YOUR HISTORIC HOME

By Shonna L. Clark

When you walk into an old home are you overwhelmed with curiosity about it’s history? Do you stroll around admiring the architecture, but build a mental checklist of how you would fix it up? Well, as you probably have suspected there are others just like you. Many people have irrepressible enthusiasm for the renovation and preservation of historical homes.

If your weakness for old homes is, shall we say, knocking at your door it’s time to start shopping! A house with an incredibly interesting history is out there waiting for you to save it.

Tips For Purchasing An Old Home

When purchasing an old home you should always keep resale value in mind, even if you plan to live in it forever. Circumstances change, and you may have to eventually sell your little jewel. Whether you plan to buy, renovate, and turn over right away or live in it happily ever after, always buy the right house at the right price.

Location is a very important factor, you can change a lot of things about a property—the roof, the lay-out and the mechanics but you’ll never change it’s location. Look for the worst house in the best neighborhood, but avoid houses on busy streets and other undesirable locales; don’t buy in a run-down neighborhood unless it has started to turn around.

Old houses, like new, apply to all real estate rules, don’t buy a house with an awkward floor plan. When it comes to resale, what you think gives a house character may just look strange to potential buyers.

Try to avoid houses that need major repairs unless you can get a reasonable reduction in the purchase price. You’ll want to research just how much restoration is needed and how much the restoration will cost. That includes, uncovering any possible environmental problems not typically found in new construction such as the presence of asbestos or lead paint. Knowledge of structural problems and the money needed to fix them should not only influence the decision of whether to buy, but also how much to offer. In some cases, the seller may be required to undertake some of the work as part of the purchase agreement. If you do purchase a home that needs structural cosmetics you should only trust a professional who can make necessary changes without hiding it’s charm.

Sound like a lot of work? Well it is, but the advantages of purchasing a historic house often outweigh the work that goes into finding and securing the property. Historic homes have unique details and meticulous workmanship that you will take pride in owning and restoring.

Researching The History of Your Home

Following the purchase of your historic house, you’ll be dying to know it’s history! The knowledge of it’s background may inspire your restorations, décor, and give you something to chat about when you have visitors.

The research will also have additional benefits. Most people who purchase an historic house are often some form of a history buff; there’s a certain comfort in knowing who lived in your home before you. Researching the history will help you determine how it has been changed over time. You may find old photos of the house through the years that show how the front porch used to look, if the shutters have always been there, or what interior changes had been made. You may want to research the history of the house to document it in the form of local, state, and national registers of historic places. This is done for personal satisfaction of having an historic house that has retained its integrity. Whatever your reason for researching the history of your historic house, the following are some great places to start.

Begin by finding out if your house has been included in a survey of historic homes or in a historic places registry. If your house has been listed on a register, chances are you'll all ready know. But, you may not know if your house has been included in a survey of historic properties. For this information call your city planning office to see if your house has been researched. You can also go online to see if your house has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Registry has an informative and fun website that can be found at: www.cr.nps.gov/nr.

Locating the title and tax assessor’s records will provide the ground work for you to begin contacting the people who have previously owned or lived in your house. Typically, when you purchase a home the title company handling the transaction will provide you with a copy of your title's history. This will include the legal description of your property, the names of the previous owners, and how it has changed through the years. The Tax Assessor's records include a basic description of changes your house has undergone throughout the years, additions, types of flooring, windows, etc. These records also have an estimated date of construction and a list of previous owners. Be cautious when using this information. Always confirm the information provided, especially the date of construction. Most of this information can be confirmed through Polk Directories for owners, and old photographs of the house.

Polk directories, obituaries, and newspaper articles are most often a gold mine of miscellaneous information on previous owners. Once you have knowledge of their names you can research what they did for a living, what their economic and social class was, you can find their accomplishments and often lifestyles. When you check the obituaries you may find surviving relatives who remember your house years ago. In the Polk directories any research that predates 1932, you'll need to know the previous owner's name. After 1932 you can use your address to cross reference to the names of the people that lived there. Because address’s change, be cautious when using your address while researching, check with your local planning department or archives to see if your address has changed.

