WESTBORO REAL ESTATE
Buying a Character Home in Westboro: What to Inspect
By Jason Polonski, REALTOR® with Right at Home Realty · Last updated: October 2026
Buying a character home in Westboro means inspecting for the issues that come with age: original or older wiring, lead or galvanized water pipes, aging sewer lines, older foundations, and materials like vermiculite insulation or a forgotten oil tank. Most of Westboro’s houses were built between 1900 and 1960, so many of these homes are 65 to more than 100 years old. None of these issues should automatically stop a purchase, but each one affects your budget, your insurance and your offer.
This guide is organized the way an inspection should be: by system. It reflects what Jason Polonski looks for on Westboro showings, drawing on his background in construction and the electrical trades. For the neighbourhood overview, see the Westboro real estate and neighbourhood guide.
What Counts as a Character Home in Westboro?
Westboro began as a village and was annexed by Ottawa in 1949, and its housing stock reflects that history. You will find early brick and wood-frame houses on streets close to Richmond Road, storey-and-a-half cottages, and post-war bungalows built as the area filled in after the Second World War.
Each era tends to come with its own set of likely issues:
- Before about 1930: possible knob-and-tube wiring, stone or early concrete foundations, plaster walls, original sewer laterals and lead water services.
- 1940s and 1950s: small electrical services, galvanized steel plumbing, possible vermiculite insulation, lead water services and past oil heating.
- 1960s and 1970s: aluminum branch wiring in some homes, original windows and early forced-air systems.
Many of these houses have been renovated, sometimes more than once. The question is not just how old the house is, but what was updated, when, by whom, and whether it was permitted. Our general guide to buying an older home in Ottawa covers the wider picture.
Electrical: The First System to Check in an Older Westboro Home
Electrical is where a trades background matters most, and it is the system buyers most often underestimate.
Knob-and-tube wiring
Knob-and-tube was standard in homes built before about the 1940s. It has no ground conductor, its insulation becomes brittle with age, and it was never designed to be buried in modern insulation. Many insurers will not cover a home with active knob-and-tube, or will only do so with conditions and a deadline for replacement. Before you go firm, get an insurance quote on the specific address. The Insurance Bureau of Canada has guidance on how insurers assess older homes.
Undersized service and ungrounded circuits
Older homes often have 60-amp or 100-amp services that cannot support a modern kitchen, heat pump, EV charger or basement suite. Two-prong outlets, or three-prong outlets installed without a ground, are common. Upgrading the service is a known, budgetable cost, but it should be priced before you set your offer. If you are planning a heat pump, factor the service upgrade in now.
Aluminum branch wiring
Some homes built or renovated from the mid-1960s to the late 1970s used aluminum branch wiring. It can be made safe with proper connectors and devices, but it needs to be identified and assessed by a licensed electrician. Our seller-side guides to knob-and-tube wiring and aluminum wiring explain how these issues affect price and insurance.
Any electrical repair or upgrade in Ontario should be done by a Licensed Electrical Contractor with the required notification to the Electrical Safety Authority. Ask the seller for ESA records for past electrical work.
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Plumbing and Water: Lead Pipes, Galvanized Lines and Sewer Laterals
Lead water service pipes
The City of Ottawa says homes built before 1958 are most likely to have a lead water service pipe, and that applies to a large share of Westboro. You can often check the private portion where the pipe enters the basement: lead is dull grey, soft, and shows a shiny silver line when scratched. The City’s Lead Pipe Replacement Program offers a rebate for replacing the private portion, or a full replacement with the option to repay your share through your property tax bill.
Galvanized supply lines and cast-iron drains
Galvanized steel supply lines corrode from the inside, which reduces water pressure and eventually leaks. Original cast-iron drain stacks can crack. Both are common in 1940s and 1950s homes, and replacement means opening walls and ceilings.
The sewer lateral
The pipe running from the house to the city sewer is one of the most expensive surprises in an older home. Clay and early pipes can be cracked, offset, or full of roots from Westboro’s mature trees. A sewer camera inspection costs a fraction of a repair and is one of the best investments you can make on a pre-1960 home. While you are at it, ask whether the house has a backwater valve.
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Foundations, Moisture and Basements
Westboro’s older homes sit on stone, block or early poured-concrete foundations. Many are perfectly sound after a century, but the basement is where problems show up first.
Look for efflorescence (white mineral deposits), crumbling parging, cracks that are wider at one end, damp smells and stained baseboards behind finished walls. Check the grading outside: ground that slopes toward the house is the most common cause of a wet basement and the cheapest to fix.
