The Westside has the best housing character in this region. Old Colorado City, the streets running up toward Manitou, the blocks near Bancroft Park — these are homes with proportions, materials and detail that nothing built in the last forty years matches.
They also have a hundred-plus years of previous owners, each of whom improved something, and not all of whom did it well. Here is what to look at with clear eyes.
Electrical
Knob and tube. In the oldest homes, remnants still exist. It is ungrounded, it was not designed for modern loads, and insurers increasingly decline to cover homes with active knob and tube. Look in the basement and attic for ceramic knobs and cloth-covered wire running through joists.
The layering problem. More common than pure knob and tube is a century of splices — original wiring extended in the fifties, extended again in the eighties, and modified by an owner in the 2000s. Each layer is fine on its own; the junction points are where the problems live.
What to look for: two-prong outlets, a fuse box, an undersized panel, ungrounded three-prong outlets someone swapped in without adding a ground, and a basement ceiling full of visible splices outside junction boxes.
Plumbing
Galvanized supply. Steel pipe corrodes internally over decades, narrowing until pressure noticeably drops. If the house has original galvanized, budget a repipe rather than hoping.
Cast iron waste. Cracks at the hubs, and it does not announce itself until it does.
Sewer lateral. This is the one to insist on. Get a camera inspection of the line from the house to the main. On the Westside you are dealing with a line that may be a century old, running under mature trees, in clay soil that moves. A sewer replacement is a five-figure surprise, and a camera scope costs a fraction of an inspection.
Do not skip this. Of everything on this list, it is the item most likely to be expensive and most easily checked in advance.
Foundation
Older Westside homes may sit on stone, rubble or early concrete rather than modern poured walls. That is not automatically a problem — many have stood for a century — but they respond to moisture differently and they need different repairs. A contractor who only works on 1990s subdivisions may not know what they are looking at.
Check the crawlspace if there is one. Look for standing water, efflorescence on the walls, sagging framing, and evidence of previous repairs.
Heating, insulation and windows
Original windows are often part of what makes these homes worth buying, and replacing them with vinyl is usually a mistake aesthetically and sometimes a regulatory problem. Restoration plus storm windows is frequently the better answer, and there are people locally who specialise in it.
Insulation in walls may be minimal or nonexistent. Adding it is possible but needs care, because a wall assembly designed to dry in both directions can trap moisture once it is filled.
Heating may be a converted system with an unusual history. Have it inspected specifically rather than as part of a general walk-through.
Permits and history
Ask for permit history. Layers of unpermitted work are extremely common in older housing, and they complicate every future project, insurance claim and eventual sale.
Where a property sits in a historic district or overlay, exterior changes may be subject to review. Confirm what applies to the specific address before you plan a renovation, because assumptions here are expensive.
Hazardous materials
Homes of this age may contain lead paint and asbestos in insulation, floor tile, adhesive or duct wrap. Neither is necessarily a crisis if left undisturbed, but both change how renovation must be done, and both belong in your budget rather than as a mid-project surprise.
Hire the right inspector
A general inspection is a starting point. For a house like this, consider adding:
- Sewer camera scope (non-negotiable)
- Electrical evaluation by a licensed electrician
- Structural assessment if there is any sign of movement
- Asbestos and lead testing if you intend to renovate
That is a few hundred dollars against a purchase that will define your next decade.
And then buy it anyway
None of this is an argument against older Westside homes. It is an argument for knowing what you are taking on. The owners who love these houses are the ones who bought them with a clear list and a realistic budget — not the ones who found out afterwards.
Want this audience on your side?
Colorado Springs Home Pros puts one business per trade on 2,500 local fridges every month, with a 4-mailing minimum.