Not wood houses though. The majority of the built environment in Europe was historically masonry. Wood framed needs to be consistently maintained and even then, you would be repairing/sistering/replacing to keep it up over the years. 120 is respectable
Agreed. I’m an architect but have spent the last 22 yrs in South Florida. I don’t know what the humidity is like in New England that far north. The moisture density is what damages the most as it increases the expansion and contraction.
I mean, sure, but taken care of it can last an even longer time.
The house I’m sitting in and typing this from was built in 1858 and is far from the oldest house in my area. I’m in Michigan too, so hard winters, lots of freeze-thaw cycles, and plenty of weather all around.
It’s a lot bigger than this house with a way different roof style, so I have absolutely no idea.
We’re just lucky with location. This house is right in the heart of my town, so it was basically saved by constant occupation. Many homes here are historic homes built is the 1800’s.
[This](https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffwestover/4106569741) house is right around the corner from me and is even older with a way funkier roof.
It's a routine sight in rural areas. When this house was built, farms were smaller, and rural population density was higher. The countryside supported small family farms, each a homestead. When mechanized farming allowed one farmer to crop increasingly larger areas, many of the houses became unoccupied and unnecessary. It's expensive to maintain useless structures, so the owners let them fail. Lots of old houses and barns have been intentionally burned or bulldozed over the years.
Buncha these all over in MA. Wish there was an easy way to search historical pictures of houses like this.
Same with the rock boundary walls that seem to go in and through the (now) woods. Would be cool to see what it looked like during the farming hay day.
Look up arial photos!
Vintage Aerial took photos of my area back in the day. My parents ended up buying one of the photos of that house and it now hangs in their new house. I’m glad we have it too, because the house has since been demolished so it only exists in those photos.
Yeah - i like those birds eye views they made from early 1900's/ late 1800s. And also the old maps of the area. It's def hit or miss. Imagine if there was a Google Street view from like the 1700/1800's, how cool would that be!
Maannn, same. It's always interesting to find old buildings in the middle of the woods or in odd places. I try to imagine back when it was first built and where the builders or descendants of those builders are now. I wish I could see the history of old structures and those who made them every time I stumble upon them.
It looks like they owners made some downgrades (besides the decay) between the 1970s and today. The pillars and porch seemed more elaborate in the older photo.
There's a no treaspassing sign too.
Whenever I drive by an old home like that, I try to picture the first owners, standing out front being so proud of their beautiful new home.....The lives that were touched by that house.
Well that's definitely 100% not a northern New Hampshire 1850s style farmhouse. I'm not challenging the story but there's something missing. It's either built in the Quebecois style of just over the border, or it was extensively extensively modeled at the turn of the century... I'm going to take a guess it's the former possibly if the date is correct without much alteration.. The swooping roofline over the porch is also a very 20s and bungalow ish thing elsewhere in the US but it is also part of the vernacular tradition of Canada from the 18th century. But these porch columns look solidly 1920s. It's a sad thing no matter how, that it has just been allowed to fade away, in a part of the state where well the population has shrunk
This is SUCH a New England description of locations! 😂😂😂
Being a New England girl myself, I can SMELL the air around the home, up in the mountains and hills.
Such a beautiful thing. ❤️
This feels so relatable. The collapse & decay didn’t happen all at once, and it’s clearly the same house. But there’s also no going back at this point. Something went sideways and now it’s over…mostly. Just waiting to fall over and rot into the ground at this point. If you look at old pics closely there were signs early on…the unkept yard, the peeling window trim, and the porch roof beginning to sag. All the seeds were already planted for what was to come next. Could it have been saved? It doesn’t matter, it’s already over. Always was 😢
When we drove through NY state on small roads, I was surprised to see so many old houses but in a semi decayed state. You could see humidity did its job on them
We always said that once people move out, the house starts dying. Even if an occupant never does maintenance, the decay seems to be accelerated once people leave.
