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What is the expected life-span of a house?

By Richard Weisser

Real Estate Broker/Owner with Richard Weisser Realty

October 22, 2012 10:52 PM

When I was growing up in Western PA, it was not uncommon for a house to be fifty, seventy five, or a hundred years of old.

And many of those houses that were “old” back then are still in use today, with new generations taking advantage of their excellent location and “good bones” construction.

But today I often see houses that are less than twenty years old that are falling apart.

How does this happen? Back in the day there were no uniform building codes, mandatory inspections, and little or no civil interference.

Yet today I see subdivision after subdivision of houses on the brink on condemnation.

Is it possible that all of our “new” construction techniques and materials are inferior to old-world building practices?

Or is it just a lack of maintenance on behalf of the homeowner?

Whatever the reason, some of the houses that I see are more likely candidates for razing than remodeling.

And that is a big part of how we got to where we are today.

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Jeremy Wrenn

Winslow Homes - Youngsville, NC

VP of Finance, Winslow Homes

Well, the materials are certainly smaller today. A 2x4 used to be 2x4, but now it's a 1.5" x 3.5" board, that is structurally sound because of the cut of the wood. And a 2x10 is 1.5" x 9.25". So I think that has a lot to do with the solid "feel" of older homes.

As to why they breakdown sooner/quicker, I think different materials are being used. Yellow pine used to be the wood of choice, and now it's a spruce/fir. The spruce/fir is lighter material, but doesn't have the water resistance the yellow pine boards do with the heavier wood. Keep either wet, and you'll get rot regardless, but yellow pine has a better chance.

And the siding materials are different. It used to be that the siding was also yellow pine or true 3/4" cedar. Now the siding has gone through being a laminate "hardboard", the 3/4" cedar boards were split in half to make bevelled siding, and then we have moved to concrete/composite material.

And the paint is certainly different, since we realized what lead can do to the nervous systems, especially of small children. Lead paint holds up much better than latex, but it also runs huge health risks.

And so many more homes are being built, that the suppliers and builders had to figure out how to get them up quicker to meet demand. So nail guns were developed, smaller nails were made, and boards got smaller so they could use less material for each house to keep up with the material demand as well.

I'm a firm believer that if folks actually KNEW better building practices, that would change the industry. But as has been stated by others on this thread, the consumer doesn't care, and so the builders that would or could build that way can't afford to, as they wouldn't sell their product or would not profit as much.

So I think it's really consumer driven, not industry driven. The industry responds to what the market (consumer) will pay or what they know.

Oct 24, 2012 09:58 AM

Jan Stevens

Coldwell Banker Pittsburgh - Cranberry Township, PA

As a fellow Western Pennsylvanian, I agree! I've seen many old homes (100+) that are very charming -- in fine shape and solid as a rock. I do believe it has to do with building methods and also with maintenance. If there is preventive maintenance, and small problems are taken care of before they become major, the house ages better.

Oct 24, 2012 10:37 AM

MARIDOL GARCIA-JOY

LONG & FOSTER REAL ESTATES - Alexandria, VA

Totally agree with Karen Fiddler; granite counter tops are an obsession out there! Buyers don't care about plumbing & electrical maintenance or updates, it's all about "looks", granite & stainless steel!

Oct 24, 2012 10:46 AM

Lana Hawkins

University Places LLC - Ann Arbor, MI

My house is 100 years old this year. Emil Lorch, dean of the Architecture School at U of M, designed it for Professor Ulrich B Phillips and his wife in 1911/12. I saved it from the wrecking ball about 6 years ago. It was a bit neglected when I took it over. But I could see the "good bones" and won an award from the city of Ann Arbor for rehabbing the place.

I also own 7 rental houses that are about 100 years old. With students living in them they take a beating. However they are still loooking pretty good and make good homes for students in Ann Arbor at the University of Michigan.

A house can last a while if you take care of it.

Oct 24, 2012 10:46 AM

Marte Cliff

Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID

Your real estate writer

Love this conversation and all the respect for old houses. I don't know whether the current trend toward cutting corners is consumer driven - or just because the builders no longer care. But I do know that 100 and 200 years ago the builders seemed to have a lot more pride in their workmanship.

