I love old houses.

Give me the original woodwork, the creaky hardwood floors, the built in cabinets, the wavy old glass windows, and the quirky floor plans. Every old home has a story, and that’s part of what makes Cincinnati such a wonderful place to live.

But behind all that character are the things you don’t always see.

As Steve and I have been remodeling our basement laundry room, we’ve had a front row seat to over 100 years of home construction. Every time we open a wall, we find another piece of history. Sometimes it’s fascinating. Sometimes it’s frustrating. Usually it’s both. Our favorite saying is “Code? What code?”

The good news? None of these things automatically mean you shouldn’t buy an older home. It simply means you should understand what you’re looking at. We love the solid plaster walls and creaky floors, it’s a good way to know if someone is up in the middle of the night.

Our home in Norwood has gone through alot of transition from original house to boarding house for the factory workers to a multi family and back to a single family. When we bought it we had time not money, so ripping out shag carpet, smokey paneling and uncovering the original stained glass windows became our “hobby”. Sweat equity as they say. Steve and I did create lots of memories putting our home back together. Here are a few things that we discovered.

Plumbing Has Come a Long Way

One of the first things we found was a mix of plumbing from several different decades.

That’s pretty common in older Cincinnati homes.

Many homes built before the 1960s used cast iron drain pipes. These pipes were incredibly durable and often lasted 75 to 100 years. The downside is that over time they can rust from the inside, develop cracks, or begin to clog more easily.

Outside the home, many older properties still have clay sewer lines running to the street. Clay was the standard for decades, but tree roots absolutely love the tiny joints between each section of pipe. Root intrusion is one of the most common sewer issues in older neighborhoods.

Neither of these automatically needs replacing, but they’re worth inspecting. A sewer scope before you buy can save thousands of dollars and a whole lot of stress. Our house cast iron main stack was so bad, it was rusted all the way through. We paid two “plumbers” to replace it the same day that Steve got downsized from his job. Ugh, that was tough and began a 10 month rehab of our house. Fun times.

Then there’s the plumbing supply lines.

Our basement had a combination of old copper piping connected to newer materials with a collection of fittings that looked like they’d been added one project at a time over several decades.

For our renovation, we switched much of it to PEX plumbing.

If you’ve never heard of PEX, it’s a flexible water supply tubing that’s become the standard in many renovations. It bends around corners, requires fewer fittings, installs more quickly, and is much easier to repair or expand in the future. Instead of cutting and soldering copper every time you want to make a change, many PEX connections are made with specialized crimp or expansion fittings.

It’s one of those upgrades you’ll probably never show off to your friends, but you’ll appreciate every time you need to work on your plumbing. It is so much easier to install, meaning less cursing and less leaks!

Let’s Talk About Knob and Tube Wiring

Few things make buyers more nervous than hearing the words knob and tube wiring.

Knob and tube wiring was commonly installed from the late 1800s through the 1930s. At the time, it was considered a safe and innovative electrical system. Individual wires ran through ceramic tubes where they passed through wood framing and were supported by ceramic knobs along their route.

Believe it or not, knob and tube wiring itself isn’t automatically dangerous.

If it has remained untouched, isn’t overloaded, and has been properly maintained, it can still function safely.

The bigger issue is that most homes have changed dramatically over the last hundred years.

Families today plug in computers, televisions, microwaves, coffee makers, air fryers, chargers, and countless other electronics. Knob and tube wiring was never designed for that kind of electrical demand.

Over the decades, many systems have also been modified by homeowners, sometimes correctly and sometimes…not so correctly.

That’s why many insurance companies are hesitant to insure homes with active knob and tube wiring. Some companies require inspections, others require portions of the system to be replaced, and some won’t insure it at all.

If you’re buying an older home, this is simply a conversation to have with your home inspector, electrician, and insurance agent. If you are planning to sell your home, it might be a good thing to update before you list.

A Quick Word About Aluminum Wiring

Another type of wiring buyers occasionally encounter is aluminum wiring.

It was commonly installed between the mid-1960s and early 1970s when copper prices increased.

The concern isn’t the aluminum wire itself. The issue is that aluminum expands and contracts more than copper, which can loosen connections over time if the proper connectors weren’t used.

Many homes with aluminum wiring have been safely updated by licensed electricians using approved connectors or by replacing portions of the wiring entirely.

Again, it’s something to understand, not panic about.

Why Romex Became the Standard

Today, most homes are wired with Romex, also called non metallic sheathed cable.

It has become the modern standard because it’s durable, easier to install, safer, and designed for today’s electrical needs.

When we renovate sections of our home, we replace outdated wiring with modern Romex whenever practical. It gives us peace of mind knowing that the electrical system is ready for the way we actually live today.

Those Beautiful Old Windows

Now let’s talk about one of my favorite features in an old home.

The windows.

Some of the oldest Cincinnati homes still have their original wood windows with hand blown glass. If you’ve ever looked through one and noticed the glass isn’t perfectly flat, that’s not a defect. Before modern manufacturing, glass often had gentle waves and tiny imperfections that create a soft, almost magical look.

You simply can’t buy that kind of character today.

The downside?

Most are single pane windows, which aren’t nearly as energy efficient as modern insulated windows.

So what should you do?

There isn’t one right answer.

If your original windows are in good condition, many homeowners restore them, add weatherstripping, repair glazing, and install quality storm windows. This preserves the historic charm while significantly improving energy efficiency.

Other homeowners choose replacement windows.

Today’s windows come in vinyl, fiberglass, composite, and wood clad options, each with different price points, maintenance needs, and appearances. Replacing every window in a home can be a significant investment, but it can also improve comfort and reduce maintenance.

At our house, we’ve taken a middle of the road approach.

We’ve replaced a few windows that rattled in every windstorm and had simply reached the end of their life.

But we’ve intentionally kept many of the original first floor windows because they’re part of what makes our house feel like our house, even if Steve stuffs tissue between the cracks in the winter.

Every time the afternoon light comes through that old wavy glass, I’m reminded why we chose to preserve them.

Old Doesn’t Mean Bad

One of the biggest misconceptions I hear is that old automatically means broken.

It doesn’t.

It means the house has lived a life.

Most older homes have been updated a little at a time by generations of homeowners. Some improvements were done beautifully. Others…well, they gave the next owner a surprise.

That’s why a good home inspection is so valuable. You’re not looking for a perfect house. You’re learning the home’s story and deciding which chapter you’ll write next.

Personally, I’ll take character over cookie cutter almost every time.

Just give me updated plumbing, safe wiring, and a basement laundry room that no longer feels like a science experiment.

That’s a pretty good place to start.

Thinking about buying an older Cincinnati home? I’d love to walk through it with you. Sometimes what looks scary is perfectly manageable, and sometimes the biggest issues are the ones hiding behind the walls. Knowing the difference can save you thousands of dollars and help you fall in love with a house for all the right reasons.