What’s a DC Rowhome?
If you aren’t familiar with housing in older cities like DC or Baltimore, the term “rowhome” may be new to you. Since the rowhome is a prevalent style of home in Washington DC, we’re going to not only discuss what you need to know about them but also take you inside one!
Harry Wardman is credited as the builder of many rowhomes throughout NW DC. The original rowhome was designed in the 1800's and the first rowhomes were built on the 900 block of Longfellow Street. Wardman went on to develop throughout DC and is responsible for thousands of rowhomes in the city. There are iconic DC styles of homes throughout the city. Each neighborhood has its own clusters of styles depending on when the home was built and what the style was at that time.
Michael and Melissa both live in rowhomes in the city. Melissa’s home was built in 1932, and she found the newspaper advertisement for it. Michael’s home was built in 1915 and he also found his house advertised in the newspaper by the original builder. Michael’s was initially listed as a rental home along with the four other rowhomes next to him for a whopping $17.50 per month!
“These handsome new solid brick homes incorporate every comfort and labor-saving device known to our age. Outstanding among the many modern features are Chamberlain metal weatherstrips, copper screens, beautifully finished recreation rooms, colored tile baths with the new Chromard fixtures, cedar lined closets having mirror doors, colonial brass bracket lights, paneled wallpaper, double oak floors, French doors leading from reception halls to kitchens, 2 built in book-cases in the living rooms, new McDougall kitchen unit with standard double drainboard sink, choice of Westinghouse or Electrolux refrigeration, cement front porches, screened double rear porches, built-in garages have overhead doors. We urge your immediate inspection as 2 homes in this original group of 6 were sold before completion.”
For 8 rooms and 2 baths the price was $9550 in 1932. Here we are 92 years later and we still have the same real estate speculation where homes sell before construction is complete.
How is a DC Rowhome different from a townhome?
They aren’t different in living style, but rowhome is a term that pre-dates the “homeowner’s association” coming into existence. Generally, anything post 1960 is called a townhome. Townhomes are part of communities where you share amenities or street maintenance plus green space. You will pay a monthly amount of a few hundred dollars for that shared maintenance. Rowhomes do not have anything mandated, though you do see some neighbors share in maintenance for common areas they may be lucky to enjoy.
What Should You Know About Rowhome Living?
You may have a shared chimney, and you’ll need to have a relatively amicable relationship with that neighbor as you will share the maintenance. Or you can be like Melissa’s neighbor who lets them replace the liner and then dodges them every time she sees them.
Brick work needs to be repointed in full about every 50-75 years. Masons recommend doing it all at once. In Melissa’s condo building we do it in pieces because it’s so expensive, but water constantly finds other ways to infiltrate the building. It is vital to repoint brick when needed to maintain the structural integrity of your rowhome.
Your home could be affected by the homes that are attached to yours. Rowhomes operate more like one large house - the neighbor’s plumbing backup could overflow into your basement. This is less likely to happen in a townhome which are built to function more independently of each other.
There is a difference between settlement and structural Issues. Generally rowhomes will not be entirely level, but this isn’t direct evidence of a structural issue. If the floors are sloped one way or the other, that is usually settlement. If they are sloped so the center of the home is the lowest point, that could be a structural issue or if you see large stair ladder style cracks in the walls. When a window or a door is difficult to open, that also could be a sign that there is something structural going on with the home.
Not all framing and walls are square, so symmetry can be difficult sometimes when completing upgrades like tile unless you gut the entire rowhome - to include some wall studs/framing...
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If you have any questions about this video, leave a comment! If you have questions about real estate in DC, Maryland or Virginia, my contact info is below.
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Melissa Terzis
📲 (202) 253-9105
📩 Melissa@MelissaTerzis.com
🌐 www.dcrealesta...
TTR | Sotheby's International Realty
1515 14th St NW
Washington, DC 20005
Office: (202) 234.3344
- Melissa Terzis | DC Real Estate Mama