If you live in a home built prior to 1978, your house is considered old and may need some updates or renovations to become up to city code and safety standards. Old houses often need plumbing and electrical wiring updates, but there can also be other surprises in store when you start bathroom remodeling in an old house. Below, you’ll find the necessary bathroom updates you can expect when you’re doing renovations.

  1. Replace the Pipes- Old houses tend to have pipes that are cracked, corroded, leaking, and easily break as you start to get into the bathroom remodeling. Replacing the pipes with up-to-date methods will ensure they last much longer.
  2. Shut off Valves- If your house is old, you might find that there is no water shut off valves for the sink or toilet in the bathroom, and instead, only one main water shut off for the entire house. Use the bathroom remodeling project to add these in.
  3. Lead Paint- In 1978, lead paint was outlawed due to its negative health effects. If your home was built prior to 1978 and you haven’t had the lead paint removed, now is definitely the time.
  4. Expansion- One of the most common renovations to old house bathrooms is an expansion. Bathrooms today are made much larger than 50-100 years ago and many homeowners will have difficulties fitting more modern fixtures in old house bathrooms.
  5. Flooring- homeowners may have to remove asbestos tile before they can lay new flooring. This process can be difficult as tiles were usually installed with mortar in the mid 20th century and earlier. Sometime the tile cannot come up at all and will need to be sealed and have new flooring installed over the top.

Bathroom remodels in old houses are one of the best ways to add modern updates while keeping with the historic aesthetic. These projects can often be costly because so many updates must be made to be safe and pass city inspections; however, upgrading and renovating often leads to increased energy efficiency and longer lifespan of the home.

If you are ready to start your next remodeling project call Tampa Kitchen and Bath Gallery at 813-454-0591 or visit us on Facebook.