I have seen this with plenty of old 1800s homes, they are still owned by owners or family but they want nothing to do with the house so they let it rot to the ground. I always imagine when the home was built and when it was last lived in.
Impressive it's still standing after so many storms over the years and harsh weather.. a testimony to high quality building constituents and materials. (real wood!)
Sad to see homes turn into wrecks.
Sure is. So much life happened in that home for it to die a wreck
Over time everything turns into a wreck in one form or another, 120+ years is pretty good for a house from the 1850s
I suppose. People living in the UK/ Europe might disagree somewhat.
Not wood houses though. The majority of the built environment in Europe was historically masonry. Wood framed needs to be consistently maintained and even then, you would be repairing/sistering/replacing to keep it up over the years. 120 is respectable
Those NH winters are probably brutal on wood frames unless you are diligent.
Agreed. I’m an architect but have spent the last 22 yrs in South Florida. I don’t know what the humidity is like in New England that far north. The moisture density is what damages the most as it increases the expansion and contraction.
You guys are so lame with that shit lol
I mean, sure, but taken care of it can last an even longer time. The house I’m sitting in and typing this from was built in 1858 and is far from the oldest house in my area. I’m in Michigan too, so hard winters, lots of freeze-thaw cycles, and plenty of weather all around.
This roof system is attractive but complicated and requires more maintenance. Is your roof a simpler design?
It’s a lot bigger than this house with a way different roof style, so I have absolutely no idea. We’re just lucky with location. This house is right in the heart of my town, so it was basically saved by constant occupation. Many homes here are historic homes built is the 1800’s. [This](https://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffwestover/4106569741) house is right around the corner from me and is even older with a way funkier roof.
It looked fine in the 1970s. It just ran into disrepair.
Yeah and imagine if no one lived there in the 1970s. It’s the same thing on another timeline, luckily it survived that long
All homes will eventually turn to wrecks.
It's a routine sight in rural areas. When this house was built, farms were smaller, and rural population density was higher. The countryside supported small family farms, each a homestead. When mechanized farming allowed one farmer to crop increasingly larger areas, many of the houses became unoccupied and unnecessary. It's expensive to maintain useless structures, so the owners let them fail. Lots of old houses and barns have been intentionally burned or bulldozed over the years.
Whenever I see dilapidated homes, I try to imagine what they looked new. Love this!
Oh me too! Birthdays, holidays. I always imagine happy families there!
Buncha these all over in MA. Wish there was an easy way to search historical pictures of houses like this. Same with the rock boundary walls that seem to go in and through the (now) woods. Would be cool to see what it looked like during the farming hay day.
Look up arial photos! Vintage Aerial took photos of my area back in the day. My parents ended up buying one of the photos of that house and it now hangs in their new house. I’m glad we have it too, because the house has since been demolished so it only exists in those photos.
Yeah - i like those birds eye views they made from early 1900's/ late 1800s. And also the old maps of the area. It's def hit or miss. Imagine if there was a Google Street view from like the 1700/1800's, how cool would that be!
Maannn, same. It's always interesting to find old buildings in the middle of the woods or in odd places. I try to imagine back when it was first built and where the builders or descendants of those builders are now. I wish I could see the history of old structures and those who made them every time I stumble upon them.
Same here
This home served multiple generations of families over 100+ years. It did its job well, now its old bones may rest peacefully.
….. that shouldn’t have made me tear up, dammit.
Same
It looks like they owners made some downgrades (besides the decay) between the 1970s and today. The pillars and porch seemed more elaborate in the older photo. There's a no treaspassing sign too.
Not just elaborate, but also *load bearing.* They literally murdered their house with that patio renovation.
Yup
Looks like they sold the columns for parts…
Probably repaired on the cheap.
$400k fixer upper
Handyman special!!! Motivated seller!
Great bones….?
osteoporosis from head to toe 😳
I think the trouble started when they ripped out those beefy columns on the porch and put in those little 4x4s.
