I know, I know - I've heard all the practical arguments. Old Houses are drafty. They need constant maintainance. They don't have up-to-date conveniences.
I can't argue with the people who bring up reasons why living in a modern house has many advantages. Yet, there is a mysterious attraction in historic homes. For those of us who are smitten by the homes built by our ancestors, nothing can compare to their charm.
Homes built many years ago by highly skilled artisans cannot be economically duplicated in newer homes. Certainly skilled craftsmen still exist, but their work would be prohibively expensive for most people to afford.
Parquet floors, beautifully grained woodwork, stained glass, and carved fireplace mantels can create a unique ambience that is absent from newer homes.
There is nothing like the thrill of entertaining in an older home with exquisite features and appropriate antique or reproduction furniture. Add in some quiet classical background music and some potpourri fragrance, and I can't think of a more delightful atmosphere!
Old houses have always spoken to me. When I was a child old enough to ride my bike into other neighborhoods, I was inevitably drawn to the old, abandoned, supposedly haunted houses. I was never afraid of them. I always felt perfectly safe, and even comforted, by their quiet stateliness - as though they were time capsules into another era - which in fact they very much are.
Sometimes I felt that the craftsmen who originally built the old homes were in communication with me. Not in some mystical sense, but in a common appreciation of the fine, competent and sometimes beautiful work that they had provided for future generations to treasure.
I take great pleasure in helping people find, purchase, sell, restore, appreciate and live in Lancaster County Pennsylvania's ample bounty of older and historic homes.
If you would like no-obligation information on how an Accredited Buyers Agent can help you save money and reduce your risk, call (717) 951-5552 or email brian@findlancasterhomes.com .
©BrianSchulman2008
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Brian Schulman offers expert real estate representation for buyers and sellers of homes in Lancaster County, PA. To learn more, visit http://www.FindLancasterHomes.com/ |
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Brian Schulman offers expert real estate representation for buyers and sellers of homes in Lancaster County, PA. To learn more, visit http://www.FindLancasterHomes.com/ |
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Brian,
I'm a big fan of historic homes as well :)
All the best,
Audrey
I love the historic manor homes in my area. There's a majesty about them that is awe inspiring when you realize that every square foot was built by craftsmen. I love men who build things. These manor homes in my area are very expensive.
Brian,
What a beautiful post.
I feel exactly like you and the way you've described the ambience of entertaining in a historic home is exactly the ambience I feel most 'right' in. I know I was born in the wrong era....although I supposed it's just as well or I wouldn't have survived past the age of 4 when I almost died of pneumonia and modern antibiotics saved my life.
Ah well, today we can have the best of both worlds, if we're fortunate enough to live in a heritage or century home.
((-:
Jo
Audrey, thanks for stopping by! I know there are many historic homes in the Baltimore area.
Lenn, I also have a great respect for the men who crafted these homes. Your area has many historic towns, some of which I hope to spend some time exploring in the future.
Jo,
I know you feel the same way as I do about historic homes, from your writings. I sometimes feel I would have been right at home in an earlier time as well. Then I remember some of my respiratory illnesses as a child, and I'm thankful for today's modern medical miracles.
Still, it's great to have the opportunity in our peaceful countries to be able to see wonderful homes and hand crafted antiques from the past, and perhaps occasionally to own one!
Brian
Krista, it's interesting how our perspective changes from east to west. In Lancaster, PA and many other older Pennsylvania towns, the average home was built in 1890 or 1900. It may take a house of 140 years or more to be considered historic.
When talking about the downtown areas here, a home from the 1940s would be considered relatively modern!
Jeannie, I grew up in a home built in the 1920s, surrounded by other homes from about the same vintage, so I regarded and still tend to regard homes of that period as being rather ordinary. I was always fascinated by the considerably older homes of the Victorian period, and later by the early Colonial era homes.
They're the ones that I later targeted to purchase and restore. I never had the opportunity to actually live in one, due to the preferences of my ex-wife.
I love love love historic homes! If only my husband would share that feeling. We have been at odds over what to buy when our home sells. I'm thinking I'll end up winning when I show him the potential.