Question from Stacey Santoro
Hi Debra,
I am looking to find a better neighborhood for my family. I love our house, but our street is right off of a 4 lane, busy, fast moving street.
Our house was built in 1985, and it’s a pretty well built home. I also like that the bedrooms have no ceiling lights so I assume this means less wiring or lower EMF’s (but I really have no idea if I’m correct about that). Unfortunately we do have oil heat, and abut a private golf course, but other than that, I’m happy with the house.
When looking at other homes, does the age of the home matter? I found one that is the ideal location, however, it is 2 years older than my house (1983) and I wonder if I should not look at homes older than mine. Do I need to worry about pipes, older fixtures, etc., with older homes (possibly more lead, etc.)? I also worry about maintenance costs.
I thought homes built in the 1980s would be safe from lead paint at least, but I mostly see, “lead paint: unknown,” on the homes’ MLS/listing sheets even for my home and others built in the 1980’s. I also found another home in a lovely neighborhood that was built in 1994, which clearly states there is no lead paint. This home also has gas heat. So, what is important when looking at houses?
Of course my father states that older homes are better because they are built with better materials…I don’t know! I just want the safest house for my small children!
Thanks so much, again!
Debra’s Answer
This is a tough question because there are pros and cons regarding toxics in both older and newer homes.
I generally opt for the older home because they are better built and the problems are easier to fix. The hours I have lived in for the past 14 years was built in 1940.
The main problems with older homes are lead paint and gas heat, and sometimes mold. The benefits are good construction, it’s been around for a long time so materials are aired out, real hardwood floors, wood or old plywood cabinets in kitchen and bath.
In my current house, gas heat is not an issue because I live in Florida. We have a unit with an air conditioner and heat pump. There is a small amount of lead paint on the exterior window frames. But I would rather fix a lead paint problem than the problems of new houses.
New houses are just very poorly built. The contain a lot of particleboard in hidden places that reek formaldehyde. It’s in cabinets, subflooring, inside doors…to fix a particleboard house means ripping out almost the entire interior.
When I lived in California, my ideal time period for a house was the 1960’s. These houses still had hardwood floors, but had electric heat instead of gas. I don’t know if that holds true elsewhere.
If you don’t want gas heat, you can always remove it and install whatever you want. It’s just a lot more difficult to remove all the particleboard.
Old houses can require more repair than newer ones, but once you’ve made the repair you have a home that will last. Newer constrution is just not well built.
I’m especially concerned about homes that abut golf courses! Of all the places where toxic chemicals abound, golf courses must rank at or near the top of the list. All that poison green turf is deceptively pretty. Walking over it, especially when wearing golf cleats, kicks up residue of the chemicals that have been used on it.
When people say, “But I don’t smell anything chemical,” I’d respond that just because you don’t smell chemicals, you can’t conclude that they aren’t present. How do they think that turf got to be so brightly green and weed-free?
And sadly, some very expensive homes are marketed by using their proximity to golf courses. That factor would dissuade, not persuade, me!
I live in a home built in 1938 in Mi. I grew up here and it was given to me when my parents passed away. It is a solid brick home with plaster walls in almost every room. I have made many repairs and seem to never get done fixing things. I will say that I feel very secure with my original iron windows, hardwood floors, solid wood cabinets etc. I replaced the furnace in 08 but did not realize I was so sensitive to gas heat till last year. It is too expensive to replace for me. In the winter I have a hepa filter in each of the main rooms. I also have a hepa on the furnace. Makes no difference. All winter I am plagued with headaches, dizziness, red eyes, sinus issues etc. When the air conditioner is on I do much better. The basement is always damp. I have a dehumidifier down there in the summer but I have some mold issues. It has been cleaned up twice but they seem to come back. I recently found out that there is also some mold in the crawlspace attic. So now I am going to have to get that fixed. Last year I had to redo all of the main plumbing. They used PVC and although it was inside the walls and covered with some drywall it still bothered me for about 6 mos. So my advice is if you get an older home redo most of the under problems ahead of time. So that when you move in it is all aired out and ready. There are many safe ways to fix it if you can find someone who will do it. Then I would say you will have a great house.
I agree. I ALWAYS buy old houses and fix them up.
This is a question I’ve had also.
Debra, what about lead? In addition to the paint, is it likely that older homes have more lead in pipes, fixtures, etc? What can be done about the various sources of lead in an older home?