I come from a family of builders - My great-grandfather and grandfather built many of the homes and commercial buildings in this town. My uncle built commercial buildings. My husband built both homes and commercial structures. Now my son is a remodeling contractor - with loads of stories to tell about the horrors he finds inside the walls and under the floors of relatively new homes.

Oct 24, 2012 04:13 PM

Lanise Warrior-Johnson

Real Estate Brokers Services, Inc. - Compton, CA

Real Estate Specialist

Our home was built in 1923, it is structurally sound & full Of charm.

Oct 24, 2012 04:44 PM

Beth and Richard Witt

New York, NY

The best Retired Brokers !!!!

Is it possible that all of our “new” construction techniques and materials are inferior to old-world building practices? .... In my opinion this is a big part of the problem...

Happy Day

Beth

Oct 24, 2012 10:52 PM

Ann Steinemann

Russell Real Estate Services-Sandusky - Sandusky, OH

REALTOR, GRI, PPS

I have no doubt that most homes built prior to 1970 are of better build quality and materials than homes built within the past 40 years. I live in a newer subdivision with most homes built between 2000-2002. Everyone maintains their homes and yards very well but the houses still are not aging well. I see this often-especially in subdivisions built in the past 20 years.

During the building boom, people who had no business building were calling themselves "builders" and hiring anyone who could swing a hammer, called themselves a "carpenter". When you look at the materials-plastic siding, plastic facades, plastic shutters, plastic fencing, plastic piping-it's no wonder things start to look shabby and fall apart after 10 years. Many of the builders who built these homes are no longer in business.

My next home will be purchased prior to 1980.

Oct 24, 2012 11:57 PM

John DL Arendsen

CREST "BACKYARD' HOMES, ON THE LEVEL General & Manufactured Home Contractor, TAG Real Estate Sales & Investments - Leucadia, CA

Crest Backyard Homes "ADU" dealer & RE Developer

As a general & manufactured home contractor for almost 30 years and having purchased a home built in 1951 and adding onto it in 1993 I can definitely attest to the fact that homes built since circa 60's (when they started doing slab on grade vs raised foundations) the quality of building materials has definitely changed for the worse.

1950's and before flooring was tongue and groove hardwood planking for the most part not particle board. Framing was often full size redwood. Walls were genuine lath and plaster. Bathroom and kitchen features were porcelain not fiberglass or acrylic.

I'm living breathing proof of old vs. new. The addition I built in 1993 already needs all the doors and windows replaced while the original doors and windows in the old part of the home are still intact and functional. However, I'll have to replace them when I replace the others since I'm going all vinyl and there would be a definite aesthetic difference. Great short post. LOL! Your post was shorter than my comment! {:<)

Oct 25, 2012 02:40 AM

Sharon Vest

Century 21 JC Jones American Dream - Grants Pass, OR

Cost cutting measure are the culprit here. Inferior products compared to "back in the day". I mean really now, when did a 2x4 become less than 2"x4"? And that would be just one of the items of concern.

Oct 25, 2012 04:56 AM

Nan Jester

Exit Real Estate Gallery Jacksonville Beach, FL - Jacksonville Beach, FL

Realtor, Exit Real Estate Gallery

I live in a home that turns 60 this year, built in 1952 and despite some of its disadvantages, I wouldn't trade it for most of the new homes built today. I do take care of it, too.

Oct 25, 2012 08:54 AM

Eric Batke

Independent Home Inspections and Consulting - Rochester Hills, MI

People pay for what shows.

OSB (glued wood chips) roof sheathing and subflooring is not strong or durable and is highly vulnerable to moisture damage, but it cost a fraction of what it would cost to build with stronger and more durable plywood or wood plank. Plastic CPVC water supply piping is as poor a choice for water under pressure as you can make, but its cost is a fraction of copper. The concrete used today is builder grade that is formulated with the minimum amount of Portland cement allowed by code to minimized cost. The concrete used in poured concrete foundations of the 50’s and 60’s had a higher Portland cement content and they took the time to install control joints in longer foundation runs.

