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At what point does a house reach the end of its life?
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Horizon81
Posts: 1,594 Forumite
I'm asking this question in the context of late 1800s/early 1900s terraced housing, built for pit workers, the standard 2 up, 2 down style houses.
I'm in the north east and there are hundreds of these such streets that are getting increasingly run down - by which I mean they've got damp, many only have coal fires, many are sitting empty (e.g. in a row of 20 terraces, half are empty), chimneys are falling down, bricks spalling etc etc. They sit available 'to let' for years on end, quite simply nobody wants them.
To me it seems that these houses have reached the end of their life and need pulling down and starting again, but obviously that isn't possible when they're mostly privately owned, inhabited or not. At the same time they must reach a point when they have fallen so far into disrepair that it makes no sense to fix them, or they become structurally unsound. If it were a car, it would be scrapped. But what happens with houses - do they just fall into disrepair and if you're stuck in a terrace and sandwiched between 2 such dilapidated houses that are falling down, is it just tough luck?
Thankfully it's not me in this boat, but I know a few people who are and it's sad to think what state these streets/houses will be like in say, 20 years time.
I'm in the north east and there are hundreds of these such streets that are getting increasingly run down - by which I mean they've got damp, many only have coal fires, many are sitting empty (e.g. in a row of 20 terraces, half are empty), chimneys are falling down, bricks spalling etc etc. They sit available 'to let' for years on end, quite simply nobody wants them.
To me it seems that these houses have reached the end of their life and need pulling down and starting again, but obviously that isn't possible when they're mostly privately owned, inhabited or not. At the same time they must reach a point when they have fallen so far into disrepair that it makes no sense to fix them, or they become structurally unsound. If it were a car, it would be scrapped. But what happens with houses - do they just fall into disrepair and if you're stuck in a terrace and sandwiched between 2 such dilapidated houses that are falling down, is it just tough luck?
Thankfully it's not me in this boat, but I know a few people who are and it's sad to think what state these streets/houses will be like in say, 20 years time.
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Almost any house can be improved. That enhances its value. 'Old' does not have to mean 'to be demolished'.0
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Not a joke,,,i would imagine when ot falls down.0
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My parents house is 350years old and not about to fall down! It has absolutely no foundations!!!0
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If you build a house (any kind of house) and then completely fail to maintain it, it will eventually fall down.
If the house was well built in the first place, and you maintain it properly, it can last for hundreds of years.0 -
the problem is nobody wants them
in London the house would be worth maybe 300,000 but where-ever you are talking about they are worthless
so if nobody wants them they have no value; historically there have been lots of abandoned cities0 -
Most people move house when they have worn the place out.
Almost all houses for sale need a new roof or similar major expenditure.0 -
Clapton's hit the nail on the head - the problem is nobody wants them. I'm not talking about desirable homes here, not quaint old cottages or stone built farmhouses - just 100+ year old nasty looking red brick terraces. Assuming many are just sitting on a distant landlords portfolio, it's only a matter of time before they become fall into disrepair and these owners don't care.0
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My home was built in 1732 and it's still standing. So the answer is - after at least more than 250 years."There are not enough superlatives in the English language to describe a 'Princess Coronation' locomotive in full cry. We shall never see their like again". O S Nock0
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900 years and still going strong
http://www.leeds-castle.com/goto.php?id=81&pg=The_Castle&sess=+A5D5746505156+F1D42131744505D1D1D5B47591B165514+D4158415F5F4419+F54+F+C42Remember the saying: if it looks too good to be true it almost certainly is.0 -
Mr_Thrifty wrote: »Most people move house when they have worn the place out.
Almost all houses for sale need a new roof or similar major expenditure.
I'm not sure I agree with this. People move for lots of reasons but I think a tiny minority are when the place is worn out.Remember the saying: if it looks too good to be true it almost certainly is.0
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