Burning Question: New Vs. Old?
This week’s topic is sure to elicit some pretty passionate responses: when it comes to your dream house, is it a new construction or an older home? Do you love the character that you find in a house that has been around for decades?
Or do you prefer the brand-spanking-new appeal of being a house’s very first owner?
We’re itching to hear where you stand on the issue. In fact, we whipped up this handy little poll to keep everything tabulated:
[poll id="11"]
And we’d love to hear more about why you voted the way you did, so feel free to comment away with more details.
Image courtesy of Southern Living.
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I voted for old – our house is 109, and full of unique corners. While this make furniture placement VERY difficult, so much character is already present. We are finding that we actually need to get rid of some of our stuff, to make the house seem less cluttered! We’ve been here for 2 years, and while the idea of new house is great, it will take me a while to make the switch to one…
The only thing I find to be difficult with older homes, and a reason I might stay away in the future, is keeping it clean. Especially the baseboards and windows. In older homes its hard to just wipe ‘em down every now and then because there are nooks and crannies everywhere. Our house is almost 100 years old and I have the hardest time with it. I guess I need to learn to let it go….
PS – I keep checking for baby updates!!! Have been thinking of you guys…
I voted old! I like knowing that my house has a past. And you know that saying, “They just don’t make them like they used to.”
From an eco point of view, I’d rather not waste all those materials to make a new house.
If we were to build a new home, I’d go modular. The Home Store is an excellent resource!
We have lived in both, our current being new construction, and I must admit that I adore the character of older homes, but love the convenience of our new home. Since moving isn’t an option in the near future, I have made it my mission to carve out character into our current home. We installed hardwoods in January and instantly changed the “bones” of our house. I think it’s fun either way: update an old home, or “downdate” a new! :)
Nold, I love the charm and craftsmanship of old, but not the insulation, window efficiency, bathroom(pink and blue) tile, kitchen(60′s tile with dark brown grout), entry(again patterned 60′s tile with dark brown grout). Here in Ca. a home that’s new with charming features(hardwoods, mouldings etc. would be astronomically priced). Hope your feeling well and baby comes soon, can’t wait!!!
I voted old… I don’t like new homes… They all seem the same and lack character… Really though, i’d prefer to just design and custom build my own home that way it would still have all the character and be exactly how I want. But that wasn’t an option really
I voted old, but my ideal would be new built to look old.
I voted for old – my house is 108 years old….on the outside. :) All that was left of our giant brick rowhouse in Baltimore was the four outside walls. Everything in the house is new, or salvanged from what we found in the basment. We have exposed brick walls everywhere and old exposed beams, but brand new floors and electrical and all that…so i guess you could say i like Nold, bc i got both!
In my dreams I have a gorgeous old house that has been rennovated to perfection. I like the old bones but I don’t want to deal with any old problems :)
Also, I’d like it backed up to a forest or woods but with an ocean view.
Please send ASAP, thank you.
I say “old” because they do have more character, and I’m all about rehabbing! I like the idea of revitalizing old buildings so we don’t have to go out and build more.
this question couldn’t have come at a better time.
we live in an area where the beautiful older homes that we love are in a very expensive part of town (if we want to buy an old home in a good, family-friendly neighborhood). we used to live in an adorable bungalow in that area, but had to move when two kids pushed us over the edge of how many people could fit in our house. i adored all the charm of our home and all the charm of the neighborhood; my husband? not so much. because he’s a tech guy, the house had wiring issues and electrical issues that didn’t jive with his needs in a home office. so we moved. for the past five years we’ve been in the ‘burbs in a newER house than our bungalow, but there are still limitations to the wiring.
because of something that’s a very long story, we are moving next year. as much as i would love to go back to an old house, the problems with that are two-fold: we would have to invest a lot of money in getting an old home *that we could afford* up to snuff in the technology department, and secondly, the older neighborhoods aren’t in great locations for schools, and my oldest needs programming that is only available in a few schools in that area. so we are building. but we are building in an area that a) is not a cookie-cutter neighborhood, and b) will allow us to make our new home look like an old home, complete with salvaged architectural elements from those older homes. best of both worlds. plus, after a lot of research, we chose the top-rated green builder in our area, so we aren’t stressing about building waste or building a house that will have a large footprint, regardless of the energy output my husband requires for work.
while i would much prefer to buy old and restore it to it’s former glory, that just isn’t in the cards right now, financially or for what we need at this stage of life.
I live in the old house and I want NEW, where everything is square with plenty of closets and outlets.
OLD for sure! I grew up in a city which boasts the second largest number of Victorian homes on the west coast. I am in love with older homes- so much character and made so solid. I will never buy a new/newer home, so I guess that limits my options to older, more established cities.
I voted for the mixture. I wouldn’t want an old home mostly due to the increase in maintenance (or at least the increase that I’ve seen from my own experience, some might disagree), but I’ve never wanted to build a new house. I’d want something 5-10 or so years old that has had an owner but still has the things that come along with a newer house.
