Buying an old house? This little thing can make it difficult to get homeowners insurance.

My wife and I recently purchased a 101-year-old house and we absolutely love it! We love the character, the big windows, the wooden floors, the fun little architectural details, and the interesting door handles and fixtures. We love everything about this house that makes you feel like you’ve stepped into another era in history, connected to the unique heritage of our neighborhood and the lives of all the families who lived there before.

But buying an older house, which we don’t like, requires knob and tube wiring.

Like many other aspects of home ownership, I had never heard of “knob and tube wiring” before it became a strange and expensive problem in my life. However, if you purchase an older home built between 1880 and 1940, the home may have knob and tube wiring. And these outdated wiring styles can cause thousands of dollars worth of headaches.

Let’s take a look at some of the reasons knob and tube wiring can be a problem for your homeowners insurance and how to fix them.

What is Knob and Tube Wiring?

Electrical wiring technology advanced significantly from 1880 to 1940. However, at that time, many homes were supplied with electricity by a wiring style called “knob and tube wiring,” which used porcelain knobs and tubes. This type of wiring is now considered obsolete and, depending on how it has been installed or modified over the years and what the insulation of the wiring is, can be a safety hazard.

Knob and tube wiring can no longer be installed, and modern forms of electrical wiring (called “romex”) are safer and better. But buying an older home can cause problems. Due to handle and tube wiring issues. homeowners insurance.

Homeowners Insurance: Knob and Tube Wiring Problems

Some homeowners insurance companies will not insure homes with knob and tube wiring. Other companies offer coverage for homes with knob and tube wiring, but the premiums are higher. Want to replace your knob and tube wiring? It can cost thousands of dollars. According to homeinspectorsecrets.com, the average cost to replace knob and tube wiring is $3,500 to $9,000.

But that doesn’t mean knob and tube wiring should be a deal breaker. After all, many older homes from the pre-World War II era still have this type of wiring. Knob and tube wiring is not always dangerous and does not always need to be replaced. With careful planning and expert advice, you can take the hassle out of handles and tubes.

How to Get Homeowners Insurance with Knob and Tube Wiring

When we were looking for a house, our real estate agent knew that we liked older homes, and that the neighborhood we wanted had a lot of homes from the knob-and-tube wiring era. He recommended some homeowners insurance companies in our state that offer coverage for knob and tube wiring and we were able to get coverage.

Fortunately, the same insurance company that already insured our car was also willing to insure our new (old) knob and tube wiring house. In particular, insurance premiums were low because I received a discount by bundling home insurance and auto insurance.

There was one more thing we needed from the insurance company to buy our house. A professional electrician was needed to inspect the knob and tube wiring. We contacted a local electrical contractor and paid several hundred dollars to have one of their licensed electricians spend several hours checking every nook and cranny of our old home’s wiring.

The electrician’s report came back, and it was good news! The knob and tube wiring was in very good condition and was limited to a few areas of the house. Most of the high demand places in our home, such as appliances and air conditioners, had newer wiring that was replaced by the previous homeowner. He did not recommend replacing any more of the knob and tube wiring. We were able to go, the house’s wiring was safe, we didn’t have to spend thousands of dollars to wire the entire house, and our homeowners insurance was approved.

gist: If you buy an older home, you may run into problems with the knob and tube wiring. Some homeowners insurance companies will not provide coverage for homes with this type of wiring. But you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to rewire your home. Your insurance company may also require a professional inspection by an electrician. Knob and tube wiring doesn’t have to be a problem for your dream home.

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