Ceiling height matters too. Many older Westboro basements are low, and lowering a floor or underpinning walls to create usable space is a major structural project. If a finished basement or a future rental unit is part of your plan, get a contractor’s opinion before you buy, not after. Our guide on whether you should buy a home that needs work helps you weigh the numbers.
Insulation, Asbestos, Lead Paint and Radon
Vermiculite insulation, a loose, pebbly, grey-brown material in attics and walls, was used in many older homes and may contain asbestos. Health Canada’s advice is not to disturb it and to have it assessed by a professional. Asbestos can also appear in old pipe wrap, ceiling textures and flooring; see our guide to asbestos in Ottawa homes.
Paint in homes built before the 1960s may contain lead, which matters if you plan to sand or renovate. And because radon can be present in any home regardless of age, Health Canada recommends long-term radon testing after you move in. Our guide to radon in Ottawa explains how.
Oil Tanks, Heating and Windows
Many Westboro homes were once heated with oil. Even after converting to gas, an old tank may remain in the basement or, more seriously, buried in the yard. Look for fill and vent pipes on the exterior walls and ask for the conversion records. Insurers and lenders take oil tanks seriously, and the Technical Standards and Safety Authority regulates fuel oil equipment. Read selling a home with an oil tank to understand how it affects a deal.
Check the age of the furnace or boiler, air conditioner and water heater, and whether the water heater is rented. Original single-pane or early replacement windows affect comfort and heating costs. Draft-proofing and insulation upgrades in older homes often deliver the best return on comfort; CMHC publishes practical guidance on renovating older houses.
Renovate, Add On or Rebuild?
Many character-home buyers plan an addition or a second unit. Ottawa’s new Zoning By-law 2026-50 now governs most residential lots, with some provisions still under appeal, so check the City’s zoning information for your lot before you assume what you can build. Also confirm whether the house is on the City’s heritage register or in a heritage conservation district, which limits demolition and exterior changes. If the numbers point toward replacing the house rather than renovating it, compare your plan against buying a new Westboro infill home. If you already own an older Westboro home and are weighing a sale, see what’s my Westboro home worth?
Building an Inspection Plan Into Your Offer
On an older Westboro home, a single general inspection is a starting point, not the whole plan. A sensible approach includes:
- A general home inspection by an experienced inspector who knows older housing.
- A licensed electrician’s assessment if there is any sign of knob-and-tube, aluminum wiring or an undersized service.
- A sewer camera inspection of the lateral.
- Confirmation of the water service material and any oil tank history.
- An insurance quote on the address before your conditions expire.
In multiple-offer situations, sellers sometimes ask for offers without conditions. If you cannot include an inspection condition, arrange your inspections before the offer date. Our guide to what to look for in a home inspection explains how to read the report.
When the report comes back, separate safety issues and expensive systems from cosmetic items. That distinction is what drives a fair price adjustment or a decision to walk away.
Buy a Westboro Character Home With a REALTOR® Who Knows Old Houses
Jason Polonski has spent more than 15 years helping hundreds of buyers and sellers across Ottawa, and he came to real estate from construction and the electrical trades. On a Westboro character home, he can spot knob-and-tube in a basement, recognize a tired electrical panel, read a foundation for the signs that matter, and tell you which findings are routine for a 1940s house and which should change your price.
He helps you plan the right inspections, interpret the reports, and negotiate based on real repair costs rather than guesswork. If you are selling your current home to buy, he coordinates both transactions so your timing works. Learn more about Jason, see client reviews on his Google Business Profile, or visit the Westboro REALTOR® page. Ready to look at listings? Start with buying a house in Westboro.
Call or text (613) 601-9333 to walk through a Westboro character home together.
Westboro Character Home FAQs
Older Westboro homes are not risky by default, but they often have aging wiring, plumbing, sewer lines and foundations. A thorough inspection plan and an insurance quote before going firm keep the risk manageable.
The City of Ottawa says homes built before 1958 are most likely to have one. Lead pipe is dull grey and shows a shiny silver line when scratched, and the City can confirm the material of its portion.
Some insurers decline active knob-and-tube and others cover it with conditions, such as a deadline to replace it. Get a quote on the specific address before your conditions expire.
On a house built before about 1960, a sewer camera inspection is strongly recommended. Cracked, offset or root-filled laterals are common under mature trees and expensive to repair.
Vermiculite is a loose, pebbly insulation found in some older attics and walls that may contain asbestos. Health Canada advises leaving it undisturbed and having it assessed by a professional.
It depends on the condition of the structure and systems, what the zoning allows on your lot, and whether the property has heritage status. Price both paths before you buy, not after.
Most of Westboro’s houses were built between 1900 and 1960, with newer infill homes and condos added over the past two decades.