This is such a good question! I would have liked to vote old, but since I have never proven that with actual purchasing, I voted nold. We bought brand new on the first house and 15 years old on the current. But we did at least look at old houses this time. The problem is that I can only afford the old ones in neighborhoods that don’t have the best crime rate. Maybe next time…
I vote old! You can’t beat the quality and craftmanship of older homes! And then, you can update them just like you guys have. They just don’t make houses like the used to!
I went with the slightly used option. Even though I love the character of old houses especially from the outside because they don’t look cookie-cutter like all the houses in new developments, I prefer the more open layouts of newer houses. So I guess what I really like is a “newish” house that is not in a planned development.
The first house I bought was an old house and I just bought a newer house. While I love the character (and hardwood floors!) of the older house, the maintenance was getting to be too much for me. Like someone else said, it is hard to keep clean and things were constantly having to be updated. And the closets and bathrooms were so, so small.
Our new house has huge walk-in closets and huge bathrooms with jacuzzi tubs, walk-in showers, a garage, etc. Having all this space and extra storage space has been much better for us. We no longer feel like we are living on top of each other. So right now, I’m enjoying the extra space and amenities of a new house.
an OLD house in NEW orleans… someday. I need to start playing the lottery more often.
Love the question, but I think you left a key answer out of the poll. My DREAM house would be new and custom built (in order to have all the immenities and a functional layout), but it would be jam packed with old world style details, plenty of character and a few fun nooks & crannies! :) Did I mention that it would be on the bay in Annapolis? You did say “dream house”, right??
We went with new for our first home. I love the charm of an older home, but financially we feel good knowing that everything is new and we shouldn’t have any major problems in the forseable future. We got to design the floorplan the way we wanted to (bonus!). There is just something about a hundred year old home that has it’s charm and maybe later in life we will go that route.
I voted NOLD. I love the look of an old craftsman style home. I don’t really care for the wiring, plumbing and windows that come with an old house. I love an old window but prefer it hung on a lead free painted wall. Ideally I’d really love to design & build a new home with all the old characteristics.
While I love older homes, and enjoy those home improvement projects (duh, otherwise your blog wouldn’t be a favorite of mine), my dream home is the new home that my hubs and I will design and build custom to our own preferences, which would probably include some of those craftsman like details found in older homes.
When we bought our house last year, we looked at everything from new (2007) to ooooold (1890) and finally settled on our lovely little 1943 bungalow. Although sometimes I see other homes with their fancy kitchens, storage space, and master bathrooms and get a twinge of jealousy, I love our simple home and all of its history. My husband’s aunts played pranks on our home’s residents in the 70s! Gotta love that. And, thanks to a little elbow grease (ok a lot of elbow grease) we are working on getting everything possible out of our home (maybe even that master bathroom!). Thanks go to you guys for fueling the creativity and giving a great example of thinking outside the box and maximizing every space in stylish and beautiful ways. Love the inspiration I get around here. :)
Okay this is a dream. Right? I voted old. Along with that, however, I would (in this dream) have all the money that I could possibly need to address the concerns that an old home comes with. What a lovely dream that would be!
Old! Though if that second picture you posted is of a new house, I’d take that one too. Most new houses don’t look like that. I’d also take a new house if the architect didn’t think a 600 square foot “master suite” was a selling point, if the garage wasn’t the main design feature, if it was in a gridded neighborhood where biking and walking to useful destinations (grocery stores, banks, restaurants, the post office, etc.) was a possibility, if small details weren’t viewed as a waste of time, and so on.
I’ve owned and lived in a brand new townhouse and an older (1970′s) house. My dream house would be new construction. Its just so much easier in so many ways. 5 years ago I would have said I like the character of an old house but now the thought of moving into an older home and having to do work with a little one running around… not so appealing. I’ve also watched family members renovate a 1960′s home, 1940′s and 1910. Next time I want move-in ready!
I crave character!! When I picture my dream house, it is actually a Victorian rowhouse! My husband and I are currently saving up for an old fixer-upper!
I pick new. I have had both. We completely gutted and renovated (inside and out) a gorgeous two-story duplex…in two years…the first year we were married.
It was a great project and I am proud to have done it and learned so much. Then we moved into a house that was only a year old and the people before us only lived there a short time before they were transferred.
Now our third house, I had to have a new one. I was spoiled in the second house. It was such a nice change to have straight walls and know that all the dirty came from us. We don’t have pets because my hubby is very allergic. So we had to get one that was new or never had pets living in it either because it would still bother him.
So we have found our dream home in a new house. But we HAD to have an unfinished basement! We still like projects! :)
old because of the character but mostly because you can play with the aspect of old vintage charm with modern furniture and design. although i am sure the maintenance on a new home is so much less stressful.
Old! My 1950′s house is so much better built than anything new out there. We had some damage from the 2 blizzards that hit us in MD a few months ago, but if the same thing has happened to us in a new house, we would have been rebuilding the house! Plaster walls, trim … and we have a lot of closets actually. Sure, no walk ins, but still tons of storage.
