5 Things You Need To Know About Your House BEFORE You Renovate…
Maybe you’ve owned the home for awhile and always dreamed of what it could be. Maybe you’ve just purchased the home with an eye to renovate it prior to moving in. Either way, there are some aspects of the home that need to be investigated prior to starting your design, as they can greatly affect your project in a negative way.
Foundation
If your dreams for making an open concept space out of an older home with a chopped up floor plan, there is a critical part of the home that you’ll need to investigate. The job of the foundation is to take the weight of the home and all its occupants and distribute that load down into the ground. The external walls of the home will all have a concrete, sometimes stone and concrete foundation beneath them, and some internal walls may bear load down onto internal pad footings or internally bearing walls supported by foundation walls inside the perimeter of the building. When we’re looking to put in posts and beams to open up space, we may be concentrating loads (weight) onto parts of the foundation that are unable to adequately distribute those loads to the ground without settling. Imagine dropping a steel weight plate onto your lawn. If you drop it on the flat side, it won’t penetrate the ground much, but if you drop it on it’s edge, it may stick into the ground a fair bit. So before you plan on opening up the floor plan, ensure you have sufficient bearing capacity out of the foundation, or you may require some footing augmentation or additional pad footings inside the home. A structural engineer should investigate and make recommendations.
Poly B Plumbing Pipe
Poly B (Polybutylene) Plumbing: What It Is and Why It Must Go
Poly B is a gray plastic piping material used extensively in homes built between 1978 and 1995. It was marketed as a cheaper, easier-to-install alternative to copper plumbing.
The Problem:
Poly B is highly susceptible to degradation from chlorine in municipal water supplies and UV exposure. Over time, the pipes become brittle and develop micro-fractures that lead to catastrophic failures—bursting without warning and causing flooding.
The deterioration happens from the inside out, making it impossible to detect until it fails. Failures can occur at the pipes themselves or at the plastic fittings connecting them.
Why Remove It:
Insurance Issues - Many insurers won't cover homes with Poly B, or charge significantly higher premiums
Unpredictable Failure - Pipes can burst at any time, causing tens of thousands in water damage
Resale Nightmare - Buyers often refuse properties with Poly B or demand major price reductions
Class Action Settled - A $350M class action lawsuit confirmed the defective nature of the product
Knob & Tube Electrical
Knob and tube is an old-school electrical system used in homes built before the 1950s. It consists of individual wires running through porcelain knobs and tubes—hence the name—with no ground wire and cloth insulation that degrades over time.
Why It's Dangerous:
First off, that cloth insulation becomes brittle and falls apart after decades, leaving live wires exposed inside your walls. That's a fire hazard waiting to happen.
Second, knob and tube has NO ground wire. Modern appliances need grounding for safety—without it, you're at risk of shock or electrocution.
Third, it was never designed for today's electrical loads. We're running computers, air conditioners, and electric vehicles on a system designed for a few light bulbs. Overloading these circuits creates heat, and heat plus deteriorated insulation equals house fire.
The Kicker:
Most insurance companies won't insure homes with knob and tube, or they'll charge you through the nose. And good luck selling—buyers run screaming when they see it.
Bottom Line: Complete rewiring costs $8,000-$20,000 depending on home size, but it's non-negotiable. You're not just protecting your investment—you're protecting your family's lives.
Don't mess around with this one.
Lead Paint
Lead Paint: The Hidden Poison in Older Homes
Lead paint was used in virtually every home built before 1978. It was durable, dried quickly, and had vibrant colors. Problem is, it's also highly toxic—especially to children.
Why It's Dangerous:
When lead paint deteriorates, it creates dust and chips that are easily ingested or inhaled. Kids are especially vulnerable—lead exposure causes permanent brain damage, learning disabilities, developmental delays, and behavioral problems. There's no safe level of lead exposure for children.
Adults aren't immune either. Long-term exposure causes high blood pressure, kidney damage, reproductive issues, and neurological problems.
The Sneaky Part:
Intact lead paint isn't the problem—it's when you start renovating. Sanding, scraping, or demolishing releases massive amounts of lead dust that contaminates your entire home. DIY renovations on older homes have poisoned countless families.
What To Do:
If your home was built before 1978, assume it has lead paint. Get it tested. If present, you have two options:
Encapsulation - Seal it with special coatings (cheaper, temporary)
Professional removal - Certified abatement contractors strip it safely ($8,000-$15,000+)
Never sand or scrape lead paint yourself. Hire certified lead abatement professionals who follow EPA protocols.
Asbestos
Asbestos: The Silent Killer in Your Walls
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral fiber that was used extensively in building materials from the 1940s through the 1980s. It was in everything—insulation, floor tiles, ceiling textures, siding, roofing, pipe wrap, even joint compound.
Why? Because it's fireproof, strong, and cheap. Seemed like a miracle material at the time.
Why It's Deadly:
When asbestos materials are disturbed, they release microscopic fibers into the air. You breathe them in, and they lodge permanently in your lungs.
Years later—sometimes 20-40 years later—you develop mesothelioma (a fatal lung cancer), asbestosis (scarring of the lungs), or other respiratory diseases. There's no cure. It kills you slowly and painfully.
The Kicker:
Intact asbestos isn't dangerous. It's when you renovate, drill, sand, or demolish that you create the deadly dust. Homeowners doing DIY renos have unknowingly exposed their families to lethal fibers.
What To Do:
If your home was built before 1990, get it tested before ANY renovation. Professional asbestos abatement costs $1,500-$3,000+ depending on scope.
Never disturb asbestos yourself. Hire certified professionals with proper containment and disposal.
Conclusion
These 5 products are really important to investigate before you start your renovation DESIGN. Sometimes leaving certain areas undisturbed is more cost effective than dealing with them, and you’ll want to know where these are before you design. Having a professional test for these is the safest way to determine what you’re dealing with, and if you’re permitting your project (which I recommend), your authority having jurisdiction should be asking for a Hazardous Materials Assessment prior to permitting anyway. Look for HAZMAT testing in your area to find someone capable of this.
These 5 aspects of your project are not things you want to ignore, they don’t go away if you pretend they’re not there.
Thanks for reading,
Aaron
