Hi...not sure if this is the correct place for this so my apologies in advance if it's wrong.

Will be moving from NYC to north-central Vermont in the next two months. We have looked into both building a home or buying existing. Based on existing inventory and land costs, we're thinking we will have better luck with an older home and trying to retrofit as much as possible. My question is, how MUCH is possible in an older home? Most of the homes we've seen that are of interest were built in the late 70s. Based on the asking price and our budget, we would have anywhere from 100-200K to put into renovation, including all energy enhancements.

My question is - how difficult is it to retrofit an older home to be extremely energy efficient? Insulation and the building envelope are huge priorities obviously, but we would also like to add solar power hot water and possibly PV, and would also consider geothermal (if it makes sense). If we were to build we'd love to get close to net-zero, just not sure how close we can come to that in an existing home.

I know it's a difficult question to answer since we don't have a house yet, but trying to do whatever research I can in the meantime...we will look for a home with southern exposure to take advantage of passive solar, and hopefully something with good bones. Not sure if there's anything else we should look for (asides from structure etc).

Any advice/etc would be greatly appreciated!

TKIN - The key here is "extremely..." It can be done & we're working on one now, but it is not inexpensive. We're adding R26 foam to the exterior so the interior is left intact, we're installing good triple glazed windows and insulating the basement. These are all areas you have to address to get the house up to the level you're talking about. Whether you can do that within your budget depends on the exact house you're buying. The best houses for this work are simple shapes without lots of dormers, ells & bumpouts.
Keep in mind that with this solution you're replacing windows, siding & roofing, plus probably the heating system; all of which are included in the price you're paying for the house. To my mind the only way this is less expensive than building new is to buy a very inexpensive house which needs all these upgrades anyway.

Thank you Bob, I appreciate your reply.

I totally agree about what you're saying with regards to the cost - and so far, from what I've seen, several of the 'potential' houses look like they would definitely need a lot of work and are fairly inexpensive so hoping that could work in our favor. For example, decent raw land is looking to be in the 150-200K range for anywhere from 3-6 acres....some of the homes we're considering are in the mid $300s. Hard to tell the actual condition without seeing them in person but I'm thinking with that price point, it might not be a total wash to dump money into it.

Of course, all speculation til we get up there!
Lucy

Posted By tkln on 26 Jul 2012 02:56 PM

My question is - how difficult is it to retrofit an older home to be extremely energy efficient? Insulation and the building envelope are huge priorities obviously, but we would also like to add solar power hot water and possibly PV, and would also consider geothermal (if it makes sense). If we were to build we'd love to get close to net-zero, just not sure how close we can come to that in an existing home.

Retrofitting is always more expensive and more difficult than starting from scratch. PV is a lot easier because it doesn't require tearing the building apart to do it, although electrical systems would have to be upgraded.

Most older homes did not employ good insulation or air tightness. The positive of older homes is that the lumber is usually of a better quality AS LONG as it was kept dry but if it constantly got wet it's garbage. If you do a lot of the labor yourself, you can save a lot of money but if you hire out, then it will cost you a fortune.

I would rather start and build new than take a falling apart structure and try and repair it but you might be a handy man and in that case, it might work for you.

Rehabs can be trying, particularly if you're living in the house during construction. I charged my last to an airline miles card (paying it off each month to avoid interest) so when the mess got too daunting the wife and I could disappear. All things being equal I'd go new.

Trouble is, things are rarely equal. Resale prices are far more attractive than new construction in most markets. Older houses on acreage typically have better locations. Construction quality likely is better as well. Lbear has to prove his contention that all old houses are drafty and get worse with time. To the contrary a DOE study found that 25-year-old houses in Madison, Wis., could be as tight as a 5-year-old house. They must be tight in that climate, and one guesses that the same prerequisite exists in Vt. Insulation and windows will be subpar. You'd want to insulate the attic, replace single pane windows and weatherize.

Beyond that, geo is the great equalizer. You might even push net zero with enough PV panels on the roof. Both have state incentives in addition to federal tax credits. www.efficiencyvermont.org The website invites renovators to call for a rundown on state incentives.

Thank you both for your responses....have spent considerable time on efficiency vermont's web site - the incentives are definitely a plus and we will be taking advantage for sure!

I too have thought about all those homes that have been around for a hundred years - must be at least a decent build to survive all those years and snowy winters...and yes, the resale on existing inventory definitely is more attractive than land, at least from what we have seen so far.

Yes, it’s definitely possible to make a late-70s home very energy efficient. Focus first on air sealing and insulation (attic, walls, basement) since that gives the biggest impact. Solar hot water, PV, and even geothermal can often be added later if the site works. With a $100–200K budget you could make major improvements, though true net-zero will depend on the house size and layout. When buying, look for good southern exposure, solid structure, and a roof suitable for solar.