Edwardian house - What to expect?

elverson

Have a look at the wiring and the plumbing if possible.

Lord_Baltimore

Edwardian properties will have some or all of the following: high ceilings; coving; old wiring; lead plumbing; timber rot; creaky floors; dodgy rooves; black mortar; poor insulation; aging brickwork; various DIY botchings; condensation, mould and cold.

They are owned by frozen-looking senior citizens who want to move out before hypothermia gets them or people indulging in some sort of time-warp period drama mentality who are prepared to suffer for that olde worlde pre-first world war experience.

Houses that are 120 years old cost an arm and a leg to maintain and heat. Their charm wears thin rapidly as your income and savings follow suit. You can divest yourself of this torture by owning a modern home and having money to actually enjoy your life

hazyjo

Each to their own Lord B - I've lived in modern (8 years old) and old (Edwardian/Victorian). Give me an old house any day. Lucky for me, I've got money to enjoy my life too Win-win!


Thankfully we all have our own opinions and like different things - stops the world becoming a VERY boring and predictable place (and there'd be an awful lot of empty old houses lol) :beer:


OP - up to you at the end of the day. No right or wrong. Some like old, some like new. C'est la vie.

Grenage

It's entirely dependent on the house and it's condition.

Our Georgian house is a North-facing semi, with some original windows. It costs a bit more to heat than our old well-insulated 1970s terrace, but it's a price I'm happy to pay. The ceiling height is a big deal to me and the missus.

We only ever have the thermostat to 17, so it might be a different case if turned it up to the tropics.

Modern homes are great for insulation ratings, but that's all I can say. Horses for courses.

Flutterbat17

Ooh this is an interesting thread

We are moving to a old Georgian house and we know for sure it will be cold, damp and drafty in its current condition.

We’ve lived in new builds, we thought we would love our ‘new’ house but in fact we realised we don’t like new builds at all. I find them too hot, boxy and boring amongst other things.

I’m so very excited to move into our cold drafty but full of history and character house. We accept we probably will never have the same amount of disposable income we have now though. Lol. Potential Money pit!

trailingspouse

Lord_Baltimore wrote: »

Edwardian properties will have some or all of the following: high ceilings; coving; old wiring; lead plumbing; timber rot; creaky floors; dodgy rooves; black mortar; poor insulation; aging brickwork; various DIY botchings; condensation, mould and cold. Oh yes, absolutely, couldn't agree more. But you forgot to mention the period features. And you can get DIY botchings, condensation and mould in a modern house.

They are owned by frozen-looking senior citizens who want to move out before hypothermia gets them or people indulging in some sort of time-warp period drama mentality who are prepared to suffer for that olde worlde pre-first world war experience. Or people that just love living somewhere that isn't like every other house on the estate.

Houses that are 120 years old cost an arm and a leg to maintain and heat. Their charm wears thin rapidly as your income and savings follow suit. You can divest yourself of this torture by owning a modern home and having money to actually enjoy your life That's fine, you go buy a modern home and leave the Edwardian ones to those of us who appreciate them.

I've lived in an Edwardian house for 4 years - and yes, there was a lot of work to do when we first moved in but now - wow. We have a full height basement, a 'proper' attic with a real staircase, 4 bedrooms, two bathrooms, and oodles of period features.

For the price we could afford, we could either buy a tiny modern house that needed no work doing to it - or this one. No contest.

Lord_Baltimore

trailingspouse wrote: »

Or people that just love living somewhere that isn't like every other house on the estate.

You never ever see row after row of terraced Edwardian/Victorian properties eh? Fair play to Homes under the Hammer; it's convinced people that civilised living conditions comprise running water and a draught up your trouser leg both of which were enjoyed by prehistoric man in his cave residence.

In a modern house you have reserved parking, an accessible garage, warmth at much less cost, permanent hot water in the tap and no seemingly ever-present hand-wringing workmen who see you as their banking facility.

But to be fair, as Hazyjo says, each to his/her own

benjus

At that age you're probably looking at about 1 ghost per 15 square metres on average.

n217970

I grew up in a 6 bed Edwardian house - fantastic amount of space, garden was great for kids - about 3/4 of an acre (in the middle of a town) but it was bloody cold. You wanted to use a PC upstairs in winter? Need to wear gloves. Probably would have been ok if the old fireplaces upstairs were still open and had roaring fires in each one. Parents tell me the gas bills were still huge even though house felt cold.

Lord_Baltimore

n217970 wrote: »

I grew up in a 6 bed Edwardian house - fantastic amount of space, garden was great for kids - about 3/4 of an acre (in the middle of a town) but it was bloody cold. You wanted to use a PC upstairs in winter? Need to wear gloves. Probably would have been ok if the old fireplaces upstairs were still open and had roaring fires in each one. Parents tell me the gas bills were still huge even though house felt cold.

Brrrrrrrrrr! Perhaps if you'd worn period clothes indoors you would have been more comortable? Y'know, fingerless gloves, a scarf, and a top hat. Coupled with a herringbone overcoat and a woollen throw, you could have been toasty on the old chaise longe .

Do they get colour TV in Edwardian houses?