So many people want a new house these days. Something that comes with a warranty and still has that new house smell. But I’d encourage you to do things differently than the masses. Don’t run blindly like the lemmings of society toward what the marketers tell you you should want.
Like Robert Frost I too have taken the path less travelled and that has made all the difference. At The Craftsman Blog I go into all the details of how to fix old houses and why I love them, but sometimes it just requires a simple explanation of the “Why” and less about the “How.” So that’s what I want to share with you today.
The Reasons
Character – A new house rarely comes with the kind of character that an old house does. The architecture is full of faux this and faux that in a new house. Old houses have a level of design and character that today can only be found in high-end custom homes and not in the everyman homes of the early 20th century and before.
Quality – Who wouldn’t rather have a home made of better materials? Things like old-growth lumber, custom plaster, hardwood floors, and historic windows all contribute enormous value to an old home. New homes are filled with bargain basement materials like OSB/Plywood, laminate, formica, inexpensive tile all so that we can have a bigger house with rooms we don’t even use.
They’re Green – The greenest house is one that’s already built. Rather than building a new house and old house saves so much energy even if it isn’t as energy efficient as a new home today. The man hours, the materials, the construction waste all tax the environment. It’s better to find an old house and fix the parts that need fixing than to start from scratch.
They Have a Story – When you live in an old house you become a part of that home’s long story that often reaches back into a time when things were much different. The families that came and went, the notches in a door casing where a mom catalogued her son’s growth, the well worn banister are all a part of that story. And you can feel the history and warmth of the families that came before you. For me that feeling makes me feel connected to the people that came before and the people that will follow.
When you add all these up, to me, it’s really no choice at all. And that’s why I love old houses so very much!
Visit me at The Craftsman for more about historic home repair.
The Historic House Guy 