Scarlett –
Our house (one of your target areas – UC) was built in 1963. It had copper pipes for both supply and waste. We’re in process (literally – hubby is home with a wall open and smelly pipes in his hands) replacing the upstairs waste pipes with ABS (plastic). Talking to neighbors who have the same 2 story model – same issue… 47 years later the waste pipes are being replaced. Supply lines are in perfect condition. It appears they weren’t as careful with the slope of the waste pipes when they built this block – and with water, cleaning products, whatever, sitting in the pipes… it corrodes over time. The cast iron parts and brass fittings are in good condition.
We also have upgraded/earthquake-retrofitted sections. This is much less of an issue in a single story house per my husband. If he opens a wall to do anything (add a new outlet, run some new wire/cables) he goes ahead and opens an entire section – adds diagonal bracing, adds insulation (if it’s an exterior wall), if it’s ground floor he adds more bolts to the foundation and strapping to the upper floors. When he replaces the wall he’s opened up, he uses plywood to give it sheer wall stiffness.
This is all probably overkill – he’s doing more than current earthquake standards. But it makes him sleep better at night. To paraphrase the old saying “happy husband, happy life”. LOL
Also, our previous rental (over on Millikin in UC) was built in 62 or 63. It had MUCH better diagonal bracing, sheer walls, etc per hubster. (Family owned the home so hubby did the work on it.) So you can’t extrapolate 100% that you’d need earthquake retrofitting if you buy an early/mid 60’s home in UC. It varies.
Friends who live in PQ were replacing one supply line at a time as the polyB pipes blew out. They finally bit the bullet and replumbed all of the supply lines.
I had a house outside Philly built in 1910. It was obviously still standing/functional. It had balloon framing – which is against code now (you need firestops between floors) – but was great for updating the wiring. It had lathe and plaster walls – which were beautiful – but harder to patch than drywall. The home had very few outlets – and I had to have quite a few added, along with a new service panel… In fact I had to replace some of the original knob & tube wiring.
There are no right/wrong answers on what the best construction is. Todays homes are built with smaller dimensioned lumber, but better wiring. Features people want (dual vanities in the master) are more common in new construction. Larger lots are more common in older homes. It’s all a matter of tradeoffs.
