/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>1623688
>>1623460

Yes and no.

On one hand, while it is built more solidly, it often ISN'T cheaper to to maintain (assuming you do it the correct way).

Bought a house built in 1912 a few years ago. It is built like a rock, all the walls are plaster and lathe. The woodwork is really nice. Lucky that previous owners have kept everything more or less the same. All original windows, doors and floors. Electrical was all knob and tube but was replaced by a previous owner.

A year back a cast iron pipe in the bathroom wall disintegrated. Had to tear a huge hole in the walls and floor to get access to everything. I'm now worried that the rest of the pipes are going to have something similar happen. On the other hand, there's only one pipe that runs to the 2nd floor, so there's not a whole lot to keep an eye on.

There's lead in all of the paint.

There's 107 years of various "fixes" previous owners have done.

The house was built to function without AC. Even in the hottest summer, as long as you're opening and closing the windows at the correct times, the house stays cool. I hear the neighbors running their AC even when it's 75 out. Our energy bill is really low.

Haven't replaced the gravity furnace yet. Heats the house well, but isn't efficient. Total cost to replace that is going to come in at 15k. Abatement necessary as the whole thing is wrapped in asbestos. Gas bill is high in winter, negligible the rest of the year.

I've learned a lot already, and will probably learn a lot more in years to come.