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Things to look out for in a period property (100yrs + old)

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    #32
    ElKavo
    Registered Users Posts: 861 ✭✭✭ElKavo


    Gerry T wrote: »
    Woodworm in attic, floors etc. Wall plates [timber that sits on brickwork that the joists sit on] can be rotten. You can check for movement in floorboards in corners of rooms, gentle jump up and down will show any movement.

    If it's old wiring, plumbing, central heating will most likely need to be done.

    Next it's water tight..check windows, roof. Flashing at chimney etc.. Any wet patches on walls, rising damp.

    Look for signs of cover-up work, drylining is always a bad sign in old houses, suspect damp coming through the walls. Possible that there is no cavity [just double red brick]

    Some great tips here. Thanks a mill. I don't know what the external wall materials are as it is plastered over. Maybe I will be able to tell when I get to the house.


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    #33
    ElKavo
    Registered Users Posts: 861 ✭✭✭ElKavo


    Glass fused light wrote: »
    EPA can send you a test kit

    https://www.epa.ie/radiation/meas/radon/

    Great stuff, its 3 months to sit in place though so I wouldn't know until after I purchased and live in the property...


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    #34
    ElKavo
    Registered Users Posts: 861 ✭✭✭ElKavo


    Glass fused light wrote: »
    Add lead paint
    if pulling down walls or stripping back woodwork/walls testing.

    What can be done with lead paint other than mask up and remove?

    Cheers


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    #35
    Glass fused light
    Registered Users Posts: 1,576 ✭✭✭Glass fused light


    ElKavo wrote: »
    What can be done with lead paint other than mask up and remove?

    Cheers
    It's a metal suspended in the paint so as far as I am aware the danger is fragments as it disintegrates and humans end up swallowing it, so good dust control would be needed. In theory in low traffic areas if you dont have a chewy pet ( or child) it could just be painted over and left. <edit the danger is that it's a slow build poison and usually at fatal levels by the time of diagnosis. end edit> It has a low melting point so flame/heat gun would not be the best way to remove it. Realistically the biggest danger from lead is from the water system of either lead pipe or fragments from the seals around the copper pipes. And if the flashing on the roof is old don't use a water butt for the veggies


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    #36
    Roger Mellie Man on the Telly
    Registered Users Posts: 1,096 ✭✭✭Roger Mellie Man on the Telly


    You're almost certainly going to need to sink at least 100k into it.


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    #37
    jlm29
    Registered Users Posts: 3,818 ✭✭✭jlm29


    Just to add a bit of positivity to the thread- our house is around 180 yrs old. We’ve done it up in stages- new central heating, rewire lots of cosmetic stuff.
    Our house was never vacant, which I know makes a difference, but we haven’t found any horrors lurking anywhere really.... it’s been relatively straightforward throughout, and although we’ve spent a nice bit of money at this stage, its not phonebook figures, and has stayed fairly manageable!
    Good luck!


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    #38
    ElKavo
    Registered Users Posts: 861 ✭✭✭ElKavo


    jlm29 wrote: »
    Just to add a bit of positivity to the thread- our house is around 180 yrs old. We’ve done it up in stages- new central heating, rewire lots of cosmetic stuff.
    Our house was never vacant, which I know makes a difference, but we haven’t found any horrors lurking anywhere really.... it’s been relatively straightforward throughout, and although we’ve spent a nice bit of money at this stage, its not phonebook figures, and has stayed fairly manageable!
    Good luck!

    Well that is great to hear. Best I can tell the property is not in disrepair let alone derelict etc. I have been told by the agent that there are parts that need to be redone and some that simply need to be modernized, he has said it is easily habitable. I just want to know all the pit falls that I could be facing and how to spot them when we view with out untrained eyes.

    Glad to hear that it has worked out for you. appreciate your comment.


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    #39
    Seth Brundle
    Moderators, Politics Moderators Posts: 38,855 Mod ✭✭✭✭Seth Brundle


    ElKavo wrote: »
    I have been told by the agent that there are parts that need to be redone and some that simply need to be modernized, he has said it is easily habitable.
    Bear in mind that they don't work for you. Their job on behalf of the vendors is to sell the house.
    Over the years, I've seen some estate agents tell blatant lies about properties in order to get a sale. I previously mentioned lanes because a house backing onto a lane beside us was sold partly on the basis of vehicular access. My father had written to the estate agent at the start of the sale informing them that the house for sale only had pedestrian access (to my knowledge the EA eventually was sued).

    You need to get the property inspected before you fully commit to the house e.g. I used this crowd when buying my current (1970s) house.


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    #40
    ElKavo
    Registered Users Posts: 861 ✭✭✭ElKavo


    Seth Brundle wrote: »
    Bear in mind that they don't work for you. Their job on behalf of the vendors is to sell the house.
    Over the years, I've seen some estate agents tell blatant lies about properties in order to get a sale. I previously mentioned lanes because a house backing onto a lane beside us was sold partly on the basis of vehicular access. My father had written to the estate agent at the start of the sale informing them that the house for sale only had pedestrian access (to my knowledge the EA eventually was sued).

    You need to get the property inspected before you fully commit to the house e.g. I used this crowd when buying my current (1970s) house.

    Oh absolutely, I am well aware of the agents role. The property will be fully inspected by a trained professional. The post is just to get some obvious things that I could see for myself on first visit.

    Thanks for the link, I will be looking for recommendations on surveyors / engineers etc once we have made an initial decision on the property. I do note that they don't have an "instant quote" for the area but I will keep the reference anyway.


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