Building from 1895 - how thorough should one be?

Question

Hi everyone,I'm somewhat hesitant of buying a building this old in terms of not being able to discover all the "hidden" and perhaps critical issues that might be present. Besides having an inspector to go through the building, should I perhaps also bring a plumber and an electrician to go deeper into the details? Or would some of you simply avoid buildings this old?

Jonathan Bombaci · Answer

@Simon Knudsen we deal with houses this old all the time, they’re commonplace in MA and NH. The good news is it’s been around for 125 years and it should be around for a long time still. It’s hard to tell how much work it’s going to need since some systems could have been last updated 25 years ago or never updated. Normally I recommend to clients do a general home inspection first. Make sure the inspector has a lot of experience with old houses and then dig into anything that gets flagged by a licensed trades person. So if they say the electrical looks good it’s been updated recently, all out let’s are grounded, and there is no evidence of old wiring then ✅. But if something looks like it was half updated or the plumbing has too many clean outs or not enough shut offs then being in a licensed plumber to check it out and give you an estimate. If you try to bring too many people in they’ll all have too many ideas and it will likely be a waste of time, but if you get a good home inspector they’ll flag the things that need to be dug into.

Yes lead paint and abestos are things that exist on 80% of the MF inventory in MA and NH. It’s important to understand the risks and mitigation but if your investing in New England it’s just something your going to need to be aware of and know how to deal with.

I hope this helps,

Best,

Jon

Andrey Rudenko · Answer

@Simon Knudsen I own several building from that era. Few points:

1. Most of the time, building was renovated between 1895 and now. Bigger question is when was the last renovation date, because that will tell you: electrical wiring type, plumbing type and insulation type. Biggest expenses come from things inside the walls (and sewer line). Anything you can see with your eyes are generally more predictable and as a result less expensive.

2. Structural support. Lumber from back then is of much higher quality than now, however it is over 100 years old. Check if floors are even and if not consider column reinforcement in basement.

3. Environmental: yes, lead, asbestos - those could be everywhere, on tiles in kitchen, and on glass in windows.

4. Foundation type. Back then fieldstone foundation was common. If so, it will be more attractive to rodents (for reasons that for the life of me I cant figure out...). So may want to look into rodent proofing.

Aside from that those types of buildings can be very sturdy. I was bidding on a house built in 1640 here in Massachusetts, in great shape, built way before the constitution was written :)

Hope it helps.

Alex Talcott · Answer

We own and operate a number of 19th century multifamilies.

Since it's difficult to as accurately underwrite and budget for maintenance, a strong purchase price is all the more important.

Matt Ziegler · Answer

Simon, a house from this era will require a lot more work, read expense, than a house built say after 1978.

Think lead paint, asbestos, galvanized pipes,etc. if you figure all those items into your project, not to mention sewer lines as already discussed, then you have a better idea of the scope of work.Worth spending the upfront money for tests, and inspections so you know as much as possible and can budget accordingly.

We are doing a full gut rehab on a 1920’s house now, and it is extensive. Not saying you can’t do it, just lot’s more things to consider. Also , it pays to check on historical requirements and zoning to avoid surprises.

Best of luck!

Kevin Mandel · Answer

Depending on where you are located and what work you have planned for this house, consider any applicable building codes as well. There may be structural components that have to be upgraded. Whether they are in satisfactory condition at this point or not. These are matters best answered by your local building department.

Erik Checkur · Answer

A sewer scope is something I always recommend to clients, almost the most important in my opinion. The roof should be inspected and potentially electrical. It's also not a bad idea to get an HVAC guy in there. But that's pretty much the same for any house, even if it was built in 2010. A colleague of mine told his clients not to worry about the sewer scope because the house was 7 years old, then two months after they moved in, the line broke due to a prior issues and they sued my buddy. So, in my opinion, time isn't much of a factor. I think all of those aspects still need to be inspected on newer houses too, even if it's simply to make sure they were done properly the first time they were installed.

Building from 1895 - how thorough should one be?

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