The old sectors of Hull and Aylmer have a character you will not find anywhere else in the Outaouais. But a century-old home tells a long story, and some chapters deserve a careful look before you buy.
Buildings full of history
In Hull, many homes were rebuilt after the great fire of 1900. In Aylmer, you find heritage homes, sometimes of stone, inherited from the Scottish and Irish settlement. They are beautiful buildings, but built to the standards of their time.
What to watch for
- Old electrical wiring: sometimes knob-and-tube, to validate and often to update
- Period plumbing: lead or galvanized steel piping
- Stone or older concrete foundations: to examine for cracks and moisture
- Insufficient insulation: common in older buildings, a source of heat loss
- Balloon-frame structure: an old framing type that needs particular attention
- Successive renovations: to validate one by one, as quality varies
Moisture, the enemy of old homes
The proximity of the Ottawa River and low basements make water management particularly important in these sectors. Our article on basement water infiltration covers this in more detail.
Buying a century home with confidence
An old home is not a bad purchase, far from it. But it calls for understanding how it was built and changed. A pre-purchase inspection by an inspector who knows older buildings makes all the difference.
In short
The charm of heritage, yes, but with full knowledge. To have an older home in Hull or Aylmer inspected, contact us.