No idea, but I know someone who had a sizable beach house raised a couple feet, and the foundation redone. By the time the rotted wood underneath was discovered and replaced and other necessary things were attended to, it was over 100k. Original estimate was around 40k.

That sounds like a very pricey proposition for an older home that may need many upgrades and structural improvements. It would have to be a terrific house in a terrific location before I would consider spending what I think will be a lot of money just to re-orient it. I'm not trying to kill your dream here...just trying to inject some reality.

You need to get an estimate, add in the cost of the house and the upgrades/repair, and see how that total compares with something not requiring all the hassle. In addition, if this costs as much as I'm thinking, where will the money come from? I would be surprised if you can get a loan for that purpose.

Seems to me that there are so many variables in that situation, only an on scene inspection by qualified folks can make a decent estimate.

thanks all for the quick replies.

homebound: 40 I may be okay with. at 100, I start to question the feasibility. At that price, I might as well frame new, right?

kudzu: Reality is much appreciated. You're right, the house does otherwise also need a ton of work. If it were otherwise perfect, the reorienting would be the only issue. I just respect the character and craftsmanship of old homes too much to consider it a tear-down.

handymac: Yeah, a number of professional inspections would have to come before the offer (or contingent), I'm just trying to guesstimate if it's worth going that far first.

Since the house would need to be gutted to the studs, I guess the more appropriate comparison is (gut + relocate + renovate) vs. build new on site. (Recycling period details from the old house for the new)

The math is still pretty good either way. Given the price they sell the soulless carbon-copy McMansions that went into the subdivisions, this property is such a nightmare that it's being offered at half their price. And it's got twice the land. Actually, the listing price is just about the value of the land, so it's like buying a lot and getting a 2.5k sq ft house and 6k sq ft barns for free. Heck, the 150yo wood the barns are made of is probably worth more than the listing price.

"Since the house would need to be gutted to the studs ..."

Why?

If the house is old enough to have plaster walls they are well worth preserving.

Gutting to the studs is a 'flipper' type method, and will remove a huge amount of the character of the old place.

brickeyee: There is not an ounce of insulation in the house. I'm distrustful of 1920s era wiring (K&T) and plumbing. All the walls need to be stripped of cracked, flaking lead paint. All the windows need to be replaced. There is no kitchen to speak of (there's a room with a nice old sink, 3 cabinets, and a wood stove for cooking. Fridge in basement.) The heating pipes I could see along the basement ceiling are wrapped in asbestos insulation. A good section of the front clapboards are covered with mildew and lichen (porch roof slopes towards house) The attic was infested with flies (not sure what that even implies...) And that's just the short list of what I could see.

That said, it does have nice scale and proportion, good layout, nice floors, great solid wood doors with glass knobs and millwork, some nice plaster medallions, a few nice fireplace mantels and surrounds, some great period light fixtures, and a couple nice sinks. Those details could easily be restored and reused.

While I really appreciate period details, craftsmanship, and character, I also more appreciate safety, energy efficiency, modern conveniences, and building codes.

asbestos insulation spells $$$. Remediation for removing the asbestos might be a big deal - don't know if you've done it before, but there might be a need for hazmat suits and a complete bagging of the house while the work is being done.

Lead paint on plaster isn't so scary, as long as you can scrape off the flaking stuff and then put down a good layer of paint to adhere to the rest. Pulling out the old electricity, or putting in new - does it necessarily mean pulling down all the plaster? Can insulation be done with expanding foam? What is the exterior of the house made of?

Ok, two words: MONEY PIT.

I have a neighbor crying the blues on a similar project, though much smaller house. They started with new siding, new windows, foundation repair and are currently in about 100k. On the inside it still looks like a dumpy old house in need of AC, kitchen, bathroom (only one), an additional bathroom, refinish floors, interior wall repair and paint, etc.

Old episodes of "This Old House" demonstrate that old house renovations seem to ALWAYS go way over budget.

K_belle: My only other thought, with the goal of preserving the plaster walls, would be to do an "inside-out" gut. I've never even heard of it being done. My thinking is that since the front exterior needs clapboards replaced, and there's probably water damage beneath, perhaps the whole exterior could be peeled away to open the walls from the outside. Rewire, plumb, insulate, then put on new sheathing and siding.

The more I talk about it, the property sounds like it should be considered for land value only and view the house as a tear-down/recycle. DW is more intrigued by the idea of converting the barn into a residence, but that's even more insane $$$ than saving the house.

"There is not an ounce of insulation in the house. I'm distrustful of 1920s era wiring (K&T) and plumbing. All the walls need to be stripped of cracked, flaking lead paint. "

Still not a reason to gut it.

Insulation can easily be blown into stud cavities with only a few holes in each cavity.

Wiring may require opening a channel around much of each room to drill studs and pull new wire.

Plumbing will require a few stud bays be opened and repaired. Remember you do not have to even follow the old plumbing routes, or even remove the old stuff.

I doubt the wall paint has any lead in it, unless they are all painted with gloss paint.

I restore and renovate old houses, and will not even touch one that has already been stripped and 'cleaned up.'

Have you priced even two coat plaster walls?

How about new trim to replace all the pieces that will be damaged?

Many of the folks who like older houses will not be willing to deal with one heavily remuddled.

brick: If it were a victorian or a craftsman or something defined by its details, then I'd be more concerned about preserving them. This is just a basic 4 over 4 center hall colonial with some nice old details. Plaster walls are a nice bonus, but not a requirement in our home search.

Regarding taking a surgical approach to the updates, I've just seen too many bad jobs done where you can see evidence of the holes & channels after the job is done. I'd think it'd take less time, and less money to take a heavy handed approach, then blue board and skim coat the whole place afterwards. Still, the minimal approach is a valid option to consider.

I haven't priced anything really. We're trying to get our heads around a ballpark figure on what it'd cost to 'save' the house before we even consider putting in an offer. I'd rather not waste anyone's time, or money, getting elaborate estimates and inspections on something we're only speculating at this point. I could buy the McMansions next door for 7, or this place for 3 and put 2 or 3 into updates, but beyond that we might as well just build custom. We feel like Goldilocks at this point.

Thanks for all the insights.

Your original question concerning moving the house one direction and reorienting 90 degrees. This is a job for a professional home mover. For all of the work involved, you could move the home across town. Now, there is a big difference between brick and brick vaneer. If it is brick vaneer, even the short move would dislodge the bricks.

If it is solid brick, you have two lateral layers on the inside and outside of the home with another course at 90 degrees to the two lateral runs. Many older homes(75 years plus) were bricked that way with plaster over the inside course.

All of this precludes the cost of a foundation capable of holding the place. I would start by contacting a house mover and get their take on the project. Muchof the previous discussion involves puting the cart before the horse.

Hi Texas, thanks for getting back to the OT.

Sorry if I hadn't mentioned more of the specific details, but the house isn't brick. It's standard wood framing and wood clapboards. (It's New England, I don't notice too many brick houses in these parts.)

But you're right, looks like I'm going to have to track down professional house movers to get an idea on the costs and complexities involved. I was optimistically hoping that someone out there had already done such a thing and could pipe in.