st a beautiful structure, perfect
in all its appointments but totally lacking the impress of the owner
or his family.

Several years ago, a man and his wife acquired one of the early Dutch
farmhouses of the New Jersey back country. They had long wanted just
such a place and having taken possession, they summoned an architect,
an interior decorator, and a landscape architect. A few days were
spent with them inspecting house and grounds. Then the new owners left
on a winter cruise around the world. Their final injunctions were to
the effect that next May they would return and would expect everything
done. They did and everything was complete. The old house was perfect.
Its furnishings were all genuine antiques of the period. The grounds
had been graded, trimmed, and polished. Gardens, shrubbery, and hedges
were just right, but the final effect was as impersonal as a
demonstration model.

In a year or two, this property was sold to a golf club and its former
owner bought another place and moved right in. Nearly two years were
spent consulting and working with an architect and workmen,
supervising a garden or two, and in buying antiques, a piece at a
time. His second attempt at country living was not as sophisticated
nor did it approach the museum standards of the former; but, when
completed, it had that prime essential of any home, it reflected the
character and personality of its owners.

LOOKING AN OLD HOUSE IN THE MOUTH

[Illustration]

_CHAPTER VI_

LOOKING AN OLD HOUSE IN THE MOUTH

Buying an old house is a good deal like selecting a horse. Having
found an animal of the desired type and breed, the question arises,
"Is it sound of wind and limb?" Houses nearing or past the century
mark also have their spavins and these should be recognized by the
prospective buyer. He can thus form some estimate of how extensive
replacements are needed, even on first inspection. This is of prime
importance since it has direct bearing on the worth of the house.

Whether built of stone, brick, or wood, such structures may have
rafters, sills, and main beams so decayed that new ones must be added.
The foundation may need rebuilding and door and window frames may be
so weathered that they also must be replaced. Beware of a house where
floors slope and side walls are out of plumb. This means extensive
shoring which is slow and expensive.

For a truly pessimistic report on the health of an old place turn to a
trust