pioneergirl
Wannabe Pioneer
Hi all.....I recently found out that a house about a mile down the road from me is for sale. We went and looked at it a couple days ago and it is made from rock.... or huge bricks. They are grey, square, and textured, and about the same size as a cinderblock. After doing some local research we find that the house was built around 1860 and from what we understand so far has had little updating over the years as everyone who has lived in it (only about 3 people from what I understand) has died of old age with the decor of the age. That being said, the old man that last lived there hadn't updated a thing since about 1960 or so.
We haven't been inside...yet, but some say the woodwork in it is original to 1860's time frame.
My question is this...how energy efficient would it be? From what I know there probably isn't any real insulation under the wood paneling inside. I'm sure it would remain fairly cool, or tolerable, in the summer since its surrounded by oak trees older than the house, but what about the winter? Anyone know how warm it might stay? Or if it would be like a castle and terribly cold?
I know it would need new windows, and of course new carpet (that is, if the hardwood underneath is shot), but what about insulation? I believe it has a wood furnace of sorts in the basement. Again, I need to get inside and check it out (no worries, I'm not breaking in, lol) .
Does anyone know about any pros or cons about rock type houses??
We haven't been inside...yet, but some say the woodwork in it is original to 1860's time frame.
My question is this...how energy efficient would it be? From what I know there probably isn't any real insulation under the wood paneling inside. I'm sure it would remain fairly cool, or tolerable, in the summer since its surrounded by oak trees older than the house, but what about the winter? Anyone know how warm it might stay? Or if it would be like a castle and terribly cold?
I know it would need new windows, and of course new carpet (that is, if the hardwood underneath is shot), but what about insulation? I believe it has a wood furnace of sorts in the basement. Again, I need to get inside and check it out (no worries, I'm not breaking in, lol) .
Does anyone know about any pros or cons about rock type houses??
) spent winters in their country mansions. Couse they were made of wood or cob while their castles were made from stone, and it was just to damn cold in there.
) would ever want to live in it. The only heating was with open fireplaces. The house is on the central California coast, in the fog belt, summer temps around 58* (Ever hear the quote from Mark Twain - "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco"?). The stone sucks up the cold, and radiates it back out again. Now, maybe in a hot climate the cool in the house would be worth it; where it is cold - winter or summer - it can be very hard to bear. I grew up there, and was used to it; I still think that most Americans keep their houses too warm. But if you haven't lived in that sort of environment most of your life I can almost guarantee that you won't like it. My mother lived there for more than 50 years, and never quite got used to it.
