🧑🤝🧑 / 🏡 Zillow: 1760 stone farmhouse for less than a million bucks (county) in Doylestown, PA.
- Thread starter TerryP
- Start date
It has plumbing, natural gas heating, they're using window units for AC so there's power...how's it not functional?
The biggest problem the property has is the detached garage; looks horrible. (And, that house is pretty close to what appears to be a highway.)
No insulation (first photo) in Pennsylvania. Floors and ceilings need to be redone. I noticed they don't show the kitchens and bathrooms.
I would LOVE a shot at refinishing those floors! There are several areas that need work. But none of it too extensive for me. The reply was to "functional."
I'm going to make an assumption here that there wasn't any insulation in 1760.
I have to weigh that against how the stones would absorb and hold heat. If the fireplaces work, when combined with the heating already installed? There's an image of a wash area that has a spray hose, single basin sink. It's next to a set of stairs; possibly off of a bathroom.
The kitchen needs some work, sure. By all appearances the house was kept up fairy recently. There's still diving board in the back over a covered in-ground pool.
Just guessing ... a fairly nice place 40 or so years ago. The carpet next to the stairs looks 70's .
The first three words of the listing sum it up: "Opportunity and Potential:"
Fire places aren't very efficient, lose too much heat out the chimney. Wood stoves are very efficient but even they would have a hard time putting out enough heat to counteract the Pennsylvania winter temps on the stone. I would probably tear out the interior wall coverings, spray foam and reinstall wall covering. Would probably pay for itself in 30 years or so but would also add value if you sold. Inspect/Redo the plumbing and electric while it was open.I would LOVE a shot at refinishing those floors! There are several areas that need work. But none of it too extensive for me. The reply was to "functional."
I'm going to make an assumption here that there wasn't any insulation in 1760.
There's an image of a wash area that has a spray hose, single basin sink. It's next to a set of stairs; possibly off of a bathroom.
The kitchen needs some work, sure. By all appearances the house was kept up fairy recently. There's still diving board in the back over a covered in-ground pool.
Just guessing ... a fairly nice place 40 or so years ago. The carpet next to the stairs looks 70's .
The first three words of the listing sum it up: "Opportunity and Potential:"
Not sure if you've ever refinished floors but it's an art. Don't take much to leave low spots with a sander. I'd hire someone if I did it in anything besides a cabin or somewhere it could be part of the rustic charm, make too many errors.
But with only 0.8 acres I wouldn't be interested.
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I would LOVE a shot at refinishing those floors! There are several areas that need work. But none of it too extensive for me. The reply was to "functional."
I'm going to make an assumption here that there wasn't any insulation in 1760.
There's an image of a wash area that has a spray hose, single basin sink. It's next to a set of stairs; possibly off of a bathroom.
The kitchen needs some work, sure. By all appearances the house was kept up fairy recently. There's still diving board in the back over a covered in-ground pool.
Just guessing ... a fairly nice place 40 or so years ago. The carpet next to the stairs looks 70's .
The first three words of the listing sum it up: "Opportunity and Potential:"
Just bringing it up to code will be expensive. Across all the photos I saw three electrical outlets. 40 years ago was 1986. I'll say it was nice in the 60s.
Six times. Only one was the whole house, two were the house sans the bedrooms (left carpet,) and then three smaller projects.
The first one was back in '86 and the sanding was done with a palm sander. The last one was just a few years ago; three BR's, hall, and LR. Three of us did that all by hand (versus a commercial floor sander.)
Slow, tedious work but also work I find enjoyable. EXCEPT, the one room where it looked like the owner had either fallen asleep and dropped a cigar or cigarette on the floor...or, may have even put one out. I don't know ... other than the 27 burn marks in the oak. To a degree they were still there when we finished; coudn't sand them out completely without a small divot.
To date, the only flooring I haven't put down is linoleum: the big rolls you cut in one piece to fit a room. I have an unhealthy hatred for those floor coverings; period.
I'm sure that led the previous owners to install the heating system. My thought was the combination of the two kept someone warm a few decades ago. In 1760? Yeah, not so efficient I'd think.
Expensive? That's assumed. Time would be a bigger hurdle.
I can't help myself. I look at that and just see a lot of fun.
I used a drum type floor sander and the floors were old pine so they were pretty soft. Did the edges with a palm sander, no way I have the patience to do a whole floor like that unless there was minimal sanding to do. I thought it looked pretty good but I did make some low spots with the sander.
I have done hardwood, linoleum, tile, lvp, and carpet. Can't say I enjoyed any of them but I hate linoleum and carpet floors.
Her name wa ...
Hate may be a strong enough word. I'll take it under consideration. At this point I don't trust my judgment.
The friend I told you about helping me a few weeks ago. Around that time he'd started talking about his kitchen. HIS first thought was a sheet of linoleum. In that conversation he learned two things. One, I wasn't going to help. And two, it was a mistake. He needed to use LVP (which would also include my help.)
Now, here's a little 'crazy.' I redid all of my bathroom floors with LVP. Dennis actually helped on two. But...didn't cross him mind with the kitchen (in spite of us laying laminate in the hall and living room.)
In hindsight, I wish I would have used LVP in my kitchen. I enjoyed that work. It was a first. I'd only watched a few people use a wet saw. I've seen a few people grout (which led to videos.)
But. BUT...
Having walked on some of the better WPC offerings that are out there now? I wish I'd done my kitchen that way. I've spent a little money on my anti-fatigue mats. Standing on that tile...geez. Wear your ass out.
If it was on YouTube,and I had looked something up on flooring ... wouldn't shock me at all.The algorithms
...said thinkin', "he's probably still right." I mean, who ever thought "Big Brother" would be your neighbor?
I'm going to order some mulch today. I swear, IF I see an ad for mulch on Home Depot.com!!!
It's coming
