Tip of the Day Tuesday / Home Inspection

Purchasing a historic or turn of the century home can be daunting. It can be an exciting adventure yet you have to do your homework in order for a renovation project like this to go well. AOD’s going to make your life easier! We’re giving you tips on what to look into before taking on a 100 year old home reno project.

 

First things first, it’s important to hire your own professional home inspector that will give you an unbiased overview of the home. They will give you a document that identifies problems that may exist and repairs that will have to be made once you purchase the home.

Here’s a list of what should be inspected by a professional:

ROOF

- Flat or sloped roof covering

- The roof drainage systems

- Eaves, soffits, and fascias

EXTERIOR

- Exterior wall covering, flashing, and exterior trim

- Exterior doors, garage doors, windows, and window wells

- Attached decks, balconies, steps, and porches

- Grading around the house (foundation)

- Down pipes and the extensions

- Drive ways and walk ways

- Basement walkouts

STRUCTURAL

- The accessible structural components of the foundation and super structure

- The floor, wall and ceiling structure

- Roof structure (trusses, joists, and metal & wood sheeting)

- Steel beams, wood beams, and columns

- Suspended concrete floor slabs and slab on grade

- Wall bearing and joist hangers

- Fire separations

- Cracks in the foundation walls, settlement and frost up-lift

- Under ground garage or basement leaks

Designer Tip – Foundation is the key to the structural integrity of the home, therefore make sure that there’s no cracks or major complications. Horizontal cracks in the wall are the main thing to look for. This shows that the foundation is unable to bear the weight of the soil surrounding it.

ELECTRICAL

- Location of the main electrical panel

- The interior components of service panels and sub panels

- The service drop, service equipment, and the service grounding

- The ground and arc fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) & AFCI

- Representative number of electrical outlets

- The type of distribution wiring (copper, aluminum or knob & tube)

Designer Tip – Check the type of electrical wiring throughout the house. It will be a costly (but necessary) expense to update from an old system like knob & tube, which was the main system of home electricity installed throughout North America from 1880 to 1930s.

HEATING

- Heating equipments (roof tops, furnaces, boilers)

- Furnace efficiency (conventional, mid efficiency & high efficiency)

- Type of fuel (gas, oil, electric)

- Baseboard heaters, fan heaters, radiant heat

- Adequate air for combustion

- The vent system and the flues

- Duct system (air supple & air return)

- Heat recovery ventilation (HRV)

- Humidifier

AIR CONDITIONING

- Central air conditioning systems

Designer Tip – Most historic homes do not originally have adequate HVAC systems for modern air conditioning. AC and HVAC systems should be taken into budgetary consideration.

INSULATION

- Insulation in the attic

- Insulation and vapor barriers in unfinished spaces (basements especially)

- “R” value of the insulation

Designer Tip – “R” Value is the measure of thermal resistance used in the building

PLUMBING SYSTEM

- Location of water meter and the main shut-off valve

- Interior water supple and distribution systems

- Functionality of all plumbing fixtures and faucets

- Water pressure

- Location of the main floor drain

- Condition of the caulking & grout in showers & tubs

VENTILATION

- Ventilation of attics

- Mechanical ventilation systems for the washrooms & kitchens

- Ventilation of the furnaces, hot water thanks & dyers

- Check vent pipes to make sure they discharge outside of the building

- Check that the vent pipes are insulated to avoid any condensation

Here’s more information about the neighborhood you may be looking into and about stats related to the houses average age.