I picked “Nold.” I like old houses (specifically mid-century modern construction and pre-war Craftsmans) with modern updates, like new appliances in the kitchen and bathrooms that look like day spas.
I grew up in an 1890 Victorian, just south of Boston. I think that, coupled with my mother’s amazing collection of vintage housewares and antique furniture, has definitely swayed me to the ‘old’ side. Our dream home would be between 60 and 100 years old, but have recent (read: last 15 years or so) updates, including wiring and plumbing. The worst part for my parents about keeping up their gorgeous home was the significant updates they had to make during my childhood: new wiring, plumbing, brand new kitchen floors, getting rid of all the lead paint, etc. It’s important to me to find a house with a mix of old charm and new amenities… But I wouldn’t say no to a claw-foot soaking tub! :)
I couldn’t agree with Liz @ Bon Temps more…an old house in NOLA would be perfect. Since that isn’t in the cards for me either, an old house that needs some work, with a large enough yard for my dogs and kids (and maybe a few more of each) that’s up here but not too far outside the city.
I’m on week 11 of a one week bedroom remodel and it’s truly been a labor of love. I voted old and wouldn’t have it any other way but it’s a lot of work!
For most people’s budgets the decision seems to be new build or unrennovated old. We chose new for the convenience, but I can say with 100% confidence that our house is not built as well as one built even 30 years ago.
My dream would be to completely update an old home…..but that just isn’t affordable where we live.
This is a hard question. I prefer the STYLE of newer houses better- modern/contemporary. However; I definitely prefer the IDEA of an old house better- saving resources. I couldn’t care less about being the first one into the house or having all new STUFF.. I just could not commit to spending my life in a house with a style that I do not like.
My husband and I got super lucky- we landed a house on land that we love and the house is small enough that when the time comes, we will be able to do an addition/full remodel to create the style of home that we (I) love. We aren’t going to have to use up as many resources since we are just doing an addition.
I voted for NOLD. I adore my old house. It has such character and is built to last. However, it’s difficult and more expensive to renovate a lot of times and we’re always fixing something. Plus, in places it does show it’s age a little and we can’t afford a full facelift for it.
Our house is my ideal combination of old and new – it was built in 1912, and still has the original hardwoods, huge brick fireplace, doors, antique brass knobs, and some other quirky structural details, but was completely renovated three years ago to update the kitchen and bathrooms with all the modern upgrades (granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, new stone tile floors, etc.). It’s the best of both worlds!
I voted nold! I LOVE the character of an older home, but as one who is in the midst of remodeling, I HATE HATE HATE that nothing is square, beams are twisted, and all repairs cost twice as much as you thought & take twice as long!! I would much rather have a custom built house that was designed to have all the characteristics that we all love about older homes. Why did they stop building them like that anyway???
I like old, because I feel that builders took pride in their work because it not only reflected on their company, but on them as a craftsman. And I love the fact that their is history:)
Now a days it just seems like they are building machines. New houses=money. Then if you want the nice extras you pay them more and they gotcha!!
OLD, all the way! I’m currently living in a new-construction condo building, and it’s the most boring thing imaginable, but I’m moving into an apartment in a 1910 rowhouse next month, and I’m so excited! It’s gorgeous, with tall windows and an original fireplace mantle, but also totally quirky, with no hallways (just rooms that open on to each other), a closet that was made out of part of the bedroom, and no central a/c. But I’m totally willing to live with the quirks to get the character…and it doesn’t hurt that I’m still renting and when anything goes wrong or breaks, I can just call the landlord! :-)
The absolute best option is to get an older house that the previous owner (the one right before you) fixed up and modernized a little – maybe updated kitchen and bathrooms, a little more storage, etc. So in other words, I’d like to buy an old house right after a Petersik-equivalent family is done with it :)
I would love an old home — but a smaller one so I don’t have to deal with as many large-scale renovations.
I voted for new. I currently live in an old house (1880) and I’ve determined all the work that comes with it is not for me. I do love the charm they have though so what I really want is a new house but with character. I don’t want a builder basic new house. I figure all old houses started out being new at some point.
What older houses lack in closet space, they make up for in solid construction. Newer homes are built on “the cheap”. When I go to remodel my bathroom, I’m going to need a jackhammer to get up the tile!! My walls are thick, and the house stays cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Go old houses!!
PS: You have to give birth on Sunday, my birthday! Try really hard!
Barbara
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http://ifididnthaveasenseofhumor.blogspot.com
I voted Nold because I love the character and charm of an older home but not the up keep. My husband nor I are handy so it would be an expensive undertaking for us.
I voted Nold – I love the character of an old home but I will probably eventually build my own because I want it to be “green”. To that end, I’ll probable use repurposed wood and what not, but sort of difficult to make sure an older home is up to code with LEED than to see what goes into each step of the process building a new one.
New. I currently live in a Century + home, I love the characteristics of it, the large crown and base moulding, and mature neighbourhood. But there is just too much upkeep with a home as old as this one.
We’re building new now and I just can’t wait!