by Gabrielle Keen

Created on: January 02, 2008   Last Updated: January 11, 2009

Chilly draughts, creaking uneven floorboards, mildew, dry rot, woodworm, dodgy electrical wiring, noisy, unpredictable plumbing, and the list goes on. All, or at least some of these undesirable problems can be found in many older houses. These issues will demand attention sooner rather than later. Then there's the uninvited guests that go bump in the night, from restless rodents to restless spirits.

Don't get me wrong, I love old houses with their history, character and charm. In fact my husband Steve and I have lovingly restored and refurbished a few in our time, but oh the labor, time and money involved. It's enough to make your hair stand on end, if the resident ghosts have not already done so. Whilst buying a previously refurbished home initially eliminates the hard work, eventually time, money and effort will be required as most older homes are far from maintenance free. Buying a home recently refurbished by someone else also means you are buying someone else's taste in colours and fixtures. If everything has already been done, there's little room left to add your own touches.

In New Zealand it's on nearly everyone's agenda to eventually own their own home, the great Kiwi dream, a house on a quarter acre. The importance of home ownership is practically stamped on our psyche from the moment we leave the womb. Many, when first entering the property market, buy older homes in need of tender loving care, some more deserving of bulldozing than others. They optimistically assume, buying old and renovating, will be cheaper and more satisfying than buying new, or better yet building their own.

We started out like that. Our first house, a modest villa built in 1884 boasting lovely native timber floors, doors and architraves all in desperate need of stripping, sanding, oiling and polishing. Unfortunately when buying old houses, you're also buying old botch ups from previous owners over the years like hideous paint jobs from the sixties and seventies which must be painstakingly removed to reveal that glorious wood hidden beneath several layers of lead based paint. Our second house was a little younger, a huge two-storied 1930's country home with wrap around bull nosed verandahs and french doors. Thankfully the natural timber had been left alone but there was still much to do to restore this majestic home to it's former glory.

Yes it was indeed satisfying to stand back and admire the finished result but achieving it was backbreaking, tedious, time consuming and costly

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