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the bloom is off the rose
Jan. 3rd, 2009 04:04 pmso kirk and i went to see the victorian house again, with regret in our hearts. this house is not meant to be ours; like all good decisions, the more i think about it the better i feel.
the main issue with this house was money. there are lots of smaller projects to be done, but there is a large group of projects that are so expensive and far-ranging that they make my head ache. they cannot really be done one without the other:
new foundation (inadequate supports, timbers resting on wet ground)
new electrical system (1940s or much earlier)
new plumbing (also from 1940)
gut remodel would be good at this point, to put the wiring in right (currently baseboard plugs)
until the new electrical system is put in, for example, we would be living with a massive risk of fire from the ancient knob and tube wiring. while we could certainly live without the foundation remodel, as we could live without the roof remodel (encompassing new sheathing and new roof, new attic insulation, 2 crumbling brick chimneys to fix), they will actively cost us money over many years, in the form of heat loss, water damage, and other issues. this isn't a house that needs a series of do-it-yourself projects to make it look pretty, this is a house that needs deep pockets in order to maintain basic house safety and integrity.
a gut remodel would likely cost $200-$250k, and it would not be inhabitable during the work. we've calculated our mortgage amount based on what we can afford monthly, and we would have to double that payment in order to finance this remodel.
but in deciding not to pursue this house any further, there's a larger philosophical issue i've come up against. do i believe in living in a massive house with just two people, one cat, and maybe a couple kids after a few years? that is a huge draw of electricity and resources, when in fact we would fit better and more efficiently in a bungalow. i do have a dream of one day restoring a historic house, but i have to temper that with my desire to live in a space adequate to our family's needs, not excessive just for the sake of excess. philosophically this is what i believe, but this is also what my bank account believes, after heating just one tiny bungalow on oil heat for the winter.
anyway. it was a fun dream, but it's not meant to be, and i'm not sad about it. just certain, and more aware of our limitations as house buyers.
the main issue with this house was money. there are lots of smaller projects to be done, but there is a large group of projects that are so expensive and far-ranging that they make my head ache. they cannot really be done one without the other:
new foundation (inadequate supports, timbers resting on wet ground)
new electrical system (1940s or much earlier)
new plumbing (also from 1940)
gut remodel would be good at this point, to put the wiring in right (currently baseboard plugs)
until the new electrical system is put in, for example, we would be living with a massive risk of fire from the ancient knob and tube wiring. while we could certainly live without the foundation remodel, as we could live without the roof remodel (encompassing new sheathing and new roof, new attic insulation, 2 crumbling brick chimneys to fix), they will actively cost us money over many years, in the form of heat loss, water damage, and other issues. this isn't a house that needs a series of do-it-yourself projects to make it look pretty, this is a house that needs deep pockets in order to maintain basic house safety and integrity.
a gut remodel would likely cost $200-$250k, and it would not be inhabitable during the work. we've calculated our mortgage amount based on what we can afford monthly, and we would have to double that payment in order to finance this remodel.
but in deciding not to pursue this house any further, there's a larger philosophical issue i've come up against. do i believe in living in a massive house with just two people, one cat, and maybe a couple kids after a few years? that is a huge draw of electricity and resources, when in fact we would fit better and more efficiently in a bungalow. i do have a dream of one day restoring a historic house, but i have to temper that with my desire to live in a space adequate to our family's needs, not excessive just for the sake of excess. philosophically this is what i believe, but this is also what my bank account believes, after heating just one tiny bungalow on oil heat for the winter.
anyway. it was a fun dream, but it's not meant to be, and i'm not sad about it. just certain, and more aware of our limitations as house buyers.
