Posted by blackhawk I've noticed a lot of younger adults today would rather have a new modern piece of shit house than a well build older house, one that was built by true craftsmen. I don't understand that degree of stupidity/ineptness at all.

What I find inept is the misplaced nostalgia many people have for these old heritage homes, which, while beautiful, are NOT the least bit affordable or desirable.

Owning a formally designated heritage property in Ontario is total fucking liability - nobody who knows what they're doing would ever voluntarily buy one unless they're sitting on a whole pile of money they don't want anymore. You're limited in what you can ever do to the home, and how you're allowed to do it. I know several people who do live in heritage homes - and they're quite lovely - but the owners dropped millions of dollars buying & meticulously restoring them. They're hardly suitable for young families looking for a new home on a modest budget.

Heritage status or not, these old homes always have no insulation, shitty windows, shitty plumbing that doesn't meet code, shitty electrical that doesn't meet code, lead paint, asbestos, leaking roofs, water damage and a whole host of other expensive issues that you don't understand until you're the one actually paying to rectify them.

It's always a shame to see these old houses torn down, but it's almost always because nobody actually wants them. People like the idea of them from a mile away, but run away screaming once they understand the true cost of ownership.

Posted by terapr0 What I find inept is the misplaced nostalgia many people have for these old heritage homes, which, while beautiful, are NOT the least bit affordable or desirable. Owning a formally designated heritage property in Ontario is total fucking liability - nobody who knows what they're doing would ever voluntarily buy one unless they're sitting on a whole pile of money they don't want anymore. You're limited in what you can ever do to the home, and how you're allowed to do it. I know several people who do live in heritage homes - and they're quite lovely - but the owners dropped millions of dollars buying & meticulously restoring them. They're hardly suitable for young families looking for a new home on a modest budget. Heritage status or not, these old homes always have no insulation, shitty windows, shitty plumbing that doesn't meet code, shitty electrical that doesn't meet code, lead paint, asbestos, leaking roofs, water damage and a whole host of other expensive issues that you don't understand until you're the one actually paying to rectify them.

First of all, the house never underwent a heritage assessment. So that point is immediately moot. There were NO restrictions placed upon this house, or it's owners both past and potential.

This home was lived in as recently as 2015. It was structurally sound, and appeared to have modern heating/cooling. The furnace was dated checked as recently as 2013. It was mainly wallpaper and hardwood, so no asbestos or lead paint. No water damage and the roof was in good condition minus the eves troughs.

It had a recent bathroom which was an addition, therefore plumbing was also up to code.

This house should've been saved, there was NO excuse for it to be demolished. I think your whole attitude about these homes is appalling at best. They are built to last a hell of a lot longer than the newer builds built within weeks with cheap materials. Those houses are slapped together and still manage to cost upwards of $600,000 depending on where you're looking.

Posted by Skye_Ann

I was talking generally about heritage homes and my experiences with them. I know this wasn't a designated home, but the actual cost to relocate and restore it would have been HUGE. If it made financial sense to move and renovate this, someone would have done it. The developer had to pay to tear it down – if people were banging on their door looking to move the house, I’m sure they wouldn’t have complained. There obviously weren’t any serious buyers, only naïve tire kickers like you.

I'll also say that you're not qualified to determine whether there was asbestos or lead-paint, so don’t try and convince me there wasn’t. Unless this house was previously abated, there's a nearly 100% chance that it DID contain asbestos in the plaster walls and ceiling.
From your very own photos I can see that it had oil radiators, NOT a "modern" HVAC system.
There are broken windows, which means 100% chance of water damage.
There's also a nearly 100% chance that it had shitty old plumbing that wouldn't meet code.
There's also a nearly 100% chance that it had shitty old wiring that wouldn't meet code.

Your assumption that a project like this is even remotely within the financial reach of the common man is totally misinformed. Good luck securing a mortgage for a derelict farmhouse with asbestos and illegal wiring. Good luck finding a company willing to insure it. Do you have any idea how much it costs to pick up and move a home any appreciable distance?
Saving this house would have cost MILLIONS of dollars, so don’t stand there blaming other people for not stepping up to save it. If it’s so easy and desirable, do it yourself.

I love old houses, and I’m not saying they SHOULDN’T be saved whenever feasible, I’m saying there’s a good reason why they’re usually not – the cost.