Southwestern PA is filled with beautiful older homes that are full of charm and character. From classic Victorian homes with ornate trim and tall windows to detailed Craftsman residences and timeless mid-century architecture, homes throughout Latrobe, Greensburg, and surrounding communities reflect the region’s rich architectural history.
These homes tell a story, but that story can take a frustrating turn during renovations. Remodeling older homes in Latrobe often comes with surprises lurking behind the walls, under the floors, and in the ceiling. Hidden issues like outdated plumbing, structural wear, and even hazardous materials like asbestos can result in expensive delays if they aren’t adequately addressed at the start of a project.
Whether you’re planning to remodel a historic kitchen, expand a main suite, or tackle bathroom updates in older homes in PA, avoiding these five common mistakes can help you protect your home and your sanity.
Asbestos is one of the most dangerous hidden materials, and it is still commonly found in older homes throughout Latrobe and Southwestern PA. A group of six naturally occurring minerals, asbestos is highly heat-resistant and was once commonly used in building materials due to its resistance to fire, electricity, and corrosion.
Today, it’s a known carcinogen linked to serious health issues, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and other types of cancer.
If your home was built before 1980 and hasn’t undergone a complete renovation, asbestos may still be present in at least one area of the property.
The most crucial step is professional testing. Never try to DIY removal or cut into suspect materials before having them evaluated by a certified inspector. If testing confirms the presence of asbestos, certified removal is essential. Professional abatement teams follow strict containment and disposal procedures that keep your family and contractors safe.
Homeowners often forget to include asbestos testing and removal in their renovation budgets, only to be hit with a significant delay once demo begins. If you’re remodeling an older home in Latrobe, build in an asbestos testing contingency upfront. It’s an investment in your health and your peace of mind.
Homes built before the 1980s in Latrobe may contain asbestos in insulation, vinyl flooring, popcorn ceilings, siding, or duct wrap. Consider testing before starting any renovation or demolition work.
Older homes were not built with modern living in mind. From space heaters to gas stoves, everything was smaller, and so were the spaces behind the walls that housed utility lines. Today’s remodels require larger pipes, updated breakers, smart wiring, and robust HVAC ducts. Still, many older homes in Southwestern PA have plumbing and electrical chases that are far too narrow to accommodate modern systems.
Kitchen and bathroom updates in older homes, PA, are especially tricky. You might plan to install a double vanity or a new dishwasher, only to discover there’s no space for the plumbing without cutting through multiple support beams or rerouting electrical lines entirely.
Schedule a pre-renovation utility inspection with your contractor and budget for rerouting work. Plan to open walls, shift layout elements, and upgrade your service panel. It may feel like overkill, but doing it right the first time prevents patchwork fixes later.
Pro Tip: When finishing or remodeling basements in older homes, always assume rerouting will be necessary. These spaces often have outdated or makeshift systems that need a complete redesign for modern safety and function.
It’s tempting to go all-in on current design trends—sleek waterfall islands, open-concept layouts, and spa-like bathrooms. But while these ideas may look amazing on Pinterest, they can feel totally out of place in a home with historic charm.
Remodeling older homes in Latrobe means thoughtfully enhancing what’s already there. That doesn’t mean you can’t modernize, but style mismatches are one of the most jarring mistakes homeowners make.
Installing ultra-modern cabinets with glossy white doors and minimalist pulls in a 1920s Craftsman kitchen with rich wood trim and natural details.
esigning a marble-heavy bathroom with floating vanities in a Colonial-style home, where symmetry and tradition define the floor plan.
When updating an older home, many homeowners focus on the more obvious items such as cabinets, fixtures, and flooring, but neglect the details that tie a space together: doors, trim, and millwork. These elements are often custom-made in older homes and feature craftsmanship that’s hard to replicate today.
Replacing solid wood doors with hollow-core modern options may save money, but it can diminish your home’s architectural integrity. Similarly, removing wide baseboards or decorative window casings can erase the very charm that makes your home unique. Even paint-grade trim today is often made from MDF, not hardwood.
Whenever possible, preserve original features. If a door sticks, have it shaved, not replaced. If trim has paint buildup or minor water damage, consider sanding and refinishing rather than ripping it out. When you do need to replace something, look for reclaimed materials or custom millwork suppliers who can replicate older profiles.
These details matter, especially when your goal is to create a remodel that feels natural and timeless within your historic home.
How can you style-match your remodel? Visit our Latrobe showroom for inspiration. Our designers specialize in blending eras while giving you the modern functionality you need.
Latrobe homes may have stood the test of time, but that doesn’t mean they’re immune to water damage and structural fatigue. Decades of seasonal freeze-thaw cycles, shifting soil, and humid summers in Southwestern PA can take a hidden toll on even the most beautiful homes.
What may look structurally sound at first glance could be hiding costly problems beneath the surface, especially in basements, bathrooms, and crawl spaces.
