[chrisseaton]

> We eventually discovered the apartment building we were living in was built in 1908. Yes, we were living in a “sick” building that was over 100 years old, and never knew. We even found photos of our former apartment in historical archives dating back to the 1920’s.

Is being just a hundred years old some kind of inherent problem? Obviously rotting is bad but they talk about discovering that it existed in 1908 like they found out that it’s a time machine, or that people didn’t take photos in the 20s. What’s the big deal about the age?

[JshWright]

The best house I've ever lived in was built in 1850. As a sibling comment points out, this is definitely survivorship bias, since only the "good" wooden houses survive this long.

[thrower123]

Survival bias in many cases means that a building that is still standing from 1908 is better quality than many built in 2008.

Lead paint and knob and tube wiring are the most common problems you find with houses of that vintage, if they've not been updated. They are largely before asbestos, which is the massive problem with mid-century construction.

[AllegedAlec]

American houses are made with cheap wood most of the time. Especially when you live in an older home, these are highly attractive to moulds when the building isn't maintained.

[MisterTea]

They are highly attractive to molds when plumbing leaks all over. Otherwise they are dry as a bone and sag in places. They're also built like shit so floors are wobbly and uneven and bowled in spots. A ball in the living room will roll to the center from any point in the room.

My mother's house was built in 1927 here in Queens NYC and the place is a shit box. After redoing the living room and fixing up the kitchen I can safely say that once that house is sold it will be knocked over. They're just a cheap rickety mess thrown up by the dozens.

[op00to]

My hundred year old house was not well maintained, had a super wet basement, and never had mold. It was leaky enough to air that it stays dry.

[gdubs]

There’s a craftsmanship to a certain kind of old home, that in my opinion — if well maintained — can be superior to a lot of new construction. The trend towards making new homes super “tight” created all sorts of ventilation issues that took a while for the industry to sort out. Nicely designed old homes breath. That’s key to keeping mold away. What often messes up old homes is some crappy renovation work that negatively impacts the building’s envelope.

[ScottFree]

It depends on where in the city the building was built. 1908 is just a few years after the great quake of 1906. Houses and buildings were built very quickly during an era of non-existent building codes.

I lived in one in the Tenderloin for a few years. It needed a lot of TLC and was horribly maintained. Nobody wanted no spend the money to keep it looking nice. That's one of the downsides to the architecture of the era. The building was gorgeous, but even just properly cleaning it took an extra effort the landlord wasn't willing to pay for.