A
home with good bones is considered to be a good quality home with the potential
to be a great home. Good
bones describes a fixer-upper (or some sort of neglected) house that features
quality, well-made construction that requires smaller cosmetic updates rather
than a complete renovation. This is where the good bones meaning comes from.
Cosmetic renovations
generally aren't that expensive. Painting the interior of a home will only run
you $993 to $2,722 on average (and even less if you do some of the
painting yourself). Probably the priciest cosmetic fix will be a kitchen
renovation,
which will cost an average of $20,122.
Good
bones is partly just a feeling you get walking through a home, but be
warned—many aspects of bad
bones are hard to see. For example, cracks may be difficult to find
if they’re in the interior of the building, but end up costing home buyers a lot
to fix. Whether or not a home has good bones is dependent on a number of
factors.
Construction
materials often vary from location to location due to weather concerns. So the
type of house that has good bones in one state may not have good bones in
another. Whether or not a home has good bones is often a realtor (or buyer’s)
personal preference.
No
matter how great a home looks make sure to hire a home
inspector
to dig beneath the surface and make sure those good bones are as first-rate as
you are hoping they are. There are a number of features that the majority of
homes considered to have good bones share. Below are ten huge indicators that a
home has good bones:
A sturdy roof-Purchasing a
new roof for a house is going to cost you lots of money (possibly $25,000 or
more). Unless you’re willing to eat the cost, it’s important that the home have
a durable roof that’s in good shape. A home with an in-tact roof is considered
to have good bones. A proper inspection of the house should be able to tell you
whether a roof is bubbling or cracking. Most high-quality roofs are made of
metal, asphalt shingles, or aluminum. If the roof is on the newer end and shows
little wear and tear, you can assume the house has good bones.
Bonus room-Whether it’s a
mother-in-law apartment with rental income potential or an oversized basement
with extra storage space, a home with a bonus room is always a big advantage.
Not only is it good for resale value, but it’s also an added convenience for
the residents. If the home has a bonus room, you can claim it has good bones.
Coherent floor plan-Purchasing a
fixer-upper and then having to reconfigure the entire floor plan is not ideal (and expensive). It’s
better if the house already has a coherent floor plan. It’s especially
important that the kitchen and bathroom be laid out well as moving a home’s
plumbing and electrical infrastructure can be challenging. If the home’s
existing floor plan has a good flow, then the house may be considered to have
good bones.
Construction materials and foundation-Without
a doubt, the first thing people mean when they say “a house has good bones is
that its foundation is solid and its structure is sound. Without these two
components, it’s impossible to make the case that a house has good bones. The good
bones are the home’s construction. Oftentimes, older wood frame homes built in
the first half of the 20th century were actually made of higher quality wood
construction than the wood frame homes built today.
As a result, the lumber in an old home may be less likely to
have defects such as rotting. In Florida, where hurricanes are a frequent
occurrence, residents may actually consider these older wood frame homes to be
more wind-resistant than the homes made of newer, engineered wood. Other home
materials that are generally considered to be good bones also include brick and
concrete.
Floors-While damaged
or low-quality floors aren’t necessarily a deal-breaker, they are considered to
be part of the good bones of the home. Given that real wood floors are quite
expensive to replace, it’s always a huge bonus when the house has good
flooring. All a homeowner needs to do is to sand them down, and add a stain.
The floors are as good as new. If a home’s floors are capable of being restored
to their former glory, you can consider the house to have good bones.
Good lot and location-You can change
a lot about a house, but you can’t change its location or the size of its lot.
After all, real estate is all about location. So if the home is situated in an
ideal neighborhood on a good size lot, you can say that it has good bones.
Good size rooms-While square
footage can certainly be added onto a home, it may be more difficult to
increase the size of individual rooms –particularly bedrooms. It’s good if the
home has rooms that are already a good size. If the ceilings are high and the
house is plenty roomy, you can claim that the home has good bones.
Plenty of natural light-No
one wants to live in a dark, dreary home. Having ample natural light and plenty
of well constructed windows is a major plus when buying a home. To get a sense
of the home’s natural light and to properly assess these “good bones,” you’ll
need to walk through the home in-person during different parts of the day. If
the home is light and bright, you can say that the home has good bones.
Plumbing-How old is the
plumbing and is it in good condition? These are questions that must be asked
before purchasing a home. If the pipes are in good shape and the toilets,
showers and other plumbing features are in good working condition, then you can
be sure this home has good bones.
Unique, charming details-Oftentimes,
home buyers adore old, fixer-upper homes for their unique charms and historic
features. These details may include crown molding, exposed wooden beams,
wainscoting, vintage wallpaper, and antique hardware. If you consider these
features to be important in a home, then you can say the house has good bones.
“How you connect your indoor space and patio is one
of the most important factors when creating a fluid entertaining space. The
bigger the opening the better in our opinion…” (Two
Chicks and a Hammer)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“This
Home Has Good Bones: What That Really Means” Adriana Velez
· “Two Chicks and a Hammer co-owner announces retirement” By: Shakkira Harris
·
“What does it mean for a house to have good
bones?” by Edina Realty
·
“What
Does It Mean When a House Has Good Bones” By:
Marian White
Two Chicks and a Hammer was founded by Karen E. Laine and her
daughter, Mina Starsiak, in 2007 when they began renovating homes in their free
time in Indianapolis, IN. Karen and Mina are also the stars of the HGTV
renovation show “Good Bones.” This post was inspired by that show name.
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