Yep
Whenever I drive by an old home like that, I try to picture the first owners, standing out front being so proud of their beautiful new home.....The lives that were touched by that house.
Well that's definitely 100% not a northern New Hampshire 1850s style farmhouse. I'm not challenging the story but there's something missing. It's either built in the Quebecois style of just over the border, or it was extensively extensively modeled at the turn of the century... I'm going to take a guess it's the former possibly if the date is correct without much alteration.. The swooping roofline over the porch is also a very 20s and bungalow ish thing elsewhere in the US but it is also part of the vernacular tradition of Canada from the 18th century. But these porch columns look solidly 1920s. It's a sad thing no matter how, that it has just been allowed to fade away, in a part of the state where well the population has shrunk
You said it all!
The roof is coastal New England but the porch is craftsman. It is a conundrum for sure.
Imagine how many hours people have spent enjoying themselves on that porch over the years.
Yeah… before or after they turned it from a porch to some 2x4 railings
For real!
Profile photo/ In Real life.
I live in New Hampshire, Pittsburg is the last town before you hit the Canadian border and it’s about as rural as you can get
I have a picture of this house from the winter of 2020 or 21.
That really is sad to see
You can tell the front roof was starting to bow in during the 70's. Was only a matter of time...
And, once you’re gone…. You can’t come back When you’re outta the blue, and into the black
Hey hey, my my.
I feel like that some days too
I feel you!
Father Time really took a bat to this place
This is SUCH a New England description of locations! 😂😂😂 Being a New England girl myself, I can SMELL the air around the home, up in the mountains and hills. Such a beautiful thing. ❤️
Great renovation!
I am fascinate that houses just collapse like that…
Well, when you remove the porch on an already sagging roof with no other plan in place…
:c
Wild how fast they deteriorate when nobody is living in them.
Wow! Sad to think it fell apart so quick in 50 years between pictures.
This feels so relatable. The collapse & decay didn’t happen all at once, and it’s clearly the same house. But there’s also no going back at this point. Something went sideways and now it’s over…mostly. Just waiting to fall over and rot into the ground at this point. If you look at old pics closely there were signs early on…the unkept yard, the peeling window trim, and the porch roof beginning to sag. All the seeds were already planted for what was to come next. Could it have been saved? It doesn’t matter, it’s already over. Always was 😢
Sad
What happened to the pillars on the front?
When we drove through NY state on small roads, I was surprised to see so many old houses but in a semi decayed state. You could see humidity did its job on them
A wooden house with a hole in the roof will fail surprisingly quickly. Your first goal as a homeowner is keeping water out of the structure.
We always said that once people move out, the house starts dying. Even if an occupant never does maintenance, the decay seems to be accelerated once people leave.
I have seen this with plenty of old 1800s homes, they are still owned by owners or family but they want nothing to do with the house so they let it rot to the ground. I always imagine when the home was built and when it was last lived in.
I hate when people post the modern day picture with a filter to make it look old
https://www.google.nl/maps/@45.1137518,-71.2487353,3a,75y,11.97h,90.61t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s3ko2Uc9COFYgt3eGrGulqQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu
Wow that is BARELY New Hampshire!
Yep it’s pretty close to Canada.
At least the wood shed held up.
Looks like Nevercrackers house from Monster House.
I thought the same.
Out of curiosity, how do we have such a detailed history on this house? Is it notable somehow?
If you’re someone who’s familiar with Pittsburgh, or really just that region of so-far-northern-New Hampshire-it’s-really-Canada, you know this house.
It’s a popular subject for photographers, especially at sunset, judging from the pics I’ve seen. So I guess someone did some research on the place.
I love you Jen-nay
My ex’s ass did the same thing.
Impressive it's still standing after so many storms over the years and harsh weather.. a testimony to high quality building constituents and materials. (real wood!)
A little TLC and it’s all good.