Old Houses SUCK!!!

[Charlie don't surf]

Ours was constructed from timber off the property ( all Heart Pine ) and was just a building with no insulation and a huge ( 12'w with 84" hearth ) fireplace to heat the monster ( 2600 sq 1 floor ) and was built in 1903. We had to engineer an entire house out of a building that had been a Country Club, Town Hall, Social Club and the Fire Dept. We had top contractors on the project ( except the dick that subbed for the flooring contractor we wanted ) we now have to re-strip and re finish the entire house ( 95% of the flooring is original Heart Pine ) because our cats scratch the floor just walking on it. The one sheet rock contractor that would take the house on ( 2 came through the front door, looked up at the ceiling at 22' w/45 deg on either side and exposed beams and turned around instantly, now the mud at the tape lines on the ceiling is splitting in a few places, we have a new crack in the brick on the fireplace's interior chimney, and this year I have to start repainting all the exterior trim ( already had to re-stain the southern side of the exterior cedar shake )

For a place that other than the main structure was brand new 5 years ago, I seem to have a lot of work

[junkman]

those first page pics look familiar. My old house was built in 37, I freshened it up. It had the fuse/breaker combo that I weeded out a little at a time, had a guy come staighten up some of the plaster and put on a new roof. I only lived there for 4 years, but had no problems with it at all, only did things to it that I wanted to. Wife wanted a newer house, so we bought our current one. It was a repo that was built new and had been lived in for about a year and a half. The first year was hell, water seeping in like crazy in the crawl space, doors that water leaked under, septic had to be completely redone. was just one thing after another. Things have calmed down the past couple years, but still think of all the money I'd have if I had just stayed were I was at. I don't miss the gas bill from the old one though

[mikea96]

hah, yeah, I can imagine a body man would take about 5 times as long to mud those sheets in....'I gotta make it FLAT'

bingo!

even the amount of time i spent trying to level off the ceiling and walls. i'm sure i went a little overkill with how perfect i was trying to make them. but towards the end, i was starting to get the....... F--- it, it's good enough for drywall mentality.

If i lived close to ya i would tape and texture it for you. Once you have done it enough you only need to do a very light sand after final coat of mud.

[Mazdaj]

I tell my wife all the time I can't stand working on our house (1946ish), but there is some satisfaction in doing a remodeling project and improving what is there. Personally, I think the quality of some new houses is terrible. We took a walk last summer through a "over 55" communtiy under consturction. The houses were framed with roofs and walls but still open. The materials used and quality of workmanship was terrible. Maybe it was just this builder, but it sure didn't make me run to sell our place.

[Johnboy72]

I've seen some houses go up in Mo, AR, and Tx that I feel went up entirely too quick by some less than ideal workers. I used to be a landscape foreman and would come in before final grade to start mapping out irrigation. Was just not impressed with some of the work. But with an old house, I'm expecting to put in some work over the years. My wife and I keep telling ourselves if we get an old house, one room at a time! Ever watch Money Pit? AGH...nervous about buying a house but excited at the same time.

[Dirtdiver]

I haven't bought a new house for a couple of reasons. The prices are sky high, workmanship is poor (especially in hidden areas), materials are not the greatest quality and all the houses look the same. I'd take a solid old home with upgrades to electrical and insulation anyday over a new house.

[treehugger]

You youngsters, we live in one half of a Cottage, dates roughly 1650 first build, tiled the Kitchen with 12" tiles on one end, in 10 feet went from a 2" cutoff on the tile to a 3" add on at other end, luckily the front and back walls are square, just the divider is 10 degrees out or so

i used to rent an old mill that had been converted and someone else was living in the millers cottage stuck on the side ,that was from 1605 .
Awsome place the wall were 5 feet thick at the base, and it only went 2 floors! .
when i left college the first job i got as a carpenter was remodelling old goverment houses all lathe and plaster, pretty nasty sh#t and all the horse hair to ! great supply of kindling wood for a few months

[scr8p]

got an early christmas present today.

the bump out wall in my kids bedroom, being as though the walls were plater and lathe, there's are no "nailers" for the drywall. i'm gonna hvave to rip down some 2x4's into wedges to create the inside and outside corners. i've been telling my dad that i wanted to pick up a small table saw. he has one i could use, but it huge and doesn't fold up/collapse. so, there's no way i can get it into my house (i don't have a garage yet), and it's too much of a pain to be running lumber up to his place to cut it, to bring it home and find out it's not right.

so anyway, i get up to his house this morning and see a table saw box sitting on floor in the garage. he went home depot last night to get a new door for his pole building, and figured he just grabbed one for me while he was there. so, i asked him what i owed him for it, and he said merry christmas.

[Halgar]

Nice!

[Truckguy]

Old houses may suck sometimes, but I feel that at least after I redo something, now I know what was done and how it was done. I am pretty damn handy, but even I am still learning some things as I go. Ours was built around 1905. Built very well in some areas---others, not so much. Hey, its only time and money, right? Ours is two story balloned framed---sort of. Ever try and sheet rock and do electrical in that type of framing? At least your (the OP) Wall studs seem to all run vertical. I just consider it another hobby.

Oh, and i have two word if your doing electrical---Nailing Plates.

[AscotConversion]

Better yet, conduit.

[Truckguy]

Only if its metal, which is overkill in a residential application. You can still put a nail or screw through the plastic stuff.

[scr8p]

drywall.......... finally done. time to call the mud man.

[treehugger]

So all done for Christmas then ?
i have been going through the old house problem, and it is not my house .
Been here two years the property stood unoccupied for years and the house was built by a professional, what he was professional at i don't know it certainly wasn't building . The electrical is the worst ive ever seen in a house and i spent 5 years as an electrician when i lived in England never got journey man though (crap at math ).......ok spelling to .
the deal with the property was leave everything or take everything ( the 4 big out building were full of hoarder stuff sum of it of value .
so i move in i worked in construction for the landlord ,
and the bitch who owned it cherry picked all the good stuff and left 30 , 5 yard dumpsters of crap she even cut down the street lighting .
well the first time in rained heavy i had the five street lights running down the side of my property shooting 6 foot showers of steam and sparks .
this went on for about half an our until the cable must have burned through under ground and here is the reason why the overload didn't trip. see the nice panel shot
And this is just one of the electrical issues,s so when the elec company cut us of the pole a couple of weeks ago i was a little upset to find that i have been steeling electricity allegedly my names not on the bill and i didnt benefit from it
but it took a couple of days to find it so now up to present day i have a nice 600 amp panel going up oh yes it will be a joy to get the welder out this spring

Paul

PS my wife an i have a smoke detector in every room and two on our head board

[scr8p]

it's taken a long time, and there's still alot to do, but there's primer on the ceiling/walls.