Homeowners advice needed

[fluffhead]

Hi all,
I'd like to tap your collected wisdom. We're negotiating on the purchase of a 100-year old home, and there are of course some issues:

1. Knob and tube wiring - about half the house has it. Has anybody had to replace this, and is it horribly expensive? Does insurance require that you get rid of it all, or just in easily accessible areas? Opening plaster walls is not something I'm relishing.

2. Would you put in central a/c or just go with units? There are no ducts in the house - it's gonna be a monster to put in central.

3. How far do I go with this old house charm business - repair wooden windows or chuck them all and go for new energy efficiency?

4. Has anybody dealt with "yankee gutter" systems? They're leaking and rotting and need replacement.

Thanks for any advice!

[PrincessFiona]

No advice...just green with envy!!!!!

Congratulations!!!

Kris

[MrsK]

I don't know anything on the home repair issues but I'd be careful in your due diligence. Check for asbestos. I'm sure there is lead based paint. Also, find out whether there is any historical designation or preservation committee or anything like that that may prohibit you from making changes to the house.

We have an 80 year old house, so I can offer some help with #1 - our home inspector told us that many insurance companies won't insure homes with knob and tube wiring due to the fire hazard. Our house had it, but fortunately one of the previous owners replaced the wiring.

Also, for #2, will the current wiring support central a/c or even window units? And, if you go with window units, are the outlets near the windows 3-prong?

#3 - I say replace the windows if you can. We have a combination of old and new windows and the old windows are very drafty and leak when it rains.

Good luck with negotiations!

Oh wow. As a current dweller in suburbia, I'm at the same time green with envy and terribly happy I live where I live. I wouldn't want to tackle those issues (and expenses) in a million years.

I say call Jenn H and have a long discussion about what they've done / paid. I know her HVAC install was in the tens of thousands (of course, it's much more of an option where you live than where she is).

Best of luck with your decision.

[DCJenn]

We had knob and tube in the DC house and had it all replaced. It wasn't that bad as I recall.

Re: the A/C- it depends on how much summer you get. Our house is actually very well insulated so we essentially keep the A/C on in the bedrooms at night and in the loft for humidity removal. We did it in three zones (ergo the expense) so that we can control the heat and A/C based on room usage. All rooms have ceiling fans and they make a HUGE difference. We also have transoms over every door in the house and as soon as I can, I'm going to have them un-nailed for better airflow. (the front half was built in 1907, the back half was built in the late 1980s)

Uh, it's highly likely that your windows are not standard sizes- between each other and then what it available today. ALL of our windows would have to be custom-made and pre-approved by the historic district. Our historic district sponsors classes on how to do things (if you feel like a road trip, there's a class in how to redo historic windows this month!) We cannot have storm windows or storm doors but we can have screens- which of course all have to be custom made as well.

Gutters- just have them yanked down and replaced. We don't have gutters here so I'm looking at the expense of having custom period appropriate gutters installed. Yay! But, without the gutters, my front porch will continue to rot...

Ah the joys of owning historic homes.

But, even though I've had to replace the entire HVAC system, the entire front and back fence, the entire master bath, the iron pipes under the house are on borrowed time, the outside lights don't turn off (no apparent switch- and this was after the Master Electricians came), the door frames need to be completely rebuilt and I still have the burial mound in the front yard- I LOVE my house and they will have to pry my cold dead fingers from the door frame before I leave it.

You just have to accept the fact that like most 100 year-olds, there are some systems issues. But unlike people, at least the plumbing can be replaced!

Jenn

[fluffhead]

Gutters- just have them yanked down and replaced. We don't have gutters here so I'm looking at the expense of having custom period appropriate gutters installed. Yay! But, without the gutters, my front porch will continue to rot...

These yankee gutters are actually PART of the roof. it's nuts. The inspector suggested actually extending the roof over the existing trough after repairing the rotted wood, and then attaching a conventional gutter system to the end of the new plywood.
argh.

[DCJenn]

Ohhh- I'm going to have to go to This Old House online to see what they look like!

Jenn

PS- my door frame to the front door is nine inches deep. I bet none of our friends in Suburbia can say that!

[spotty_dog]

Our 100-year-old house has already been completely overhauled and modernized (knob-and-tube was one of the things I held my breath over, but it looks like the electrical was all done in 1984), so I don't have much advice. But I did want to point out that That Home Site (you're on Gardenweb, aren't you? I think you've mentioned it...) has a forum for The Old House. http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/oldhouse/ Lots of good info and expert advice (and strong opinions about renovation vs. restoration!) there.

[Sheherezade]

I vote for replacing the electrical. (We've owned 3 century homes and I've never seen it not replaced. I wouldn't trust it - don't know the code.)

I wouldn't replace the windows because I don't like the look in an old home. The pulley system wood windows are a pain but with a good caulk job and improved insulation, they can be restored and function well. This Old House had a nice window restoration article some time ago comparing original windows v. replacements (energy efficiency) and the originals did well after an overhaul. The look better in my book - and windows that will replace that look exactly will cost you a fortune.

AC could be challenging with plaster walls - but can be done if you have a good attic space and can add a chase somewhere. That would be last on my list. In your area of the country, you can put in a few window units for the hot months while you figure out long term solutions.

You are on your own with the Yankee Gutters!!

[fluffhead]

Thank you all for all the excellent advice!!! (and keep it coming!)
I'm taking it all under consideration. I guess I gotta get some estimates. But it sounds like yanking as much knob&tube as humanly possible, cleaning up and reglazing windows, and foregoing central a/c for now! And I'll be damned if I can figure out what to do about the yankee gutters.
yow!

[DCJenn]

The other part to repairing the old windows is that once they're done they work soooo much better than the newer ones. As my husband would say, "smmmoooooovvvvttttthhhhh."

(I don't know why he says that, either)

When the people who redid the house (who added the addition) put in the A/C they only put one register in per room (oddly enough at the furthest point in each room which no one can fathom the reason for)- and they're in the ceilings. When we had the system redone, they put in bigger registers and bigger ducts- they're all flexible and the ducts are able to corner and bend. The company that we worked with had lots of experience in dealing with older homes. I think that's a key thing, too.

I just had a guy come out to look at rebuilding our door frames and he freaked when he saw just how deep the door frame was. He was honest with me and told me he needed to go and research the older door frames and their construction before he would even give me an estimate. He figured that the door frame alone was a two-day job.

How are the floors?

J.

[fluffhead]

Floors are good. Current owner will sand. The dining room has this funky cork tile, but we hope that underneath is wood.
And current owner just put in a brand new gas furnace. woohoo!
(though now there's 2 x 275 gal oil tanks to figure out how to get rid of....and I think they're half full! maybe somebody will come haul them away in xchange for the oil)

[fluffhead]

And the word of the day is.....radon! woohoo!!!
We're proceeding with the purchase - the seller is supposed to remediate.
What a hassle.

[DCJenn]

No, I think you need to amend that to the word of the day being, "Crap!"

Jeez. I forget about the radon stuff in the NE. It's less of a problem down here.

Keep us posted.

J.

PS- my door guy never called me back. I guess the door frames really did intimidate him!