Let's talk plumbing—because it's not all under the surface.
When I’m helping a buyer evaluate a home, one of the first things I look at is how the plumbing was built. Homes from the 1960s and 70s often have plumbing lines built into the concrete slab—meaning if there’s a leak, the only way to fix it is by breaking the floor or rerouting new pipes on the exterior of the house. Compare that to older homes (from the 1940s or earlier), which were built on crawl spaces.
Each style comes with its own set of risks. Crawl space homes make it easier to reach the pipes—but they also tend to hide construction debris or leftover materials, which can be costly to remove. And slab homes, especially those in areas like Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay, and many ranch-style neighborhoods, require a more invasive approach if something goes wrong.
If you’re buying a home built in the 60s or 70s, I always recommend doing a sewer scope—a small camera is fed down the line to check for cracks or hidden issues. And if you’re planning to redo floors anyway, that’s the perfect time to take care of plumbing.
Knowing how a home was built helps you know how to inspect it—and what to plan for down the line. Below are examples of the two different styles of home: a ranch-style home from the 1960s (on a slab) and a 1930s Mediterranean-style home in Coral Gables with a crawl space.
