Common Updates For Older Homes

What are common updates to older homes?  Great and timely question since Adam and his brother are preparing their childhood home in the Oakland neighborhood of Rockridge for sale. It is over 110 years old with little updating over the years. They have replaced drafty old wood double hung windows, added a second full bath, and updated the electrical and plumbing among other upgrades. Two of these systems that need to be upgraded together in older homes are wiring and insulation. 

It’s important to keep both the electrical and insulation systems updated. In a hundred year old home there is the possibility that it still has knob and tube wires with a woven cloth insulation. This insulation is not as durable as modern wiring and is prone to breaking, exposing bare wire conductors which more easily can start fires. This fire risk can be compounded if blown-in insulation has been used, burying these wires. If the conductors are buried in the insulation and they heat up from current flowing through them the insulation can cause the electrical system to further overheat also creating fire hazards. Older flexible non-metallic (NM) cable (we usually inappropriately call it Romex which is a brand name like Kleenex) with a woven cloth cover should be replaced as well. Modern NM cable can run through or over blown-in, batt or rigid insulation. 

Insulation is an important update that makes homes more comfortable to live in as well as more energy and cost efficient. There are several key areas to add insulation:

• Attic space: The easiest place to add insulation is the attic space. This helps keep the heat generated in the attic from the sun from heating up the inside of the house as well as keeping the heat inside the house in the winter.  
• Crawl space: The next place is the crawl space, this is a little more difficult, but insulation companies can quickly add batt insulation with either netting or thin metal supports. 
• Exterior walls: The last place to insulate is in exterior walls. These are usually done when a more major remodel is done, but we had a client recently tackle this from the outside by cutting holes in the stucco and filling the voids with insulation. (If you would like more info on this let us know). 

For all of these methods it is important to identify your wiring before starting and make sure it is up to code and marked as it will be more difficult to find after the insulation has been installed.

If you have questions about your current wiring or insulation and would like a referral to a licensed professional or any other maintenance and real estate need, please contact us.  

As always check out our podcast, “The Real Story with Adam and Sherry” on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube Music.