How to Tell if a House Has Good Bones
If you’re looking to purchase a home, the first thing you want to do in each home you visit is to see if it has “good bones” or not. “Good bones” means that it has solid foundational characteristics that you can build off of. It also means a home that doesn’t have any serious flaws which will be incredibly difficult to remedy, should you move in.
More importantly, it means that home is ripe for remodeling, and will make for the most cooperative fixer-upper possible. This is important knowledge to have, so let’s go over a few things to look for when determining if a house has good bones or not.
Open floor plan with plenty of light.
Image provided by Matt Lee
1. A Solid Foundation
A home with good bones will have a solid foundation. This means a well-constructed, even foundation that isn’t going to settle and crack. It also means high-quality material as well. The types of studs in the walls, for instance, are very important. Older homes with wood frames may have sturdier studs in the walls due to the change in types of lumber used for studs nowadays. Be aware of the differences and advantages between wood vs metal studs. More homes than ever are being built with ICF construction techniques, which is almost guaranteed to signify a home with good bones.
2. A Simple Layout
Spacious layouts are far easier to work with in terms of remodeling than tight, cramped ones. If a home has large rooms that you won’t have to extend and a floor plan that’s easy to work around, it can be said to have good bones. You should also know how to read tape measure numbers when measuring the master bedroom for a king-size bed, or the living room for a sectional couch, or the dining room for a dinner table. Small errors could build up and create unexpected issues when moving in furniture or hanging artwork.
3. Natural Lighting
This is another aspect of having good bones. Various window types can play into this as well, and the better they are positioned, the more natural lighting you’ll have. Some types of windows will let in more light than others, depending on their size and pane-type. Walk through the home at different times of day to see what the natural lighting is like and where improvements would need to be made — if any.
4. Positioning
Is the home on level ground, rather than a slope? Is it backed up against any other properties? Is the master bedroom blessed with a beautiful sunrise every morning? Does the home have a great view, in general? All of these things play into the positioning of a home and whether it has good bones or not.
Good Bones Make for Easy Renovations
If you’re looking for a fixer-upper, or you just want a home you won’t need to do any serious work on if you don’t want to, it has to have good bones. From the positioning to natural lighting, the layout, foundation, and view, you can use the tips in this article to easily tell if your next or current home has good bones. If a home has everything on this list, you may have just found yourself a keeper.
Matt Lee is the owner of the Innovative Construction and Building Materials blog and a content writer for the building materials industry. He is focused on helping fellow homeowners, contractors, and architects discover materials and methods of construction that save money, improve energy efficiency, and increase property value.