The Georgetown square is something special. Those older houses around downtown, right up the road from us in Jarrell—I’d love to work on one of them. The charm and character of those homes tell stories that a 2000s subdivision house just can’t. They’re a different animal entirely.
An older Georgetown house asks for things a newer build doesn’t. There’s the pier-and-beam foundation that moves a bit with the seasons; those original windows begging for attention; walls framed long before anyone imagined a kitchen that flows right into the living room—and some of those walls are carrying load. Don’t forget the wiring and plumbing that predate modern standards, which always require a good look. And on certain streets, there are rules about what you can change on the outside, adding another layer to think about.
We opened up a house in central Austin similar to what you’d find in Georgetown. The wall separating the kitchen and living room was a load-bearer, holding up more than just drywall. Before taking anything down, we had a structural engineer size up the beam needed to handle the load. That’s the kind of planning an older house demands.
In Georgetown’s newer subdivisions, the houses are pretty much the same as Cedar Park and Leander. But those older houses near the square? That’s where you need a builder who’s opened one up before. Not the type who prices cabinets first and realizes later that a load-bearing wall needed an engineer’s expertise.
An older house near the square can be opened up like any other, as long as the person doing it knows which walls are carrying load and prices the engineer before he prices the cabinets.
Tell us about your house and we’ll come walk it with you, no pressure and no obligation, through the website or at (512) 948-9802.
