Green Your Real Estate Purchases with Historic Properties

Posted on July 10, 2009 by Joyce Benson   2 Comments |
Tag(s): Greening the Home, Greening the Office, Reclaimed Materials

Breaking ground and building new may be exciting, but it is rarely environmentally-friendly.  Not only is pristine land and wildlife habitat being destroyed at alarming rates, but the construction process generates a massive amount of waste, much of it not being recycled, even though 95% is typically recyclable.  Two to seven tons of waste, including 15 to 70 pounds of hazardous waste, is generated during the construction of one single-family detached house.

The alternative is to purchase an existing home, and if you have an appreciation of well-built homes with character and charm, there’s plenty to choose from.  Some are in need of tender loving care, while others have been restored to their original glory.  Here’s a list of a few valuable resources to help you find just the right historic home:

• OldHouses.com offers a plethora of information including homes for sale (like the 1877 Victorian in Texas, pictured above), historic preservation organizations, restoration stories, suppliers and services, and old house style guide, and even historic house museums.
• HistoricProperties.com is a great website to find both residential and commercial properties.  The site also includes many links to helpful information regarding restoration suppliers and services.
• ThisOldHouse.com showcases galleries of homes for sale, as well as articles and videos with tips for restoring a home from a by-gone era.  If you know of an old house that’s in need of being saved, send an email to savethisoldhouse@timeinc.com.
• The National Trust for Historic Preservation lists historic properties for sale across the country.  Its wealth of resources includes a Preservation Fund where you can find funding to save old structures and action alerts to save historic structures and wilderness areas.

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