A Cure for Windy, Creaky Houston Homes

           If you live in a home built in the early 20^th Century (or before), cold winter evenings can send visions of new homes dancing through your head. With floors that creak and windows that barely slow the icy gales, even the antique charm of your original wooden banisters can wear thin (most noticeably after your sister’s kid knocks another handrail loose).

But don’t despair. While new homes in Houston may be a preferred investment for some buyers, duplicating the authenticity of your hand-hewn, turn-of-the-century Victorian is, quite simply, not possible.  With the right specialists to help, keeping your original home in top repair might not be as time consuming or costly as some fear.

Original windows, for example (the kind famous for letting chilly drafts pass unmolested) don’t necessarily need complete $1,000 replacements. A less expensive solution is to call in an experienced carpenter for an overhaul.  True pros know how to remove built-up paint, add new hardware, wax the rails, and most importantly, weatherstrip the gaps.  That cost is usually between $100 - $200.  Another common problem is wooden floors that squeak after decades of wear and multiple re-finishings. That noisy problem can often be fixed by using tiny screws to secure them to the framing below.

That creaky banister?  Locating the newel post and the corresponding nut at the base of the stairs can often strengthen the rails – they were designed to tighten the whole banister.   DC contractor Stephen Ortado (a veteran whose clients include the White House) says, “This is a simple $200 fix for someone who knows what he’s doing.”

Of course, if one of the new homes in Houston is your ultimate goal, repairing and restoring your older home before listing it is a doable project. 

The fact is, I delight in discovering the magic in both new homes and older ones -- contact me today if you would like an up-to-the-moment pricing evaluation.

http://www.houstonheritage.net/	Diego E. Jaramillo Broker Associate, CIPS, ABR diego@houstonheritage.com	Jair A. Jaramillo Real Estate Consultant jair@houstonheritage.com
	Houston Heritage Group Keller Williams Realty - The Metropolitan Office: 713-980-5115 Fax: 832-603-4304 Website: www.HoustonHeritage.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/HoustonHeritageGroup Twitter: www.twitter.com/HoustonDiego Blog: www.TheHoustonBlog.com