The Ins and Outs of Colonial Homes
As real estate investors, we’re often asked what we think about Colonial-style homes. If you’re an investor, you’ll probably run across one in your dealings, and as a homeowner you may be considering buying one or you might own one yourself. Unsurprisingly, Colonials are a very popular choice in upscale developments and suburbs, mostly because of their symmetric design and flexibility with additions and add-ons. Their design and association with upper middle-class neighborhoods also afford them a high resale value and special place in the minds of buyers and investors. What exactly is a Colonial, and what are some of the advantages and challenges? We’ll be examining both in this post so you can decide if they’re a style of home you can work with, whether as an investor or homeowner.
Typically, a Colonial home is built upon and exemplifies symmetry. The doorway is often centrally located and usually features ornate detailing. Windows are evenly spaced on either side, usually side-by-side and in pairs. Most of the time, Colonials are two-story homes and occasionally you’ll find three stories, but they almost always come with flat gable ends and a sharp peaked roof. Top floor windows are often built into shed dormers for a classic look. It’s also common to find additions or accessories such as sunrooms, attached garages and finished rooms over the garage. The ease with which Colonials can be modified tends to keep their value high even with aftermarket additions or modifications.
There are many advantages to Colonials, mostly due to their built-in popularity, which makes resale comparatively easy. They’re either two or three stories, meaning they afford more living space on a smaller piece of land. And, as we just mentioned, the relatively unadorned and simple framing allows for expansions as needed, which is why Colonials often come with sunrooms, decks, or attached garages that have been added over the years. The simple, squarish design of Colonials is easy to air seal and insulate, and you’ll find that most will keep your energy costs low. Combined with their easily modifiable structure and appealing design (not to mention their built-in popularity), their propensity to save on energy costs adds up to a highly desirable home for buyers, and a real advantage for sellers.
Colonials do come with distinct disadvantages however, which usually stem from the same spaciousness, features, and adaptability as the advantages. For example, for an elderly or retired couple, 4000 square feet spread out over three floors plus a basement and attic may not be very appealing. Also, while Colonials’ trademark box shape makes it easy to insulate, they usually come with several features that unfortunately can make insulation a challenge. Windows in shed dormers, attached garages, finished rooms over the garage, and sunrooms all improve the look and utility of the house, but those signature features can also create all kinds of air leak insulation and heating issues if not managed properly. The complicated framing of shed dormers is a common source of leaked conditioned air and it can easily interfere with the attic venting. Spread out over multiple similar windows, this can become an issue if their frames aren’t properly sealed.
Additions, like finished rooms over those attached garages, can be very hard to heat in cooler months (ditto for added sun rooms on the side of the house), and often leak conditioned air from the interior of the house. When additions aren’t properly sealed themselves when they’re constructed, they can become conduits for air leaks from the main house to the exterior. Colonials, like Ranch homes, tend to have large attic flats with multiple penetrations for plumbing chases, radon mitigation vents, recessed lights, septic/sewer vents, or unsealed interior wall partitions; these can all leak warm, conditioned air into the attic space, at considerable cost to the owner over the long term. The good news is that most of these issues are ones of insulation and sealing. Not only are they not usually enough to deter most buyers or deflate the value of your average Colonial, but also they’re not terribly difficult to fix. If you’re an investor or a homeowner with a future sale in mind, you’ll want to take care of these to boost the property’s desirability. If you’re a buyer interested in a Colonial, take these things into account but don’t let them deter you; the high resale value of most Colonials outweighs the relatively minor costs of shoring up the insulation.
Colonials are staggeringly popular house designs, and very common in modern suburbia. Their flexibility is desirable for add-ons and renovations but that same flexibility can also contribute to structural or economic deficiencies if energy efficiency isn’t considered during the process of renovation. We encourage buyers and investors to take a look at add-ons to properties they’re interested in, and factor in energy efficiency and sealing in with their decision making process. Be sure to sign up for our Priority Access List for more information and market advice as well as instant listing notifications, and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
– Get It Right Solutions LLC