What Does It Really Mean When a House Has Good Bones?

How many times have you heard someone on a home renovation show comment about a house having good bones? Or maybe your Realtor has prepped you to see a fixer upper in poor condition by assuring you it has good bones. Or you might have heard this phrase as a caveat prefacing an invitation to see your friend’s new fixer. 

“Good bones” is a colloquial real estate phrase that gets thrown around quite a bit – usually in reference to a home that might need new flooring, fresh paint, kitchen and bath remodels, or other obvious updates – but what does it actually mean? 

Let’s start with the structure.

When someone says that a house has good bones, structurally, this often means that the home is well built with a solid foundation, sound roof, good framing, and major systems that appear to be in good shape. 

This doesn’t mean that a house with good bones will never need new plumbing or electrical, but it generally means that the home appears to be structurally sound. 

When shopping for a home, this often translates into needing lots of updates but hopefully not having any major systems in dire need of repair or replacement. 

Then there is the floor plan. 

Having good bones does not only refer to what is behind the walls; it often also refers to how the house lives. 

Are there spacious rooms, a well-positioned kitchen, and good flow between indoor and outdoor living spaces? If the home needs paint, flooring, popcorn ceiling removal, and updated windows, but you don’t have to move the kitchen, knock down half of the walls, or relocate plumbing to make it work, it probably has good bones. 

Proportion and balance also matter. 

Good bones can refer to a home that just makes sense. The rooms don’t have to be huge for a home to feel workable. Proportion and balance are central to how it feels to live in a home. 

Think: rooms that feel welcoming and make sense, comfortable ceiling heights, hallways that aren’t weird and awkward, well-placed windows, and finding the room you expect to find when you open a door. 

Natural light is also part of it. 

A house with good natural light has a major advantage.

Paint, flooring, fixtures, and furniture can all be changed fairly easily. The orientation of the home, placement of its windows, surrounding structures, mature trees, and the path of the sun are much harder to alter.

In the Ojai Valley, where indoor-outdoor living and the surrounding landscape are such an important part of many homes, light can have an enormous impact on how a property feels.

A dated room filled with beautiful afternoon light may have far more potential than a newly remodeled room that always feels dark.

Original character – and even quirks – can be part of the good bones. 

Older homes often have details that are not easy to replicate or would not feel authentic if you tried to reproduce them. Things like original woodwork, built-ins, unique windows, original fireplaces, vintage tile, plaster walls, and interesting architectural details give a house its unique charm and personality. 

Not every bit of original character is going to be appealing or functional today, but don’t be too quick to dismiss quirks or add replacing original details to the remodel list without at least considering what they are adding to the home. 

For example, if you are preparing to sell a home that might be referred to as having good bones, keep in mind that buyers looking in Ojai are often drawn to homes that feel connected to their setting and history. 

Good bones do not mean the house doesn’t need work. 

Quite the opposite: “Good bones” is not a phrase that is used to describe turnkey homes. 

It can sometimes mean you could move into the home and live in it while you update it, but it rarely would be used to describe a home that doesn’t need at least some work. 

In most cases, it means that most folks would think the home needs a decent amount of work but that the underlying qualities of the home make that work worth doing. 

Minimally, a home that is described as having good bones probably needs walls painted, floors refinished, kitchen and bath updates, and upgrades like replacing old light fixtures or single-pane windows.

If you are trying to determine if a home has good bones, separate the things you just don’t like from the things that would be difficult or expensive to change. 

If you hate the kitchen counters but the layout works, you can’t stand the paint color but the rooms are well proportioned, the carpet is threadbare but the natural light is on point, and every room has a popcorn ceiling but the foundation is in good shape, then you are very likely looking at a home that has good bones. 

If you can see past the shag carpeting, questionable décor choices, and overgrown landscaping, you might just find some good bones with a lot of potential under there. 

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AimeeJo Davis-Varela is a freelance writer specializing in real estate, sustainable home improvement, eco-friendly landscaping, and green living. She is also the owner of Mind Your Manors, which provides second home management services.