Remodeling · Nashville, TN

What to Expect Renovating a Pre-War House

Old houses are built better and to different rules. Almost nothing in them is standard-sized or square.

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September 1, 2026 · by Michael Blair, Nashville's Remodeling

Nashville’s older neighborhoods carry a great deal of pre-1950 housing, and renovating one differs from renovating a 1990s house in almost every practical respect.

Nothing is standard

Stud spacing varies, walls are rarely square, floors are not level and ceiling heights differ room to room. Stock cabinetry and standard door sizes fit poorly.

That is not damage — it is how the house was built and how it has settled. Fighting it is expensive; designing around it is not.

Plaster and lath

Plaster over wood lath rather than drywall. It is harder, more brittle, better at sound and far less forgiving to cut into or fix things to.

Repairing plaster properly is a different skill from patching drywall, and replacing it with drywall changes both the acoustics and the wall thickness.

Expect out-of-square walls and uneven floors
Plaster over lath, not drywall
Original wiring may be knob and tube
Supply piping may be galvanized
Asbestos and lead are real considerations pre-1978

Hazardous materials

Lead paint is likely in anything pre-1978, and disturbing it brings legal requirements for the work. Asbestos may be in floor tile, pipe insulation, textured ceilings and roofing.

Testing before demolition is far cheaper than dealing with a discovery mid-project, and it changes the procedure rather than necessarily the feasibility.

What is worth keeping

Original heart pine floors, solid doors, trim profiles and windows made from old-growth timber are frequently better than anything replacing them, and they are what gives the house its value.

Restoring original windows with storm windows performs respectably and keeps the character that a period neighborhood is priced on.

FAQ

What to Expect Renovating a Pre-War House — questions

Should I replace plaster with drywall?

Not by default. Plaster is harder, better acoustically and part of the house’s character, and skilled repair is possible. Replacing it changes wall thickness at openings and trim, and the labor is not necessarily lower. Where large areas have failed, drywall is a reasonable answer for those areas.

Do I need to test for asbestos and lead?

In anything built before 1978, testing before demolition is strongly advisable. Lead paint disturbance carries legal requirements for the work, and asbestos may be in floor tile, pipe insulation and textured ceilings. Discovering either mid-project is far more disruptive than knowing beforehand.

Are original windows worth restoring?

Frequently yes, in a period Nashville neighborhood. The timber in them is old-growth and better than anything in a modern replacement, restoration is often cheaper than good replacements, and paired with storm windows the performance is respectable. They are also part of what the neighborhood is priced on.

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