more to add. We were so saddened by the neglect of this lovely house. It has amazing porches, archways, and the entry is beautiful. The house sits on 10 acres in a beautiful spot at the end of a long tree lined lane. It is quite overgrown, but with work and care it could really shine.

[Gothichome]

Dreamwalker, sorry it's not going to work out. We can't save them all, And its such a grand home, just needs some one with deeper pockets. I would not give up the search, some were out there there is a home looking for you that's not so needy.

[SouthernLady]

Oh, I was so excited for you, and then I read your last post and my heart sank for you. I, too, have had that experience. When plans for my first old house fell through, I was seriously looking at a lovely Queen Anne... until my heel fell through the front porch floor... It eventually worked out for the first old house.

Just a thought--don't know if it's a possibility for you--but a thought... Are there any colleges in your area that have degrees/courses in historical architecture or restorations? My hometown has a fairly famous house as it's "mascot", and when it fell into serious problems everyone said it was hopeless. That is, until a new young lady came to town, got the local colleges involved (they worked for free and it was a hands-on class), contacted some historical societies, and got grants to help. I know it's different than this situation, but for the age of the house, I do wonder if this might not be a possibility...

And if it doesn't work out, don't get discouraged! It just means there is something better just down the road.

[Neighmond]

Don't be too down in the mouth-all of the trouble you are going through will just make your house that much more sweet when you do find one.

[Don M]

That's a shame; it's a beautiful house!

[nan-nan]

Keep looking. There is a house out there waiting for you. When you see it, you will know. (At least that's how it has worked for me. But there are still a few that "got away" that I still think about from time to time...)