Questions we get about old houses

Mostly. That is the work we know best: lath and plaster, heart-pine floors, cast iron, galvanized and early copper. A house from the 1940s or 1950s with the same problems is fine too. New construction is not our work.

As little as we can. We start with the basement, the crawl space, the attic and the back of a closet. When a wall has to open, we cut along the lath lines so the plaster can be patched back, and we photograph it before and after.

Yes, unless they can't be saved or you ask us to replace them. A brass tap with a worn seat is a repair; a cracked tub or a thinned casting may not be. We tell you which, with a photo.

It is possible in homes built before 1986, when lead pipe, fittings and solder were still in use. We note anything that looks like lead and tell you in writing, but a visual check is not a water test. Your water utility or a lab your state approves for drinking-water tests can test your water, and the EPA's lead pages explain what the results mean.

Yes. If your project needs review, we write the plumbing part of the scope: what exists, what changes, which methods can be undone and what we photographed. See the page for architects and boards.

Yes, in writing, before a wall is opened. Where the wall hides the answer, the price comes in two parts: what we can see, and options for what we may find. The pricing page says how that works.

The walk-through carries a visit charge, which is credited toward the work if you hire us for it. The shop sets the amount and tells you when you book.

No. We are a weekday shop. If water is running, shut off the main valve and call a plumber with a night line. We will see you the next morning for a repair-first look.

Not always. We cut at a few points to see how much bore is left in the old pipe. Sometimes one run is bad and the rest is sound, and sometimes the whole house is the same age and the same shape. We write down which.

Yes, where the work needs one. The permit is part of the written scope, and the inspector sees the same photos you do.

Yes. We rebuild the valves and supplies, re-seat the drain and set the fixture back on its own feet. Reproduction fixtures are a choice we lay out for you, not a default.

We do the piping, valves and radiator connections for hot-water and steam systems. Boiler replacement and sizing is a different trade; we will tell you who we would call.

Shoe covers, floor protection from the door to the work, plastic over the doorway when we cut, and a call or text the day before. What we take out is laid out for you to see before it leaves.

Yes. Send a photo of the pipe, the fixture or the stain to the shop's text line and we will tell you whether a visit is needed. A photo is not an estimate.