Home and Garden

How Can You Distinguish Between Household Disrepair and Character?

If you’ve ever seen an older home or cottage where the vines and hedges are overgrown, the pathway is crumbling a little, and the stones seem a little washed out, you may still look at the building and enjoy its notable sense of character.

Sometimes, as with people, a little ruggedness can add to the appeal. The need for perfect lines and constant 100% clinical cleanliness is not always something that helps a home stand out, in fact, in some cases it may even make a space seem a little too uniform and boring.

That said, while character can make a big difference in a home, disrepair and a lack of attendance can easily denigrate how a home looks. It’s a fine line to walk, one that requires our best judgement and willingness to schedule maintenance when this is most appropriate.

But how can you even distinguish between household disrepair and character? In this post, we’ll discuss that, saving you money in the long run, while retaining both utility and a distinct sense of visual appeal.

Essential Function

Function is a good way to determine if something is nicely worn, or if it’s just unkempt. For instance, a little moss between your patio tiles outside can seem like a nice way to welcome nature back into the property. But this might signify instability, the chance of weeds, and even broken elements meaning that walking up the exterior steps or just walking to the front door is less safe than it should be. Having this replaced with the best patio pavers could be essential here. As you can see, function overrides all.

Crucial Safety

Safety is essential to consider within the same stroke as function. A nice weathered handrail for the banister can look nice, perhaps bringing back the rugged charm of the building despite other internal renovations taking place. But if it’s less secure than it could be, that’s a problem. The same issue goes for steps, wooden beams, uneven flooring, and unkempt gardens at an angle. It’s also important to consider for old sheds or exterior buildings. A nice old shed that has stood for decades may help your garden look beautiful and totally rustic, but if it’s in danger of falling on you while potting plants, that’s no good at all.

Managed Character

Sometimes, character is not necessarily ‘genuine,’ but has the exact same effect. For instance, the vines and flowering growths over your garden arch and exterior walls may be entirely planned and directed, but you know that if you let them grow a little more, they look completely natural and totally magical. The same can go for repainting the front door of your cottage a simple and rustic-adjacent color, or it might mean using using wood chips or pebbles to line your pathway. Sometimes, a little targeted autonomy in your home’s character can make a tremendous difference.

With this advice, you’re certain to distinguish between household disrepair and character in the best possible light.

18 thoughts on “How Can You Distinguish Between Household Disrepair and Character?

  • Mr. G and I used to flip houses when we were younger, and we loved going into homes that no one else wanted. We looked for good structure and bones. All the pretty stuff is fixable. But if that house isn’t going to hold up, then on to the next one.

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  • I need to keep these in mind. I know we have several areas of disrepair we need to fix.

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  • I am surely gonna keep these in mind! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!

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  • This is a really great and very informative post! I’m surely going to take note of that!

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  • Great post. I do like a little character here and there in my house. However, there are areas that indeed look like disrepair so they need fixing.

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  • Yes! With this informative post I can now totally distinguish the difference between household disrepair and character, and even save money for it. Thank you.

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  • Now that you mentioned it, I`d love to have some flowering over my garden. Great post, thanks!

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  • Awesome post, it’s very informative and detailed. Definitely a great help in the maintenance of the house.

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  • I just love this and yes… I love a little character with a home and as long as everything is safe … if it looks good and adds some charm to the place, I am all for it! Love this and appreciate you sharing!

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  • These are really good tips. The first house we fell in love with during our buying process was tough to distinguish between character and disrepair. Ultimately we did not buy it and it was for the best

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  • Anything issues with the structural integrity of course need to be addressed. Climbing plants on arches do look lovely and can add so much to the beauty of a garden.

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  • I’ve always loved the idea of getting an older home for the character but afraid to keep up with all the repairs.

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  • That’s really an interesting way to look at things. Home restoration and rennovation can be overwhelming for sure.

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  • I love old houses! But it is important to know what repairs will cost. As you mentioned, there is a difference between imperfect and costly necessary repairs! My husband is very handy, so he was able to do many repairs on our old house.

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  • My husband and I are looking at purchasing a home in the next year and I’m going to save this article to refer back to! I have always been interested in getting an older house.

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  • My sister in law had moss grow down from her tree. She let it grow for a bit to see what would happen and like you noted, it turned out magical.

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  • It’s useful to know the differences between household disrepair and character.

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  • Good food for thought. It is funny to see how realtors will describe homes that need work done.

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