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Homeowner Resources : Safety & Hazardous Materials

When owning an older home, it is important to know what risks and safety hazards you could face. Some of these risks have simple fixes, but others can be more difficult or may stop you from purchasing a heritage home altogether.

Questions to ask yourself regarding the safety of your old home:

  • What are your fire risks? Does the house have knob and tube wiring? “DIY” electrical work?
  • What materials were used? Were asbestos and lead used in construction?
  • Have you inspected from the bottom to the top? How stable is the foundation? The roof?

Resources

Overview of potential safety concerns:
» Antique Home: What Should I Look for When Buying an Old House?

Electrical and Fire Risks Explained:
» PowerChek: Electrical Risk of Heritage Homes
» PowerChek: Older Homes – Fire Risks Explained
» PowerChek: Knob and Tube Wiring Explained

Hazardous Materials:
»  Vancouver Heritage Foundation : Hazardous Materials & Safety in Older Buildings
»  Worksafe BC’s Asbestos Hazards When Renovating Older Homes and watch their video on the same topic.


FAQ

What aspects of renovating a heritage home can be potentially dangerous?

Many of the safety risks of renovating an older home consist of the risks expected in any renovation project. You can read BC Housing’s pamphlet on Managing Environmental Risks During a Renovation Project for an overview of these risks.
Additional risks for older homes are often associated with the increased degradation of materials as a result of their age. Caution is recommended for all renovation projects, and those working on older homes must be aware of the increased risk when working on projects that might appear simple.

 

How do I test for asbestos and eliminate it if present?

From Worksafe BC:
In order to properly identify asbestos in your home, you must hire a qualified testing company or asbestos surveyor. The testing company or surveyor will take samples of possible asbestos-containing materials in your home, and send them to a lab for testing. The surveyor will then provide you with a report of the location of asbestos in your home.
Once you have identified the asbestos-containing materials in your home, the next step is to have the identified asbestos removed by a qualified asbestos abatement contractor. Provide the contractor with the report from the surveyor to ensure that all of the identified asbestos-containing materials are removed. Once the work has been completed, the abatement contractor will provide you with a report confirming that all asbestos has been removed, and your property is ready for demolition or renovation.

 

Do you have questions about Safety & Hazardous Materials that aren’t answered here?
Email us at [email protected]

More Homeowner Resources

Homeowner Resources - building codes, heritage standards and laws Homeowner Resources - Heritage designation Homeowner Resources - Heritage Professionals Homeowner Resources - Insurance
Homeowner Resources - energy improvements and sustainability Homeowner Resources - Building Maintenance Homeowner Resources - Funding Opportunities Homeowner Resources - materials, construction and design
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As an organization of provincial scope, Heritage BC recognizes that its members, and the local history and heritage they seek to preserve, occupy the lands and territories of B.C.’s Indigenous peoples. Heritage BC asks its members and everyone working in the heritage sector to reflect on the places where they reside and work, and to respect the diversity of cultures and experiences that form the richness of our provincial heritage.