Remodeling an older Florida home: what to check first

The short answer

Before you remodel an older Florida home, check five things: lead paint (homes built before 1978), asbestos in older materials, aluminum branch wiring (roughly 1965 to the mid-1970s), polybutylene water pipes (late 1970s to about 1995) and the permits your project needs. Each has its own guide. Here is what to know from each.

We could not confirm Census numbers on how old homes in Manatee or Sarasota County are, so we do not give a share of older homes.

The five checks at a glance

Older-home checks and what the sources say

Check	What the source says	Source
Lead paint	Rule covers homes built before 1978. Triggers: more than 6 sq ft interior, more than 20 sq ft exterior. Window replacement counts.	EPA
Asbestos	Leave undamaged material alone. Sampling and removal by trained, accredited professionals.	EPA
Aluminum wiring	Unlikely before 1965. May be present in cable installed 1965 to the mid-1970s.	CPSC
Polybutylene pipe	Used about 1979 to 1995 per one insurer bulletin. Other accounts say 1978.	Insurer bulletin (secondary)
Permits	Obtain them before repairs or work start. Permits expire after 180 days with no approved inspection in Manatee County.	Manatee County

Lead paint and asbestos

EPA's lead rule covers work that disturbs more than 6 square feet of painted surface inside, or 20 square feet outside, in homes built before 1978. Window replacement is a covered activity. Details are in our guide on lead paint rules for remodeling.

For asbestos, EPA says to leave undamaged asbestos-containing material alone, and not to saw, sand, scrape or drill into it. Sampling should be done by a trained and accredited professional. See popcorn ceilings and asbestos.

Wiring and pipes

CPSC says homes built before 1965 are unlikely to have aluminum branch wiring, and cable from 1965 to the mid-1970s may. CPSC approves only three permanent fixes and warns against doing it yourself. See aluminum wiring in older Florida homes.

For polybutylene, our only readable source is an insurer's May 2000 bulletin, so we treat it as secondary. See polybutylene pipes in Florida.

Older homes may also have cast iron drain pipes. We found no official guidance on how they fail and no sourced lifespan, so we give none. A licensed plumber can look at them before walls are opened.

Permits and flood rules

Manatee County lists Residential, Electrical, Plumbing and Mechanical among its standard permit types, and the Residential type requires building plans and a site plan or survey. Permits expire after 180 days if no required inspection has been approved. Inside city limits, Palmetto and Bradenton run their own permitting. Start with our Manatee County permit guide.

If your home is in a flood zone, the county's substantial improvement rule applies: work that equals or exceeds 50 percent of the building's market value, over a one-year period, triggers extra requirements. See the substantial improvement rule. Taking out a wall? Read about load-bearing walls first.

When surprises show up mid-project

Even with every check done, opening a wall can show something no one expected. What matters is how that is handled. The price on your written estimate does not change without your written approval, so a surprise becomes a written conversation about scope and cost, not a bill you see later. Our change orders guide explains how that works.

How Hildebrand handles older homes

Hildebrand is a family-owned Florida Certified Building Contractor (license CBC1257253, licensed since 2009) in Palmetto. We do whole-home renovations, kitchen and bathroom remodels and additions. We do not do lead certification, asbestos abatement or mold remediation as services. Where those are needed, they are done by the right professionals first.

Plumbing and electrical are done by licensed trade partners we manage and coordinate. We pull every required permit and meet Florida Building Code inspections. The visit and written estimate are free, with no trip fee. Look at our process and our guarantee, or contact us.

Questions homeowners ask