Researching your cities’ maps may provide additional information. Sanborn and other fire insurance companies produced maps of cities throughout Washington and Oregon. These maps include the footprint of buildings, lots on which the buildings are located, materials of construction--siding, foundation, roof, and use of the property. Soon these maps will be digitized and over 700,000 maps will be available online through the Library of Congress website.

Last but certainly not least, get to know your neighbors. Often you will find that you have a historian living right next door who has documented or collected information on the history of your neighborhood.

The Restoration And Preservation Of Your Old Home

Restoring your home will uncover it’s history and show that your proud to own a part of the past. Whether you’re tearing up carpet to reveal that beautiful wood floor or adding a duplication of it’s original shutters. The first rule of thumb is to never do what cannot be undone. For example, don’t replace all you leaded glass windows with vinyl windows, this will seriously compromise the integrity of your historic home. You'll want to establish the important elements that are needed to maintain the historic virtue and atmosphere of your house. These elements are typically those that help to define your home’s style.

First seek the advice of a professional before beginning your restoration process. Preservation consultants and architects, are knowledgeable of the problems frequently encountered in restoration work, and often know the proper remedies to make sure the restoration moves smoothly. For example, they can help you to identify what materials within your house contain asbestos. They can also help you determine what energy saving methods are appropriate for your historic house.

Assess the condition of your house. Check the heating, plumbing and electrical first, since these are likely to be outdated and costly to replace. They also make the home comfortable or totally uninhabitable, depending on their working condition. Next check the foundation, is rain water splashing against it? Do you need to move moisture away from your house? Has there been any unusual or more frequent settling of your house shown by cracks in the plaster? How is the siding, are there any rotting areas? If so, what's causing the rot? Does the roof or do the windows leak? By answering questions such as these you will be better able to determine a budget and the proper course of action for you to take when preserving or restoring your historic house.

If it’s not broke, don’t fix it! Many home renovators have a tendency to rip out the old and do it all new--new plumbing, new wiring, new windows, and new drywall. These improvements may be well and good, but they do not add value to the house. You should repair what is repairable, replace what is not, and spend your extra money on more important items.

As you renovate, let the house be what it is. Don't try to turn a bungalow into a Queen Anne by adding spindle work. If the house is stucco, don't cover it with wood siding, or vice versa. Maintain the original window configurations and patterns. Since the roof is a major character-defining feature of the house, avoid any alterations that affect the roofline.

Spend your money on details with impact. Potential buyers respond positively to gleaming wood floors, an attractive fireplace, polished hardware, appropriate light fixtures, and most important, color. All are relatively inexpensive to add to a house, and when done well, they create a more favorable impression than a $5,000 kitchen refrigerator.

Remember bathrooms pay you back. A single bathroom is usually adequate for a two-bedroom house, but a house with three or more bedrooms should have at least a bath-and-a-half or two full baths. Adding a second bath to a three-bedroom house will more than pay for itself in the next sale. With old houses, it's important to make bathrooms look like they belong in the house. A bath with a hexagonal tile floor, tile or beadboard wainscoating, clawfoot tub, pedestal sink with porcelain-handled faucets, and a simple wooden medicine cabinet would fit into any house built up until about 1930. (Obviously, houses built in 1820 did not have indoor plumbing, but in that case, the idea is to put in a bathroom that could have been added in 1885.)

If you plan to take on an addition it should be constructed in a manner that preserves significant materials and features and preserves the historic character. The addition should be differentiated from the historic building so that the new work is not confused with what is genuinely part of the past.

Most importantly, to keep your enthusiasm high and make your job more manageable, don’t tear up the whole house all at one time, move room to room. Completing one room at a time will provide you a sense of satisfaction. You’ll be glad you did!