These are just a few of the building materials and practices that go into building a home with good bones but do not show. How many home buyers are willing to pay an additional 15 to whatever thousand dollars for a home that looks exactly the same as a second house in the subdivision that has been built with poorer quality, cheaper materials and done in half the time? If you were to ask most home buyers, they would say higher quality and cost is worth it, but talk is as cheap as they are and when it came down to signing the purchase agreement, most will go with as much show as their budget will allow. All successful builders quickly figure this out and build accordingly.

The second reason homes are falling apart (new and old) is the maintenance free myth. Low or no maintenance is a marketing tactic that consumers believe. Aluminum or vinyl siding may be maintenance free but the caulking needed to seal it is not. Twenty five or fifty year singles; maybe in as test lab but not in the real world. People believe this and assume they can wait as long as the marketing hype to replace the roof covering. The point is, consumers rely on the marketing hype that sells building materials and assume they can avoid doing maintenance.

It is human nature to complain about the current state of modern built homes, but in the end everything comes down to money for both the buyers and the builders and we are getting what we are paying for.

Oct 25, 2012 11:45 PM

Robert Schneider

Blue Ribbon, Realtors - Frontenac, MO

All I can say to these posts is "Thank you! Thank you! and Thank you!" I know now it's not just me who says these things. I have seen 2000 foot homes no more than 10 years old with serious trouble. That's builder caused with the consumer at fault too because all they worry about is bells and whistles. If only I could show these posts to clients who want new construction!

Oct 26, 2012 03:58 AM

Suzanne Strickler

Realty Mark Associates - Havertown, PA

School is never out for the Successful.

Rafi Footerman #89 read my mind and wrote it well! Thx Rafi.
Raw materials used decades ago were of better quality. There was pride in craftsmanship and a house took alot longer to build because they were meant to last.
My stone house has 111 year old bones with 21st century amenitites. It's beautiful but I'm biased.

Oct 26, 2012 09:00 AM

Jon Quist

REALTY EXECUTIVES ARIZONA TERRITORY - Tucson, AZ

Tucson's BUYERS ONLY Realtor since 1996

A combination of poor quality materials, poor craftsmanship and poor care by the owner.

Oct 26, 2012 04:43 PM

Ben Gerritsen

Mortgage Miracles Happen, NMLS ID: 1289680 - Ogden, UT

Mortgage Loan Originator

Today there are many contracts that cut corners with inferiror cement, inferior foundation jobs, slabs of cements for the steps leading up to the front door, quality of hvac, insulation, electrical work, quality on parts, quality of garage doors, etc.. This presents problems. I've lived in different 9 towns / cities in England for two years. Over the 2 years there, there are not many newly build homes. The quality of craftsmanship that home builders in the U.K. is much higher than what homebuilders produce here as a whole. This is a sad comparison as a whole. Due to this, the life cycle and life span of properties in the U.K. is much longer than what we experience here in the U.S.

Oct 28, 2012 08:26 AM

Shanna Day Team Leader AZ & UT - Call 480-415-7616

Keller Williams Realty EV (AZ) & Keller Williams SLC (UT) - Mesa, AZ

Top 0.33 of 1% of 79,000 AZ Realtors

I think it's more a matter of a lack of maintenance on behalf of the homeowner. I'm constantly disgusted when I show homes and wonder "How do people live like this!" How do people live in absolute filth that could be cleaned up and fixed up with just a little elbow grease?

Oct 28, 2012 03:03 PM

Brad Baylor

ERA Coup Agency - Milton, PA

Richard - Back in the day, a 2 x 4 was really a 2 x 4, and a 2 x 6 was a 2 x 6. Many homes were built using mountain stone or brick, and you can't go wrong with a home built from those materials. Everything today is built quickly, with little or no thought given to longevity. Give me an old mountain stone home any day over these vinyl clad, cookie cutter houses!

Oct 29, 2012 11:52 PM

Mark Montross

Catamount Realty Group - Burlington, VT

Listing and Buyer Specialist

And think of homes in Europe that have been standing for centuries. They certainly don't make 'em like they used to.

Nov 02, 2012 01:23 PM

Wayne B. Pruner

Oregon First - Tigard, OR

Tigard Oregon Homes for Sale, Realtor, GRI

I have a rental house that was built in 1906. It will certainly out last me!

Nov 27, 2012 12:30 PM