Every Home in The Village Is Vintage. The Restoration Company Shouldn't Be Generic.

If your home still has galvanized steel supply lines or cast iron drain lines from the original construction, they're past their expected service life. Galvanized pipes narrow internally as mineral deposits build up — you may notice reduced water pressure first. Cast iron develops cracks and lets tree roots in (and The Village has mature trees everywhere sending roots toward moisture). A plumber can scope the lines. If you hear banging, see discolored water, or notice wet spots on walls you can't explain, don't wait — that's a pipe telling you it's done.

Yes. The system was improved between the 1960s and 1989, but extreme rain events still overwhelm it. As recently as June 2025, Village Drive experienced significant flooding after heavy rain. If you live along Village Drive, Andover, Carlisle, Lakeside Drive, or near Whispering Hills Apartments — the corridor that flooded in the legendary 1977 storm — you have elevated risk. Standard homeowners insurance does NOT cover flood damage. If you're in this corridor, talk to your agent about a separate flood policy. And if water does get in, call immediately — the 24-48 hour mold window doesn't care about insurance paperwork.

Probably. Most Village homes built on pier-and-beam foundations in the 1950s don't have vapor barriers. Ground moisture rises directly into the crawl space, and if there's poor ventilation — which there almost always is in homes from that era — you get the perfect mold environment: moisture, warmth, organic material, and no airflow. A musty smell means the mold colony is established enough to produce enough MVOCs (microbial volatile organic compounds) for you to detect. I can test the air quality and assess the crawl space. If it's mold, we contain it, remove it, and install a vapor barrier to prevent recurrence.

Absolutely. The October 2020 ice storm dropped over an inch of freezing rain across the metro. The Village's mature trees took a beating — heavy limbs came down on roofs, puncturing shingles or cracking flashing. Even if you repaired the visible damage, the impact point may have compromised the roof deck underneath. Water can seep through a hairline crack in a shingle for years, slowly saturating the decking and insulation. A thermal camera can find moisture behind drywall and in the attic without any demolition. If your home took a limb hit in 2020, a moisture check is worth the peace of mind.

Very likely contributing to them. Most homes built in The Village in the 1950s were designed before bathroom exhaust fans were standard. When you shower, steam saturates the drywall, grout, and ceiling. Over years, this repeated moisture exposure creates chronic mold conditions — you'll see it in grout lines first, then behind the vanity, then in the drywall itself. Adding a vent fan helps going forward, but if mold is already established in the walls, a fan alone won't fix it. I can assess the damage, remove the mold, and advise on ventilation upgrades that actually prevent recurrence.

Yes to both. Many Village homes have 60-amp panels (modern is 200), two-prong outlets, and possibly aluminum wiring from 1960s additions. Overloaded circuits can spark fires — especially when space heaters are added in winter. And fire damage means water damage, because the fire department uses water. Even a small kitchen fire can result in smoke throughout the HVAC system and water damage from suppression. If you're buying, budget for an electrical upgrade AND know who to call if something goes wrong before it's done.

That's a restoration job, not a plumbing job. The plumber fixes the pipe. I handle the contaminated water. Sewage backup is Category 3 — the most contaminated classification. It requires full extraction, removal of affected materials (carpet, pad, drywall below the water line), antimicrobial treatment, and thorough drying. You cannot clean Category 3 with bleach and towels. The Village's mature trees are beautiful, but their roots are aggressive — cast iron and clay sewer laterals from the 1950s-60s are weak points. If you've had slow drains or gurgling toilets, get your line scoped before it becomes an emergency.

The Village has specific advantages and risks. Advantages: it's a tight-knit community, emergency services are responsive, and homes are affordable enough that you can budget for repairs. Risks: every home is 60-70+ years old, the drainage system still floods in extreme rain, and the infrastructure is aging. The Village's risk is predictable — old pipes, old wiring, crawl space moisture, clay soil. If you know what you're buying, you can maintain it proactively. I'd rather work on a 1955 Village home where I know the construction than a mystery flip with hidden corners.