1. Common Problems
in Older Houses
Orange County Association Of Realtors
August 07, 2013
HomePro New York
M. Douglas Myers
www.HomeProNY.com
1-800-724-7088

3. What is an Old House?
Over 10 Years?
25 Years?
50 Years?
100 Years?
200 Years?
400 Years?

4. Ageing An Old House
Timber Frame – Roman Times to Today.
Balloon Framing – 1880’s – 1950’s
Platform Framing – 1950’s – Today
Modern Era – 1960’s - Today

5. Timber Framing

6. Balloon Framing

7. Platform Building

8. Ageing A House By Its Plumbing

9. Ageing A House By Its Electrical
Knob and Tube – 1880’s – 1940’s
Cloth NM Cable – 1940’s – 1960’s
Plastic NM Cable – 1960’s – Present
BX or Armored Cable – 1950’s – Present.
Fuses – 1880’s – 1960’s
Breakers 1950’s - Present

10. Common Old House Problems
Structure
Electrical
Heating and Air
Conditioning
Plumbing
Basement and Crawl
Space
Attic
Exteriors
Etc.

11. Common Home Problems
Top 10 Problematic Concerns

12. Surface Grading and Drainage:
Not correctly installed. This problem is the
most frequent in number of occurrences.
Water problems in basements are found to
be mostly as a result of incorrect grading and
drainage.

13. Poor Ventilation
Insufficient roof vents, blocked soffit
ventilation and no air circulation in basement
areas are most prevalent. Many basement
areas require dehumidifiers. Low insulation
levels are often found.

14. Incorrect Electrical Wiring
Undersized electrical services are the
number one concern here.
Additional problems include
 Old wiring
 Exposed live wires
 Open boxes
 No GFCI or AFCI protection

15. Roof Damage
Roof leakage or shingles nearing their rated
life and caulking on flashing not attended to
every year are the biggest culprits.

16. Heating Systems
Dirty filters, no annual servicing, seized
humidifiers, blocked chimneys and unsafe
exhaust systems. This could lead to high CO
levels.
Old boilers and furnaces
Old buried fuel tanks.

17. Plumbing
Galvanized pipes and lead soldering could
lead to problems, possibly needing
correction.
Old and unsafe water heaters
Old septic systems with steel tanks
Dug wells and springs
Poor water quality

18. Structural Related Problems
As a result of problems in other
areas, spillover onto roof structure, floor
joists, beams and foundations may
occur, requiring serious alterations.
Foundation cracking is often present but
seldom of a serious nature.

19. Poor Maintenance
Exterior paint, wiring, plumbing and minor
masonry repair.
Landscaping, grading, gutters and leaders.
Cleaning

20. Miscellaneous
Minor interior items, not affecting the integrity
of the house.

21. Structural Problems
Foundation
Roofing
Framing

22. Bowed Foundation Wall

23. Cracked Foundation Blocks

24. Failing Block Foundation

25. Collapsed Block Foundation

26. Brick Foundation Failure

27. Improper Block Column

28. Braced Block Foundation Wall

29. Braced Block Foundation Wall 2

30. Braced Block Foundation Wall 3

31. Deteriorated Foundation Blocks

32. Amateur Repairs

33. Floor Framing Rot

34. Wood Column Rot

35. Fire Damaged Floor Structure

36. Split Roof Rafter

37. Cut rafter improperly supported

38. Cut rafter properly supported

39. Cut Floor Joist

40. Cut Floor Joist For Door

41. Collapsed Timber Frame

42. Floor Rot From Leaking Plumbing

43. Crawl Space Damage

44. Insect Damage

45. Powder Post Beetles

46. Termite Damage

47. Termite Damage

48. Carpenter Ants

49. Carpenter Ant Frass

50. Termite Control System

51. Carpenter Ant Damage

52. Very Large Termite Problem

53. Electrical Problems
•Undersized services
•30 and 60 amp services
•110v services
•Old style wiring
•Knob and Tube
•2 wire cable
Deteriorated wiring
•Electrical Hazards
•Poor connections
•Missing junction boxes
•Aluminum wiring
•Etc.

54. Knob and Tube Wiring

55. Knob and tube wiring with over fusing

56. Knob and Tube Wiring

57. Old Fuse Panels

58. BX Cable

59. Burned Service Cable

60. Poor Connections

61. Over fusing And Double Taps

62. Double Tapped Circuits

63. Service Entrance In Contact With Downspout

64. Improperly Located Bathroom
Switch

65. Knob And Tube In Attic

66. Knob And Tube Fire Damage

67. Over fusing

68. Secure Service Wire

69. Frayed Electrical Service

70. Improperly Installed Tandem Breakers

71. Neutral Wires Used As Hot Wires

72. Bundled Neutral Wiring

73. Improperly Located Wiring

74. Heating And Air Conditioning
•Oil Heat
•Gas Heat
•Electric Heat

75. Poor Vent Location

76. Furnace Fire

77. Back drafting Boiler

78. Boilers In Trouble

83. Energy Efficiency

84. Furnace’s In Trouble

90. Cracked Furnace Heat Exchanger

91. Asbestos On Heating Systems

94. Underground Storage Tanks

95. Leaking Buried Tank

96. Evidence Of Buried Fuel Tank

97. Evidence Of Buried Fuel Tank

98. Buried Tank Removal

99. Leaking Above ground Fuel Tank

100. Plumbing

101. Corroded gas piping

102. Frozen Pipes

103. Water Heater Vent Pipe

104. Too Many Vents In Chimney

105. Leaking Drain Line

106. Improper Drain Line Connection

107. Cracked Main Sewer Drain

108. Leaking Shower Drain

109. Improper Extension Pipe On TPR

110. Exteriors

111. Chimneys

112. Exterior Chimney

113. Chimney Never Completed

114. Deteriorating Flue Liner

115. Chimney In Need Of Rebuilding

116. Roof Concerns

117. Asbestos Shingles

118. Failed Asphalt Shingles

119. Failed Asphalt Roof

120. Improper Valley Flashing

121. Wind Damaged Roofing

122. Failing Built Up Roofing

123. Improper Flat Roof Flashing

124. Failing Paint On Aluminum Siding

125. Rotting Porch Structure

126. Rotted Window Sills

127. Window With Interior Damage

128. Window With Wall Removed

129. Drainage and Grade

130. Downspout misdirecting water

131. Old Cast Iron Drains

132. Water Signs In The Basement

133. Poor Yard Drainage

134. Failing Retaining Wall

135. Water Damaged Sheathing

136. Interior Concerns

137. Leaking Flashing In The Attic

138. Rot And Mold In Attic From Poor
Ventilation

139. Broken Window Seals

140. Improper Electric Eye Location

141. Proper Electric Eye Location

142. Missing Insulation

143. Thank You!!!
HomePro New York
M. Douglas Myers
1-800-724-7088
www.HomeProNY.com
Doug@HomeProNY.com