The Cast Iron Struggle

I wanted to briefly share some thoughts on an issue that we have been encountering more and more frequently in the DFW housing market. Most recently, I had this come up on a purchase in the Denton area, but it is common potential issue with any house in the area that was built before the 1980's.

The issue is cast iron sewer pipes. When I first started in DFW real estate 18 years ago, the boogey man of home repair issues was foundation work. This is still an extremely costly and problematic issue in today's market, but cast iron sewer pipes is an even bigger issue for 2 main reasons.

1. COST - While foundation work can become a very daunting expense, in my experience, your average repair job usually runs under $10,000 as long as the entire foundation isn't failing. However, replacement of an entire cast iron sewer system can cost $40,000 or more depending on the size of the home.

2. NECESSITY - Foundation work may or may not be necessary depending on how the soil settles below your home. There are many very old homes that will never have this issue in Texas. On the other hand, replacing old cast iron pipes will not be optional. These pipes have a useful shelf life. Even if they are in okay shape now, they will continue to deteriorate until the eventually require replacement.

For these reasons, I strongly recommend that when purchasing a house, buyers have all underground piping inspected and if there is any concern, that a licensed plumber perform a hydrostatic test. In many cases, even if there is not currently a leak, I would recommend avoiding houses that have not already had this work done. It will be an extremely costly repair to take on as a new home owner.