Top 5 Old Town Inspection Concerns
Purchasing an older home comes with its extra layers of issues. I’m not saying that new built homes are necessarily perfect, because they are far from it, but code requirements, building materials, and methods of construction have certainly changed over the years. In the past couple of years, I’ve found these as the top 5 things I see come up on older properties, specifically homes in Old Town Fort Collins
#1: Galvanized Water Pipes
A section of galvanized pipe (the gray colored ones) in an old town home
Many homes built before 1960 utilized a zinc coated galvanized pipe to supply water to and throughout the home. In fact, our water main in our Old Town home was galvanized, and about 5 years ago we had to make the decision to replace it. The problem with galvanized pipes is that they tend to corrode from the inside out, with more and more rust sediment building up inside the pipe essentially making its diameter smaller. If you can visually see galvanized water pipes in your home, it is probably worth monitoring them for reduced water pressure, and tea colored water coming through them after they have sat stagnant for a while. There are also circumstances when the main supply to the home is galvanized, and it may be more difficult to tell when those are going bad. In our circumstance, we noticed unusually high water bills from the city, and after doing some sleuthing, figured out that the most likely culprit was our water main. The cost to repair this issue was primarily determined on the length of line to be replaced, as well as time for excavation, and was accomplished in a day or 2 by a local plumber for around $5000.
#2: Foundation Issues
Stacked stone foundation that has settled after improper water management following an addition to the home
Strangely enough, I’ve found that many new builds also have foundation issues as your home is most prone to settlement in the first couple of years after a foundation has been poured and backfilled. Old Town homes have a variety of types and styles of foundations, from stacked stone, to cinder block, to a more modern concrete foundation. Regardless of the type of foundation, the #1 killer of a foundation is improper water management, so pay attention to how water is being diverted away from the house, and what the grading around the house looks like. If you notice cracks on the drywall inside the house, or doors that miraculously shut themselves or are tricky to close, you might want to peak around outside to see if there has been cracks or settling on the foundation.
Concrete foundation with large crack from improper water management. Notice the white efflorescence near the crack. This signifies that water has found its way through the crack in the past.
#3: Sewer Lines
Photo credit to westernrooter.com
This one is a bit tougher to see and figure out when you are first walking through a home, but there can be some signs that I would pay attention to, specifically on the outside of the home. The first thing I look for are the presence of large and established trees around a home. Any presence of large and well established trees on the property where you think the sewer line might go would warrant doing a sewer scope when going through a purchase. I’ve found that most homes prior to 1970 tend to have clay sewer lines, which invariably have a potential for cracking and settling, as well as providing the ability for tree roots to grow into the line, especially a the junction of pipes. I am always on a lookout for a sewer “cleanout” on the outside of the property. Of course, there are 2 trains of thoughts regarding cleanouts. If I see a cleanout, it means that they have addressed the sewer line at some point, which might be a good thing. However, that means they probably had a problem at some point, so inspecting it further might be worthwhile!
#4: Electrical Issues
Knob and tube wiring that won’t pass current standards for fire safety
The changes in electrical standards throughout the years has been pretty drastic. When you consider how electricity has been delivered to a home, as well as distributed through a home over the years, the safety standards over the years have been modified quite a bit. While this topic is a bit too in depth to broach in one small paragraph, the 2 major things I am always looking for in an older home are the style of outlets and what type of wiring is being used. 2 prong outlets throughout an entire house might imply that the entire system is not grounded (more modern wiring has 3 wires, a hot, a neutral, and a ground wire). Since I’m not an electrician, I won’t try to explain this situation much more, but I will say that most common appliances that draw larger currents require 3 prong outlets, and the lack of these throughout the house may not be as easy as just updating the outlets…..it may require a revamp of the wiring of the house. Which brings us to the wiring in the house. Common red flag wiring (in my opinion) is the presence of still active knob and tube wiring which is very outdated and can be a fire risk, as well as the presence of aluminum wiring throughout the common outlets. Aluminum wiring at outlets can be dealt with in a pretty reasonable fashion by retrofitting the connections to the outlets. https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/aluminum-wiring-can-be-hazardous-heres-what-to-do-about-it/
#5: Roof Issues
Notice large amounts of granule loss (the green coloration) showing lots more of the shingle underlayment (Black)
While this issue is not just symptomatic to Old Town homes, I’ve found that the roofing structure of old town homes may also be of concern to some homeowners. I look at the roof both as what is on the outside (IE the quality, condition, and age of the shingles) as well as how the roof is put together. Because we tend to have lots of mid-summer monsoon hail storms in Colorado, asphalt shingles get battered by storms reducing their effectiveness. Keep an eye out for visible shiny black in the sunlight as you look at a roof, it can sometimes be an indication of granule loss and and older roof.
Notice the over-spanned vertical timbers that are starting to bow under the weight of the roof.
Some of the older homes have framing timbers that may span distances that are longer than current standards would allow for. Some of this is offset by the use of nominally sized timber as opposed to modern timber (a 2x4 in 1910 was actually 2 inches by 4 inches, whereas now a 2x4 is actually 1 3/4 X 3 3/4) so that oversized timber will have a bit more tensile strength to span that longer distance. However, if this larger distance is coupled with excess weight on the roof through multiple layers of shingles, etc, you may start to see signs of bowing or cracked trusses in the attic space. This is something that should be dealt with to elongate the life of the roof structure.
While these 5 issues are not the only things to pay attention to in an older home, I’ve found that they are the most common issues I’ve had to address with potential buyers and sellers on older homes. What other issues have you encountered with your Old Town home that you think is worth addressing in more detail?
