Important Parts of an Old House You Want Checked During a Home Inspection
Posted on: 25 September 2019
If your dream is to buy an old Victorian home to raise your family, then you'll need a home inspector you trust to look over the home thoroughly. An old, historic home has had many decades to age and develop problems, especially if previous owners didn't keep up with repairs and upgrades. Here are some important things you'll want to learn about an old home before you buy it.
The State of the Electrical System
Wiring in an old home could possibly still be outdated knob-and-tube wiring. You could have trouble getting insurance for a home with this type of electrical system. If knob-and-tube wiring was updated at one point, aluminum wiring may have been installed, and this is outdated now too. If the electrical system is old, it may not have enough circuits or outlets for all your modern gadgets and appliances. You want to estimate how much an electrical upgrade will add to the cost of the home so you can decide if you truly want to buy the house.
The Condition of the Foundation
Foundation problems develop with old homes when the soil under the house shifts or voids develop. Foundation repair can be expensive since it might entail sinking piers or lifting the concrete slab. While a house with foundation problems can often be repaired successfully, it may be expensive, so you want to know about the problem before you buy the house.
The Presence of Lead
If you'll be raising small children in the home, you want to make sure it doesn't have any lead or you'll probably want to have the lead removed once you buy the house. Lead might be present in the paint, in which case, it might be possible to encapsulate it. Removing lead paint from a home is expensive since lead dust is dangerous to ingest or inhale.
Another place lead can be a problem in an old home is the water pipes. Old pipes were made of lead and were found to be dangerous, so many homeowners replaced them with galvanized steel. The time period when galvanized steel was popular occurred several decades ago, and those pipes are now corroding and need to be replaced. For that reason, you'll want to find out what the plumbing pipes are made of and if they are in good shape.
Home inspections find problems with these important parts of a home, as well as other problems with the roof, septic system, and structure of the house. Water damage and termite damage can also be spotted even when the previous owner isn't aware of the problem. An old house will probably have some sort of problems that need repairs. An inspection will identify them for you so you can decide if you still want to buy the house even though you may need to sink money in repairs as soon as you buy it.
For more information, go to companies like Shield Home Inspection.
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