The Good News About Deferred Maintenance

Old houses get a bad rap for needing tons of maintenance. Let’s set the record straight – ALL houses need maintenance.

New houses may be especially problematic because 1) they use materials that are touted as “maintenance free” – e.g., vinyl siding and windows, 2) those materials can age in unattractive and sometimes calamitous ways, and 3) it is often impossible to repair modern materials and systems once they fail.

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but even the most derelict 100-year-old house retains a certain grace while a rundown 1990s house just looks junky.

We CIRCA people love a good fixer upper. Still, can we agree that, in an ideal world, no house should be allowed to become one? Nature has a way of taking over quickly. The key to successful home stewardship is consistent ongoing maintenance.

This glorious, late-19th-century Classical Revival in New Jersey needs a hug. Badly. Clogged gutters, trees allowed to grow too close to the house, and improper grading around the porch foundation has led to rot and mildew, clear signs of moisture issues. The house is ready for a full rehab – wouldn’t you just love to see what’s under that vinyl siding? – and a significant part of the plan needs to address preventative exterior maintenance.

Built in 1910 in the Dutch Colonial Revival style, this North Carolina house has a rather complex roof that combines a gambrel shape with a front gable and a back sleeping porch that appears to be virtually flat on top. An annual roof inspection to spot any damaged shingles or loose flashing should be on the maintenance to-do list. Here’s another case of choked-up gutters. Look at the interior photos and notice the cracked plaster and peeling paint, suggesting that it’s been a long time since the furnace has been turned on. Once a functional HVAC system is in place, it will need annual servicing to keep it running efficiently. And if that striking brick chimney is to be used, it should be cleaned before each heating season.

It just needs a little paint…said someone about 75 years ago. The fact that this early-19th-century tavern is still standing at all is testimony to the quality of the original materials and at least some sensitive maintenance over the years. Once carpentry repairs are made, the exterior will need an excellent paint job to protect the wood (this month, we’re exploring linseed oil paint on the Worth Preserving blog and YouTube channel) and routine inspections to watch for signs of deterioration.

The good news about old houses is that they are astonishingly resilient. Even the worst cases of deferred maintenance can usually be fixed. The message here is stay on top of it and declare, “Fixer uppers no more!”

Additional Resources:

Helpful playlist created by the National Trust For Historic Preservation on Youtube.

Worth Preserving Blog- How to find out if your property is listed on (or eligible for) the National Register

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AUTHOR KATE WOOD grew up criss-crossing the country in the family’s Volkswagen Bus, visiting house museums, battlefields, Main Streets, and national parks. Today, she is an award-winning preservationist, real estate broker and principal of the full-service historic rehabilitation consulting firm, Worth Preserving. Kate believes in the essential value of old-building stewardship to sustain community character. For her, each property is a cause and each client a fellow advocate. She specializes in matching people with properties, skilled contractors, historic tax credits and other benefits to support top-tier rehabilitation projects.