What to Expect When You Buy a 100-Year-Old House

If you like old homes, you may have aspirations of living in a century-old farmhouse or perhaps a row house constructed in the 1800s. It's not for everyone, but for some people there's something charming and almost whimsical about living in a house that's been around longer than your grandparents. It's the history, it's the look and it's certainly the construction. They just don't build them like they used to.

That's meant as a compliment, but it's possible to purchase a century-old house and eventually long to live in a cookie-cutter home that looks like every other residence on the block. As Kent Owen, an insurance agent from Silverhill, Alabama, puts it: "Older homes may look nice at first glance, but think of them like a person who has been divorced a few times. You might be able to make it work, but you'll be finding problems from the past in there somewhere."

That might be fine with you, especially if you enjoy do-it-yourself projects. But if you're thinking of buying a century-old house, you want to know what you might be in for and then get out your wallet. These are some issues century-old homes tend to have in common.
 
Faulty, dangerous or old wiring. Well, here's the good news. If you're buying a house that is 100 years old, the wiring has probably been replaced, says Welmoed Sisson, a home inspector with Inspections by Bob, headquartered in Boyds, Maryland.

Sometimes, Sisson says, she and her husband will find houses with the original wiring, "and it's almost never in good working order."

Here's a fun fact: "Old houses with electricity frequently had knob and tube wiring, which relied on exposed wires running through porcelain tubes and around porcelain knobs," Sisson says.

If you hear a homeowner or realtor refer to K&T wiring, they're referring to knob and tube wiring. And a not-so fun fact: "Many insurance companies will not issue coverage on homes with K&T," Sisson says.

Corrosive water pipes. A major problem for city governments around the country is that water lines have to be replaced. They don't last forever. In fact, the American Water Works Association’s 2015 State of the Water Industry report says that replacing aging water lines is currently the most important item on the industry's to-do list. Not surprisingly, if you have a house that's 100 years old or older, and previous homeowners haven't replaced the pipes, that job will fall to you.

Heather Brewer, who has a public relations firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, says she owns a beautiful craftsman house built in 1919 (OK, just shy of a 100-year-old house), and water issues have often been a problem from the get go.

"Once, as I was cleaning out my desk, my almost-3-year-old son saw my checkbook, pointed to it and said, 'That for the plumber.' Literally, the only time he ever saw me write checks was to the plumbing company," says Brewer, whose son is now almost 4 and likes to pretend he's a plumber when he plays with his toys.

There are many reasons for water problems, according to Randal Weeks, a designer, architect and founder of Aiden Gray Home, a home furnishings and decor manufacturer in McKinney, Texas. "Houses like this have been occupied and not throughout the years. That resting water damages and decays the pipes, thus leading to leaks and basically dirty water that takes time and may or may not flush out," Weeks says.

And water issues that come with a 100-year-old home won't likely be covered by insurance, Owen points out. Not if those problems have been festering for years, anyway.

"Preexisting conditions and slow damage that is preventable over time isn't covered," Owen says.

From: money.usnews.com By Geoff Williams