Renovating an Older Adelaide Home: The Plumbing Behind the Character
Adelaide’s older homes have a charm that new builds find hard to copy. Bluestone villas with high ceilings and return verandahs, solid brick bungalows, and the modest 1950s to 1970s houses with their generous blocks all make wonderful starting points for a renovation. The fresh paint, new tiles and opened-up living spaces are the fun part.
What lies behind the walls and under the floors deserves just as much attention. Old pipes, tired sewer lines and building materials from another era can all affect your budget, your timeline and your health if they are not planned for from the start.
Read the Pipes Before You Plan the Rooms
Many older Adelaide homes still have galvanised steel water pipes. Over decades, these corrode from the inside, narrowing the bore of the pipe and reducing water pressure. Rusty or discoloured water when you first turn on a tap, weak showers and pinhole leaks are common signs. Sewer and drainage lines in homes of this age are often made of earthenware or cast iron, with joints that can crack or shift over time.
Before you lock in a floor plan, it is worth booking an inspection with trusted local Adelaide plumbers who can assess the condition of the existing pipework and drains. Adelaide Expert Plumbing & Gas is a family-owned business based in Thebarton, and its services include CCTV drain inspections, pipe relining, leak detection, burst pipe repairs, hot water systems and bathroom and kitchen renovations.
Knowing the state of the plumbing early helps you decide whether to replace old water pipes throughout the house while the walls are open, or whether parts of the existing system can stay. It is far easier to repipe a home during a renovation than after the new plaster and paint are finished.
Tree Roots and Old Sewer Lines
Mature trees are part of the appeal of many older Adelaide streets, but their roots go looking for water. Earthenware sewer pipes with small gaps at the joints are an easy target. Once roots get in, they grow, trap waste and can eventually block or break the pipe.
Slow drains, gurgling sounds, toilets that struggle to flush and unusually lush patches of lawn above a sewer line can all point to root intrusion. Adelaide’s reactive clay soils add to the problem, since they swell and shrink as moisture levels change, putting stress on old pipes.
A camera inspection shows exactly where the damage is. Depending on what it finds, a damaged section may be dug up and replaced, or the line may be suitable for relining, which creates a new pipe inside the old one with less disruption to gardens and paving. Either way, it is better to deal with it before laying new paving or garden beds over the line.
Asbestos: Stop Before You Cut
Homes built or renovated in Australia before 1990 may contain asbestos. In older houses, it was commonly used in fibro wall and ceiling sheeting, eaves, bathroom and laundry linings, vinyl floor tiles and their backing, and some flue pipes. Asbestos cement was also used for some pipes, so the plumbing itself is not always in the clear.
Asbestos is generally low risk when it is in good condition and left alone. The danger comes when it is drilled, cut, sanded or broken, which releases fibres that can be breathed in. That is exactly what happens during a bathroom or laundry renovation if materials are not checked first.
Before anyone cuts into walls, floors or eaves, have suspect materials assessed and tested. Larger removal jobs and any friable asbestos must be handled by a licensed asbestos removalist, and rules apply to how asbestos waste is handled and disposed of. The Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency provides national information on asbestos in homes, and it is a good place to start before demolition begins.
Factor testing and any removal into your budget and timeline from the start. Finding asbestos halfway through a job can stall work for weeks.
Designing Wet Areas Around Old Bones
Older homes often have bathrooms and laundries tucked at the back, sometimes in a lean-to or an enclosed verandah. Moving a bathroom to a new location can be done, but drainage needs enough fall to reach the sewer, which can affect floor heights and where fixtures can sit.
Villas with suspended timber floors usually allow easier access underneath for new pipework, while houses on concrete slabs may need the slab cut to move drains. Talk through these limits with your designer and plumber before falling in love with a layout.
Character homes also suit carefully chosen fixtures. Tapware in brushed brass or matte black, freestanding baths and simple subway tiles can sit comfortably with original features. Choose water-efficient fittings, and make sure your water pressure, which may improve once old galvanised pipes are replaced, suits the tapware and shower heads you have chosen.
Planning the Order of Works
A sensible sequence saves time and money. Start with an inspection of the plumbing and drains, and an asbestos assessment of any areas you plan to disturb. Next comes design, approvals if needed, and any asbestos removal. Then the rough-in of new pipes and drains, waterproofing of wet areas, and finally tiling, fixtures and finishes.
In South Australia, plumbing work must be carried out by licensed plumbers, and this includes any changes to water supply, drainage or gas lines. Working with licensed trades from the start keeps the project compliant and avoids costly fixes later.
An older Adelaide home rewards the effort. With sound plumbing, safe materials and a layout that respects the original bones, it can stay comfortable and full of character for many more decades.