Those good bones might have some interesting stories inside...
Have you ever dreamed of buying an old, unloved house with lots of character, and good bones and turning it into a beautiful, treasured home? Are you having trouble finding it?
These are interesting times indeed for the real estate industry in Surrey, Langley, White Rock... well, anywhere in the Greater Vancouver area. The smaller unique homes are slowly disappearing, bulldozed and resurrected into much larger multi family homes. It's a challenge, for sure, finding a neighbourhood that isn't likely to be transformed that quickly. However, some neighbourhoods are beginning to have size covenants placed on re-construction and others have heritage status. If you really want a home from a neighbourhood such as these, it might be a good idea to look at OCP (Official Community Plans) or ask the City Planners of your desired neigbhourhood. Sometimes your new neighbours (to be) will be aware of changes.
Or, as luck would have it, you've stumbled across that unique property, with a 50's or 60's bungalow, or California rancher or Craftsman. There's a few things we are going to do before we sign on the dotted line.
I did a little research today, and there's still some real deals to be had out there, particularly in un-renovated homes that have great back-yards and exterior spaces, but the interiors haven't seen new paint since 1980. The price between these unremovable homes, and the renovated or new construction near them can be in the hundreds of thousands, which gives you a budget to turn your unloved house into your own personal "charmer".
Once we've looked at the outside and we've determined that the foundation and roof looks good, let's go inside.
Quality construction - A house with good bones is well-built. On my WALKABOUT (which is one of the reasons I call my company Walkabout Inspections, I "walk" a building looking for fundamental structural problems. How does it feel? Does it bounce or list, or does it "feel" solid? I look for cracks above doorways or in stairways. Are things tight? When I go to the basement, I look along the bottoms of the floor joists. Do they seem to be in a flat plane or do they sag in the middle of their span? Are the joists notched into the sill or resting on their full depth? Can you see cracks between the ends and the sill or are they still tight? When looking down along the foundation wall, does it look plumb or is it listing outward? When outside the building and stepping back looking at it, do the walls have bows or are they straight? Does the house lean to one side or the other? Does the roof of the front porch sag? Are there sways to the roof or is it in one plane?
Good floor plan – Is there a good flow between frequently used rooms, and are these rooms arranged logically? Think about how traffic travels through the house as a whole. You can choose to renovate to make particular rooms more livable, but it is far more costly and complex to make fundamental changes because the entire home’s floor plan just does not work.
If a floor plan feels awkward, try to envision the space with walls moved or taken down entirely. Think about what would happen if you removed the walls between the dining room and kitchen, and the dining room and hallway. It might be possible to create a sense of spaciousness without changing the footprint of the house. It gives the home an open concept footprint that is so in demand these days.
Well-proportioned rooms – Are the home’s rooms a useful size and shape, or can they be easily changed? Many older homes have small rooms that are unsuited to modern lifestyles. It is often possible, however, to move walls and open up spaces relatively easily. Removing walls, adding a beam and creating an open a floor plan can make a separate kitchen, dining room and living room a great entertainment area or family space. On the other hand, sometimes there are fundamental problems that are not easy to correct. The term "walk-in-closet" wasn't around in the early 1960's, not to mention "en-suite" You might have an extra bedroom that can accommodate creating a larger closet and a usable ensuite.
Character -- Houses with good bones have a personality. They don’t look like they were stamped out by a developer with a cookie-cutter. Sometimes even the quirkiest architectural detail can be used to advantage to create a fascinating focal point.
Things that make me go... hmmm.....
Overload Protection: These things are your best friends when it comes to the electricity in your home. We're speaking of fuses and circuit breakers of course. We know how you've been told not to overload an outlet, but yet you can still have six surge protectors strung together with who knows how many things plugged into them! Fuses and circuit breakers are the workhorses of the current. When you demand too much from an outlet, one of two things happen. You trip the breaker or blow a fuse.... Or the bad thing happens - The wire that is only meant to carry 1.5 amps of current has now gotten so hot that it has melted the plastic insulation jacket off and the wires are touching. And a fire has started.
Single Strand Aluminum Wiring: Single strand aluminum wiring in homes has an interesting and controversial history. Houses constructed between the mid-1960’s until the late 1970’s could have single strand aluminum wiring. I've had lots of clients ask, “Is it safe? Should it be replaced?” The short answer is that it is safe and does not need to be replaced. However, it’s good to be aware of some special considerations.
Some symptoms that may indicate problems with aluminum wiring are:
• Flickering lights that can’t be traced to a failing bulb or other external cause.
• Plugs that don’t work even with the circuit energized.
• Uncommon static on the radio, TV or computer.
• Switch plates and receptacle covers that are crooked, discolored or warm.
• Circuit breakers or fuses that trip for no evident reason.
• Unusual odor similar to that of burning plastic around switches and receptacles.
• Smoke or sparking close to electrical devices.
If you observe any of these problems, it is important to have a licensed electrical contractor check the electrical system immediately to determine the best and securest solution to this safety concern.
As a home inspector, it’s important to be able to provide your clients with accurate information to help with their big decisions. Check out my blog on aluminum wiring, where I go into length about this.
http://www.walkaboutinspections.com/blog/aluminum-wiring-in-1970s-homes-info-and-solutions/
As well the BC Safety Authority has a page on it.https://www.safetyauthority.ca/news/electrical-newsletter/does-your-home-have-aluminum-wiring-what-you-need-know.
My next blog will continue into the interiors and we'll look at building a priority list for renovations.
