Most of the homes my clients purchase were built before 1950 – some of them even older – turn of the last century! Many homes in East York for example – war time bungalows as they are commonly known - were built in the 30s and 40s. So its important to understand the condition of the roof and attic and the basement.
Today, I am going to deal with the electrical component of home built before 1950.
Electrical
The type of wiring in homes built in this era is called Knob and Tube. By today’s standards, its not considered safe. The primary reason being is that this type of wiring is not grounded. This is an important consideration when buying a home as ungrounded wiring could damage the type of electronics we have in our homes these days.
And good luck getting insurance. Most companies won’t even bother. A few of them will – but – on the condition that the wiring be replaced by a certain date – usually 30 days from possession.
When it comes to a home inspection, walls cannot be ripped down to see the wiring! The best an inspector can do is have the right tools for the job. I have seen some homes where the wiring in the basement was visible and it looked like everything had been brought up to code – but looks can be deceiving. Once the inspector got upstairs, none of the wiring beyond the kitchend was grounded!
So a warning to buyers. If you’re considering buying a home in Toronto built before the mid 1950s – assume the wiring needs to be replaced. Unless of course, the seller has verifiable documentation to the contrary.
Part 4 – The Furnace coming on Wednesday
Hi this blog is great I will be recommending it to friends.
By: watcat on March 17, 2009
at 8:33 am