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Thread: Old houses

  1. #1
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    Old houses

    100 year old house, multiple water supply updates. While downstairs powder room is gutted I was tracing the latest copper pipe upgrade with the idea to at least replace some of the hot water lines to speed deliver to sink taps probably with PEX. Downstairs powder room hot supply to sink is 3/4 inch main trunk, up one wall, across ceiling where it's reduced to 1/2 copper, down the opposite wall and then down into the crawl space after branching off to the sink. Couldn't figure out why it went back down to the crawl space so investigated this morning. It makes an immediate 90 degree turn back to the main COLD water supply trunk . Old houses are fun.
    Last edited by Michael Weber; 07-13-2017 at 12:25 PM.
    My three favorite things are the Oxford comma, irony and missed opportunities

    The problem with humanity is: we have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and God-like technology. Edward O. Wilson

  2. #2
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    If it has old knob and tube wiring that can be interesting also. Don't forget to be on the outlook for lead in paint and asbestos in insulation in old homes.

  3. #3
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    I grew up in an old house. Our first house was also an old house which had been updated a good bit, but still, an old house. I'll stick with new. They "don't make em like they used to" is a mixed bag but the 2 newer houses I've at least had a decent idea what I was getting into on projects.


  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Garson View Post
    If it has old knob and tube wiring that can be interesting also. Don't forget to be on the outlook for lead in paint and asbestos in insulation in old homes.
    Doug, Interesting you should mention knob and tube wiring. Been rewiring with Romex to new circuit box bit by bit, but still had one fuse circuit to the downstairs powder room and hallway/porch light. Got it replaced as part of the powder remodel and spent this morning in the crawl space cutting out most of the old knob and tube. Lots neater. Now to remove the old water lines, some of the gas lines and abandoned ductwork. And yes, I have both lead paint (under other coats) and asbestos paper (since wrapped with fiberglass by PO) lining the original heating ducts that were adapted to the central heating system. I'm removing those as well.
    My three favorite things are the Oxford comma, irony and missed opportunities

    The problem with humanity is: we have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and God-like technology. Edward O. Wilson

  5. #5
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    If you can go all PEX, that might be a wonderful thing. Many areas have acidic water and that tends to cause pin-holing with copper pipe a lot. I wanted to do our major addition here with PEX back on 2008 because of this, but at that time, there was an actual local ordinance that required copper. It's since been repealed, but there's no going back now.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  6. #6
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    That's what makes old house remodels interesting, and often expensive. You don't know what you are going to find until you open it up and begin!
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  7. #7
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    I dealt with copper corrosion in a prior house. After looking at all the options we went with CPVC.

  8. #8
    Used to own an old house, built in 1926. Had the knob and tube wiring in the original part of the house, but more modern wiring in the addition put in sometime in the 60s. It was always an adventure to get anything fixed. Some of the walls were plaster and lath, some were drywall. Getting to anything was always a hassle.

  9. #9
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    Yep, keeps one busy. Not likely to ever finish at the rate I'm going. Plaster and lathe, what a mess to remove. Heavy beyond belief. We have great water here so not worried about corrosion, just want to get hot water to the sinks faster. To help with that I'm thinking of doing a 3/8 PEX direct run to each bathroom sink instead of 1/2. Surely that's big enough for a single bathroom sink.
    My three favorite things are the Oxford comma, irony and missed opportunities

    The problem with humanity is: we have paleolithic emotions; medieval institutions; and God-like technology. Edward O. Wilson

  10. #10
    And the "we the people place" is no exception. The work on the USA Capitol dome that was recently completed was the
    SECOND redo in my lifetime. Haven't heard in mentioned in the news but they did a big one when I was in grammar school. Next one will probably be a complete replacement made of PCV.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Weber View Post
    . Old houses are fun.

    What was in people's minds in the 40's when they stuck down linoleum floors with now-dreaded black tar "cutback"? Was the idea that any new floor would be laid on top of the old one?

    The same question could be asked about mental processes in the 60's when vinyl-asbestos tile was set with black mastic.

    Of course, I'm just assuming modern adhesives are less of a challenge for remodellers - maybe they aren't?

  12. #12
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    The scariest things in "this old house" for me has been how some contractors hired by the previous owner cut away things that could impact structural integrity. I ran into that recently when I was renovating the bathroom upstairs that my older daughter uses. (originally the "master" bath when we moved in here prior to our addition being built) The amount of joists cut away for previous plumbing to the shower that I had to correct was amazing...
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  13. #13
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    My house was built in 1836. It is solid as a rock. Actually- it IS a rock! Made of stone. My drain pipes were lead- and I do not mean lead soldered- I mean the whole pipe was lead. Beware of any copper that it might be lead soldered.

  14. #14
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    The house I grew up in was built in 1860. It was abandoned by 1960 and in a serious state of disrepair. Someone restored it at that time so all the systems were to 1960's standards--grounded copper wiring and all copper, even the sewer lines. Since 2000 my parents did major renovations to put in an updated kitchen and first floor master suite and turning the old first floor bath into a half bath and laundry room, added a mini-split AC system, updated the windows and doors, and more so its not a bad house. But for example putting in the shower they found the floor sloped almost 3" in the area of the shower, in the WRONG direction for any practical approach to drainage so that got messy quick. And there's some funkiness in wiring due in part to it being legal in the 1960's to steal a 110 line from an 220. Recently fried mom's older washing machine that she'd kept around since it still worked and her alarm system which were off 110 outlets tapped off the dryer circuit just taking a broken cover off an outlet that, it turned out, also had a loose wire. You just can't put that smoke back once it comes out.


  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Meiser View Post
    I grew up in an old house. Our first house was also an old house which had been updated a good bit, but still, an old house. I'll stick with new. They "don't make em like they used to" is a mixed bag but the 2 newer houses I've at least had a decent idea what I was getting into on projects.
    I agree with you to a point. I hate undoing other's bad renovations / remodels. An old house with good bones that hasn't been mucked up is a good thing, though. Yes, you'll need to re-do the electrical and other elements but you won't have 2-3 scabbed together systems with poor cut-outs for routing through the house.

    For our first house, we were lucky to find a 70 year old 1-1/2 story Craftsman Bungalow that hadn't seen but a kitchen remodel in the 60's with solid design, carpentry and plaster work - good bones. It was a lot nicer to restore / rennovate than the others I had done as paid help. Balloon framing is unfun though.
    Shawn

    "no trees were harmed in the creation of this message, however some electrons were temporarily inconvenienced."

    "I resent having to use my brain to do your thinking"

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