Melbourne’s inner suburbs are home to some of the city’s most beautiful period properties, from grand Victorian residences to elegant Edwardian homes lining leafy streets. Suburbs like Hawthorn are full of them, and they are wonderful places to live. But beneath the ornate cornices and polished floorboards, period homes often hide plumbing systems that are as old as the houses themselves. Understanding the particular plumbing challenges these homes face, and being ready when something goes wrong, is part of caring for a piece of history. Here is what owners of older homes should know. The Beauty and the Plumbing Period homes were built to last, and many have stood for a century or more. Their plumbing, however, was designed for a very different era, one without multiple bathrooms, dishwashers, washing machines, and the constant water demands of modern living. Over the decades, original pipework has often been patched, extended, and…
