How old is your house, and how many problems have you had?

[juniperjane]

I ask because my best friend really wants to sell her modern new build house and get something older with character. However her DH won't touch anything 'old' with a barge pole.

So how old is your house, and how many problems have you had with it?

Thanks!

20 yrs old, we've lived here 9.5 yrs. I think it's so nice to live in, very easy house, no dirty loft to deal with, but we've spent plenty on it!

Fascia boards needed repainting (£500)
soft-wood DG windows replaced with PVC because previous owners had painted them over (£4k?)
Some guttering work DH could do (?£50)
Fence posts rot regularly outside (£200 over 10 yrs)
Drains got totally clogged at one point (£5 in water and disgusting job)
We had loads of insulation put in loft & walls (fantastically warmer now, £800?)
Kitchen door & frame rotted, replaced (£120?)
Needed replacement window panes in rear patio door (£60?)
DH knocked a wall thru and built some interior doors because he likes them (£2.5k?)
Karndean flooring & carpets have had it & need replacement (£2-£3k?)
Have had repairs to boiler & hot water tank (£120?)
Had to replace upstairs shower & bath (£500?)
Installed a wood-burner (£800?)

House is 90 years old and we've lived here for 27 years.

We had a survey done before we bought it, which advised that the roof would need replacing in the next couple of years due to its age and construction and expected lifespan.

We had no problems with the roof until about 2010 (it survived the 1987 and 1990 storms intact) and finally had to replace the (original 1920) roof in 2012 as it had started leaking where some of the old iron nails holding the slates on had rusted away. Cost £12k.

A few problems this winter. Chimney now needs rebuilding as rain coming through old brickwork into the loft. Will cost £3.5k to sort.

All the original windows we replaced before we bought the place, and we've replaced them again since.

Exterior is rendered and needs repainting every 10 years or so (cost about £2.5k)

llijkk don't you think it's weird that a door and frame rotten in a house 20 years old while something like our house 130 years old has all original doors and windows with no rot? wood should not rot so quickly it should if initially treated well last years many houses have beams 200,300,400 years old many Georgian and Victorian houses have original windows but yet we think a modern wooden window has done well if it lasts 20 years

sames to 80smum its weird you needed to replace windows twice in 27 years

Yes, the high maintenance of real wood is off-putting and can make the initial investment worthless. That's why we now have PVC windows & door.

Older wood, even softwood, is closer grained so more resistant to rot.

I just think old wood was properly seasoned before use or used green in case of oak; the fast growing pine that shoots up in 10 years is a bit rubbish that is why our wooden windows are ok and new ones are not though of cause they need painted and occasionally sash cords replaced

Our house is 17 years old. It hasn't been properly maintained by the previous owners and there are lots of problems. We knew this and the price reflected that. We are fixing them and it isn't a huge problem but a newish house is not immune from problems.

Around 100 years old - only bought last year mind. Due to proper structural survey, we knew that it needed new roof (£12k), re-wiring/plumbing/central heating (£19k) damp fixing (£4k) and the odd spot of plastering before we bought it. No surprises found during the renovation and came in under budget.

Builder's comment (and he's used to doing old houses) was anything older than about 30 years should already have shown/be showing problems so with a decent survey you'll have a good idea of what you're getting into. New builds are a bit chancier in this regard.

Top flat in a converted house,100 years old.
Have replaced old wooden windows and boiler, which was condemned in horror by gas man one year. Electrics have been troublesome and we need to replace the fuse box as have one of those big old fashioned ones with thin fusewire in.
Roof has needed repairs and we still have a damp patch on our ceiling so looks like it needs more repairs too!

Our house was built in 1938. We have had to replace the roof (slate) and some of the ceilings are showing skgns of damage (due to idiot previous owners).

I grew up in a modern 80s house, it's a lot smaller and identical to the neighbours. Our house, while it has a typical basic layout, the extensions and interior work means it's quite different to the surrounding houses.

120 years, been here 10 years. We've replaced windows which has been expensive. Otherwise, I think everything we've done would count as Improvements rather than maintenance.

Our house is only seven years old and I can tell you new doesn't mean less maintenance.
We have had no end of problems that we have had to sort out and they just keep coming. Its not solid and its not good quality. I'd be surprised if this house is still standing in 20 years never mind 100 years from now.

We don't plan on staying here long term so hopefully 5 years max and i'll have my forever home in a nice little village, (only if this bloody thing doesn't fall down first!!!)

Last house about 200 years old. A lovely characterful house with endless problems with damp, woodworm, subsidence and it cost a fortune to heat. It was a bottomless money pit.

This house is about 18 years old and extremely well built. No major problems so far - just wear and tear

1930's. Solidly built, never had a problem.

About 250 years old. Lots of ongoing maintenance is needed. New sash windows cost a fortune, unusual windows have to be made to measure (last one cost 4000 pounds). We have had to install a new septic tank system, parts of the roof have been retiled, now with all the rain various outside doors need replacing as they are rotten.

Old houses can cost a lot to heat and maintain. However they are gorgeous and I feel very lucky to live in mine.