New home owner, old ugly house.
Lex Nan
7 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (18)
Lex Nan
7 years agoRelated Discussions
The 'I sold house, new owner ruined garden' blues
Comments (34)I'm so sorry for all who have lost gardens; it's something I think about from time to time as I consider maybe moving ... and yet keep on gardening! Here's another "flip side" story. When we purchased this home 31 years ago in August, there wasn't much growing except a few clumps of "ditch lilies", a pair of poosly azaleas, one sorry boxwood, some leggy mountain laurel, and enormous plain green hostas ringing everything including the many tall old oak trees. No grass to speak of in this sandy soil, not even weeds! As eager as I was to start planting, I insisted to my dear young husband that we wait at least until spring, preferably a full year, so as not to disturb anything dormant that the previous owner might have planted. Well, we waited and were rewarded with ... nothing ... except the aforementioned undernourished specimens. Not even one daffodil. So ... I set about enriching the soil (I'd had a year to get some compost started, after all, and lots of oak leaves to shred), much to the amusement of one of my neighbors who insisted nothing would grow here. Have been amending and planting, failing and succeeding ever since, and the recent front yard re-do is finally the garden I'd always dreamed of, with roses and perennials shoulder-to-shoulder, jostling, embracing and supporting each other and peeking over-under-through the white picket fence. Today, for the first time in my life, I walked under - UNDER! - roses blooming on my own arbor (ok, there were only three up there, but there are more where those came from). That neighbor would never recognize the ol' place [big smile]. Did I say something about moving? There are some beautiful thoughts expressed in this thread to help any of us cope with that eventuality, particularly catsrose comment, "Put your love into your new garden and let it grow" and hoovb's paragraph that begins "The garden really is the gardener." Thank you all. Diane...See MoreTopics for a lecture for Old House owners?
Comments (7)Architectural details I think are better for a walking tour/slide presentation. Historic landscaping is a under talked about topic and one I'd save to spring planting time. If your going to do a series of talks then start from the beginning with how to buy a old house. Special considerations for owning and restoring a old house, where to get help with inspections, insurance, and contractors that specialize in old homes. I'd follow it with an introduction to the historical society and expecations for it's historic districs as a group and then as individuals. I'd follow it with a talk on how to be your own detective in finding your homes history. Those who buy old homes or are drawn to them are drawn to them not just for their beauty but for their history as well. For many where and how to start is a complete mystery. You may even want to do a lecture on proper interior design for the different periods, include a short history on furniture of the period, colors and papers used to decorate, lighting for the time and what lifestyles were like then. It helps when you know how your house was designed and used intially so you can make choices for living in it now....See MoreNew Old Home Owner Introduction
Comments (14)Welcome! Your house is a stunner. about that carpet glue, you might try orange oil: This is from an old thread: "we had to get a tile adhesive similar to yours off a floor. we tried 3 things: the super-duper toxic stripper (can't remember brand, but it was probably full of methylene chloride or toluene or something great like that), the "safer" stripper, and 100% orange oil. I thought: the toxic stuff will work the best, the safer stripper less so, and the non-toxic orange oil will work poorly or not at all. The orange oil did the best job! couldn't believe it. But if you use it, be aware of combustion issues with the rags. you don't want to pile them up. Spread them out outside to evaporate so you don't burn your building down. plus it smells great and is fine for wood. Just let it evaporate before you go to the next finishing step. we ordered ours by the gallon from the real milk paint co. Use it for all sorts of things....See MoreBuying Old house Vs New house.
Comments (23)Honestly, I'd be much more comfortable buying an 11 year old house over a brand new one. I have heard and experienced too many horror stories regarding shoddy construction of new houses - unless you really bone up on good building practices and are there supervising every day, you really have no idea if your new house is built well or not. My sister-in-law just spent $400K on a new Pulte townhome (a big tract builder around here). In one year, she has had about 5 separate plumbing leaks, a basement leak, several leaks at the windows, her kitchen floor has heaved and had to be torn up and replaced twice, and her heating bills are running over $500/mo because the houses weren't insulated correctly and the HVAC was sized wrong. And everyone in her development is having similar problems. They just don't build new homes well anymore. Even "slightly old" houses can have really bad problems. We bought a 3 year old house that was custom-designed and built with very high end materials (cedar roof, 4-side stucco siding). We ended up having to spend upwards of $140K fixing it because it leaked like a sieve. We are now in litigation with the builder trying to recover our repair costs, but have spent over $10K in lawyer fees with no end in sight. I will never ever buy a brand new house again - in fact, I've sworn that any house I buy will be at least 80 years old, LOL! But by the time a house is 10 or 11 years old, any serious problems will probably have shown up - our house had been leaking from day 1 but it took until the house was 6 years old before we discovered it, since all the leaks and damage were confined to the insides of the walls for the first several years. I'll link to our saga for anyone who's interested. Here is a link that might be useful: Our house......See MoreLex Nan
7 years agoLex Nan
7 years agoLex Nan
7 years agosamarnn
7 years agoYardvaark
7 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
7 years agokitasei
7 years agoLex Nan
7 years agoLex Nan
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoLex Nan
7 years agoKim in PL (SoCal zone 10/Sunset 24)
7 years ago
Related Stories
HOMES AROUND THE WORLDHouzz Tour: Designer Reworks Her House for a New Owner
The house gets a contemporary-classic look for a client who fell in love with the property
Full StoryBEFORE AND AFTERSOwners Find Their Bliss in a Wine Country Ranch House
Going from cramped and dark to open and bright, a California home lands 600 extra square feet and a gorgeous new outdoor living room
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSHouzz Tour: A House as Individual as Its Owner
Architects create a home like no other for a collector who’s passionate about books, art, literature, science and design
Full StoryVACATION HOMESPatience Pays Off for Owners Renovating Their Beach Condo
A Jersey Shore unit gets a bright new look, a more functional layout and increased space for extended family
Full StoryTRANSITIONAL HOMESHouzz Tour: Embracing Old and New in a Montana Bungalow
This home’s exterior fits the historic neighborhood, but its new, more modern floor plan fits the owners’ lifestyle
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSHouzz Tour: An Old-World Bungalow Earns a New Plan
With a hundred years under its belt, this New Hampshire home deserved the loving additions and modern updates made by its architect owner
Full StoryBATHROOM DESIGNPersonal Style: 50 Bath Designs From Creative Owners and Renters
Ideas abound in bathroom styles ranging from upcycled vintage to sleekly modern
Full StoryECLECTIC HOMESHouzz Tour: A New House With a Grand Old Face
This Surrey, England, house looks for all the world like its late-Georgian neighbors, but it’s secretly newer. Much newer
Full StoryHOMES AROUND THE WORLDHouzz Tour: Luxe Materials and Glass Give an Old House New Life
An unloved Victorian is brought into the 21st century with clever reconfiguring, a pale palette and lots of light
Full StoryCONTEMPORARY HOMESHouzz Tour: Old House, New Attitude
Artistic touches, bold colors and other modern updates take a 1930s Toronto home from typical to terrific
Full Story
woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada