old or new?

Originally Posted By: cnordby
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This is something that has been on my mind. (as some of you know… I am a signmaker wannbe home inspector who hasn’t done enough studying in the inspection trade yet)


In your opinion.....do you like the way the older homes are built compared to newer homes? What I am really curious about is the stuff they build the houses with now instead of using real plywood. My house is an older mid 60's house. It seems to be built well. I enclosed the carport and used OSB board instead of plywood as the builder suggested. However before the siding was put on it did rain (AHEM I live in Seattle). some of the OSB sorta swelled. So what's up with using this stuff??? Will the newly built houses last as long as the older ones????? let's be honest............


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SafeHOME
Seattle, WA.
www.signsbycheryl.freeservers.com

Originally Posted By: phinsperger
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  • consume less wood

  • engineered wood products can utilize younger trees

  • engineered wood products are more stable (unless they get wet icon_smile.gif )

  • air tight - more energy efficient

  • better concrete mixes for foundations.

  • built using tested and approved methods

  • Less toxic material (that we know of) used like lead and asbestos.

  • built mostly by builders who should know what they are doing


Cons of New houses vs Older Houses
- emissions given off by engineered wood products
- air tight - poor air quality requiring additional mechanical means
- balloon framing allowed ease of running cables etc post construction.
- old houses are sturdier (the one that wern't have already fallen down)
- more often being built on recovered land ie. swampy areas
- built mostly by builders that only care about their bottom line
- built using time honored methods that have stood the test of time

Over all I would have to say I would prefer a newer house. An ICF house to be exact.

In my opinion, no, OSB will not standup as long as a wood plank under the same conditions. But we have better means of protecting the OSB from water than they did many decades ago. It is also cheaper and environmentally friendlier to replace than wood planks.


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.


Paul Hinsperger
Hinsperger Inspection Services
Chairman - NACHI Awards Committee
Place your Award Nominations
here !

Originally Posted By: aslimack
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Cheryl,


I much prefer the 50's-60's homes. The biggest reasons for me would be the real lumber. I would liken it to, Which would you rather have, a real roast beef sandwich, or one of those things with air bubbles you get from Arbys. I don't see the advantage to me, the consumer, of taking a whole product, chewing it up, and reforming it for me. I know what the advantage is for them, but at what cost. I think you saw that with your garage.


Adam, A Plus


Originally Posted By: kdemski
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: “Plywood vs. OSB”. Check it out.


Originally Posted By: rlind
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Cheryl,


I have to put myself in the older home category, for the reasons mentioned above and for the reason of character. Older homes each have a character unique to each ot them. Starting with the builder who built the house without the aid of power tools and electronic measuring equipment, to the pride in craftsmanship exhibited in most of the older homes, to the unique "touches" each subsequent owner of an older home has placed into the home.

I own a farmhouse built around 1900. The foundation is made of limestone cut from nearby on the property (the small pit is still there!). The tiny original house was added onto several times through the decades, with the end result being one unique property.

If only the walls could talk - what stories they could tell!

Like most of us, I have inspected homes ranging from new to over 100 years old (over 200 on the east coast!). The more inspections I perform, the more I realize how I personally prefer an older (albiet drafty) home.

That are my thoughts....

Thanks,

Ron Lind
Solid Foundation Home Inspections, LLC


Originally Posted By: tcrouch
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Well as a carpenter and builder that has torn apart many older homes and built many new ones I would have to say I prefer new. With the way the used to build, it is amazing that so many of these older homes are still standing. Not to mention, newer homes are typically more environmental friendly all the way around. As for which will last longer, my bet is on the new ones based on all the fasteners we are required to use and the higher quality products that go into newer homes. Just my thoughts for what it’s worth icon_smile.gif


Originally Posted By: cnordby
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Thank you for your thoughts everyone. I love older homes. I also know that those older homes have electrical and plumbing troubles to be updated. However the new homes smell like OSB !


I will check out the article.

thanks again!


--
SafeHOME
Seattle, WA.
www.signsbycheryl.freeservers.com

Originally Posted By: jwortham
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Put me in the old home camp too.


Used to own a classic Chicago bungalow built in 1922. I LOVED that house.

From the stained glass windows to the oak moldings. All brick, skip sheathing on the roof, plaster walls.

Loved finding things like the hardwood floors that were buried under that cheap 50's linoleum.

Yep, it was drafty, but it had TONS more character than my 70's suburban home now.


Originally Posted By: cnordby
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yep have to agree with you on the older homes being cool! I lived in a 1910 home that was so much fun. Triple mouldings on the ceilings…mud rooms…old lead glass windows …I loved that house. I would love a new house, but just can’t get past the fact that the whole thing would be made with OSB.



SafeHOME


Seattle, WA.


www.signsbycheryl.freeservers.com

Originally Posted By: rray
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I would prefer to have a brand new home so I can watch it disintegrate.


Actually, though, I want a smart home.

Here in San Diego, though, I would not buy anything that is not at least 10 years old. That's because the way the landfill doesn't get packed down until an El Nino or Hawaiian Express comes through, and we get those every five years or so, so a 10-year-old house would ensure that the fill has been packed down by Father Nature (Mother Nature is too busy making peach cobbler) and all the cracks are now visible. Now I can deal with it properly.

Smart homes have only been around here for a couple of years, so I guess I'll be ready to buy a "new" home here in 2010 or so.


--
Home inspections. . . .
One home at a time.

Originally Posted By: wcampbell
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Down here on the coast, you will see homes that were built in the 30s through 60’s , and they have been through a LOT of storms. Texas Windstorm keeps having to change the codes just so the new homes don’t blow away.



This Ole House-Home Inspections


William A. Campbell TREC # 6372


Serving the Texas Coastal Bend


(361) 727-0602 (home)


(361) 727-0055 (office)


(361) 229-4103 (cell)

Originally Posted By: cradan
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*Oak and other hardwood framing and floors


*Real plaster/lath walls


*Full stone and brick fireplace/hearth


*Stone (granite, not limestone) foundation


*The little hatchway leading from the back porch (outside) to the kitchen pantry (inside) for fresh milk delivery


*A front door that the local P.D. would have difficulty breaking-down, even with one of their whatchamacallits (battering rams).


*Lotsa character and a neighborhood appeal not often found in the “modern” version of a subdivision



Not Missing:
*Drafts. Lots of them. No need for Radon mitigation.
*Noisy steam radiators. Cling. Clang. Cling. Clang. Psssssssst.
*The massive 16" asbestos-wrapped Philadelphia Steam Heating Company steam main running through the basement. Yeah...I remember sweeping-up the FRIABLE ASBESTOS packing off the floor, circa 1968. As a result, I'm not making retirement plans, nor buying any green bananas.
*Stairway squeaks. 2nd, 5th and 9th stair treads, ascending
*"High-Tech" 1919 double-hung ballast and rope-operated windows. Scrape, paint, putty and re-glaze every three years, whether they need it or not

![icon_wink.gif](upload://ssT9V5t45yjlgXqiFRXL04eXtqw.gif)


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Chris
http://www.inspect4me.com
Chicago Illinois Home Inspections