the hovel i want to call home

[Farmfresh]

I agree about the tree and their is some obvious water damage that could cause structural problems, but from what I see in the pictures it still looks VERY promising to me. I would probably pay a licensed home inspector to go over the structure before you get very involved. WELL worth his money. Make sure all deeds and titles are clean and you are the rightful owner, BEFORE doing any work.

Things to look for are sloping floors, exterior walls that seem shifted or bowed. Look at the ridge it should look straight and sound from all angles. I sold Real Estate for several years and went on LOTS of home inspections. Also look for mold. Some of that can be very difficult to eradicate. Check on septic tanks and wells, water sources and electric. Often old homes like that have all of the "systems" still fairly intact and that will save you a bundle.

It is a definite "gut job" and will take LOTS of hard work, but sometimes it is actually better to start everything from scratch. After it is all cleaned out down to the studs and cleaned around the outside, you can work on it almost like a build job. Much better that redoing one while you are trying to live in it. Believe me as one who has.

Get it stable. Get it in the dry and with secure locks FIRST - the rest will be fairly straight forward.

 

[bibliophile birds]

in all honesty, i didn't even notice the tree while i was there. i was more focused on the interior. i noticed it when i looked at the pics and it is a concern that will have to be evaluated. it could be the thing that makes the whole project not worth it or just a tree to get rid of.

the positive thing about it being so vandalized is that you can actually see so much of the structural elements. i was AMAZED looking at the rafters that none of them look to have rot issues OR termite damage. it was incredible. there is still a lot of load bearing supports that are drywalled over, but ripping drywall out to have a good look into everything is something i'm more than happy to do.

as for codes, we are in the county and the codes aren't too aggressive. i'm sure they will find a way to put a bit of a wrench in something, but it shouldn't be too bad.

i had been planning a building project, but that was when i thought the house was in MUCH worse shape. i thought i was going to walk in and fall through the floor or the whole thing would just fall over. but i hadn't really had a good look at it in a while and i'd never been inside. it's always still a possibility if this isn't feasible, but i would rather rehab this house if it makes any sense to. i could always compromise and rip the addition off completely and build 1/2 a new house onto 1/2 of this one.

if we end up going ahead with this one, i'm definitely thinking reclaimed building materials (for environmental reasons as well as price).

 

[Farmfresh]

You may be able to salvage some from the other house that you mentioned. Do you currently own the property?

 

[bibliophile birds]

I agree about the tree and their is some obvious water damage that could cause structural problems, but from what I see in the pictures it still looks VERY promising to me.

the water damage that i noticed was all on the addition. is that what you see or am i missing something i should have noticed?

the entrance to that side of the farm got a nice new gate with a nice new lock so it's been keeping people out for about a year now. the house would get a super-duper lock if we went ahead.

i didn't notice any mold, with eyes or nose. that was another surprise. i expected it to be very musty but it wasn't, just dirty. walls seemed nice and straight and the roof doesn't look to be sagging from what i saw. no cracks in the chimney so i'm hoping that means the foundation is still sound.

we've been in the process of remodeling the 120 year old farmhouse that my great-grandfather grew up in. that roof had a serious sag in it and lots of chimney cracks. we had to jack the whole house up and put in new supports. it was NOT fun, but it worked. that house has been used for storage so it's full of crap but it wasn't in bad shape (other than the aforementioned foundation issues). we put siding up, fixed the chimneys, made the columns pretty, and painted the metal roof and it looks AMAZING! inside still to go, but that's the easy part. here it is in the recent snow. (the roof is silver, but it sure looks good covered in snow)

 

[bibliophile birds]

You may be able to salvage some from the other house that you mentioned. Do you currently own the property?

good idea! i did see another sink just like the one in the pics when i peeked in the window of the other house! i LOVE those sinks.

we do own it (we as in my weird, complicated to explain, extended family trust). it was my great-uncle Elmer's farm which was right next door to my great-grandfather's farm. my grandparents bought Elmer's farm (which is what we still call it) when they bought the farm from my great-grandfather 40 years ago. but, in for most intents and purposes, it's been in the family for 125 years.

 

[TanksHill]

Wow!!!!!!!

 

[lwheelr]

Ok, one more thing to look for.... Asbestos.

A lot of those hardwood floors that were covered in linoleum were covered with linoleum containing asbestos. Look to see if the core of the linoleum is black, if it is, it most likely has asbestos in it, and then you have to check the abatement and disposal laws of your state.

I'm thinking that given the age of the house, and the appearance of that linoleum, you've got it for sure.

It looks like you may have some of that popcorn texture on the ceilings also, and that is almost always asbestos - a more dangerous kind.

Other places you can find it - in insulation in the attic, or in siding on the exterior.

Siding is generally easy to abate - it is non-friable asbestos. The ceiling stuff (very friable), and linoleum is harder - you either cover the linoleum or hire a pro to come in and lift it - it becomes friable asbestos if you scrape at it. Insulation of that type is also friable (loose) asbestos.

Something to consider in working in an old house, because if you handle it wrong, you can get into serious legal trouble.

 

[Farmfresh]

Excellent!! You are way ahead then. The first house looks really nice as well.

As far as water damage I was noticing an open gable window. There is possibly damage around that and places where blown in rain has dribbled down.

The tree could have pushed its roots down and caused the foundation to shift in that area and for many feet around it, but it just depends on how the tree grew. You are dealing with a concrete block foundation from the looks of it. They are more prone to morter cracks and shifting, than stone or even older poured concrete. (You know back when they actually used concrete in the concrete mix. Stupid new builders. )

Can't tell too much about the floors. Why do you think the one floor broke? Are they hardwood or plywood? I would probably also plan on either trashing the wood work or heat stripping it outside with extreme caution. It is quite likely covered with lead based paint.

See if there is a Habitat for Humanity Re-Store near you. They sell construction company donated materials and materials from deconstructed homes quite cheaply. Hardwood flooring is a great thing to buy used.

 

[journey11]

Beautiful house!

Ours had been jacked up ~20 years ago to put a basement under it. Isn't it amazing that such a thing can be done!

 

[bibliophile birds]

Can't tell too much about the floors. Why do you think the one floor broke? Are they hardwood or plywood?

i can't really figure the hole in the floor out except to assume that it's got something to do with the addition being not as well done as the original house. the original section LOOKS to be hardwood throughout from what i can see where the linoleum has come up, but it looks like the addition has a plywood floor. i would guess that that contributed to the hole and that the stupid vandals might have contributed as well.