In older homes, moisture intrusion can go undetected for years. Minor leaks, condensation, or poor airflow gradually cause mold, rot, and even foundational shifts. Common red flags include:
Left unaddressed, these issues can compromise new materials and even the structural integrity of your home. New finishes won’t last if moisture remains active behind the materials.
Before demolition begins, it’s critical to schedule a professional moisture and structural assessment. This is crucial if you’re remodeling a basement, updating a bathroom, or planning an addition that alters load-bearing walls.
During the assessment, an experienced contractor or structural engineer will:
If signs of moisture intrusion are found, your remodeling plan should prioritize structural repairs and moisture management, including:
Pro Tip: When remodeling, always ask contractors about vapor and water barriers. These “invisible” materials are your home’s first defense against costly future repairs.
Local Tip: Basement Waterproofing Essentials for Latrobe Homes
Aging concrete or stone foundations in Latrobe homes are often porous, especially in pre-1950s construction. Without modern damp-proofing materials, moisture can creep in slowly year after year.
To protect your investment, consider:
Correcting these issues before you begin remodeling ensures your upgrades last and protects your home for generations to come.
Even the most carefully planned home renovation can experience unexpected speed bumps, and one of the most common culprits is permit-related delays.
When you’re remodeling older homes in Latrobe or Greensburg, it’s essential to understand that timelines in these areas often differ from those of newer developments. Older properties require more than just good design; they demand patience, strategic scheduling, and flexibility.
In Southwestern PA, remodeling a home built decades ago often triggers additional reviews by local municipalities. These reviews may include:
Here are some of the most common delays homeowners in Latrobe and Greensburg experience:
These surprises can easily add days or even weeks to your timeline. Without a buffer built into your project plan, even minor setbacks can snowball into missed delivery windows, subcontractor rescheduling, or higher labor costs.
Homeowners often underestimate how long it takes to get from demolition to completion, especially when multiple trades, like electricians, plumbers, tile installers, and inspectors, need to coordinate their work. Rushing through this planning phase not only raises stress levels but also increases the risk of code violations or shortcuts that impact long-term durability.
At Kitchen & Bath Galleria, we help clients build realistic, flexible timelines from day one. Our design-build process ensures all permit applications, material orders, and subcontractor schedules are managed under one roof. We work closely with local municipalities in Latrobe, Greensburg, and surrounding areas to keep your remodel on track, even when the unexpected arises.
Our team also prepares you for potential delays by walking you through what to expect at each milestone. Whether it’s waiting on a structural inspection or coordinating a permit for a historic exterior change, we know how to keep your renovation moving forward while maintaining full compliance and transparency.
Local Insight: Permit approvals in Westmoreland County can vary significantly depending on the township or borough. Hiring a contractor who knows the local system is one of the best ways to avoid unnecessary delays.
Each room in a historic home presents unique remodeling challenges. From outdated wiring in kitchens to privacy issues in bathrooms and damp foundations in basements, thoughtful planning is key to balancing modern function with the charm of older architecture. Here’s how to make smart, stylish updates room by room.
Older kitchens in Latrobe-area homes are often relics of a different era. They were designed for simpler cooking, fewer appliances, and less foot traffic. As a result, they tend to feel closed off, dark, and underpowered compared to modern standards.
You can give the space a cosmetic refresh, new paint, cabinet doors, or countertops, but these surface updates won’t resolve functionality issues. Leveling the floors, for example, is critical before installing new cabinetry or appliances, especially in homes with uneven subfloors due to settling or moisture damage.
Common Kitchen Challenges in Older Homes:
Smart Upgrades:
If opening up walls, blend open layouts with partial dividers or cabinetry that matches the original character, especially in Craftsman or Colonial homes.
Don’t forget to retain the charm where you can. Restoring original wood floors, exposing a brick chimney, or reusing vintage hardware can tie the remodel into the home’s existing story while creating a highly functional kitchen.
Bathroom updates in older homes, PA, are often more complicated than homeowners anticipate. Latrobe’s older homes may have bathrooms tucked into small nooks or added as afterthoughts decades ago—leaving you with outdated plumbing stacks, poor ventilation, and awkward floorplans.
Even if you’re only replacing fixtures and tile, don’t ignore what’s behind the walls. Waterproofing membranes, proper drainage slopes, and updated vent fans are essential to prevent mold and moisture damage that can undermine your investment.
Modern Updates, Vintage Appeal:
Many older homes were not designed with en-suite bathrooms or soundproofing in mind. Bathrooms may be located right off the living or dining rooms, with thin walls that allow every sound to travel.
To improve privacy and comfort:
Plumbing Performance Upgrades:
Older homes often suffer from inconsistent water pressure or slow hot water delivery. Upgrading to pressure-balanced mixing valves and installing a larger water heater or on-demand system ensures better performance, especially if you’re adding a second bathroom upstairs.
For larger households, consider split layouts with the toilet and shower in one section and the sink(s) in another. Adding pocket doors or dual vanities can significantly improve flow and usability without adding square footage.
Basements in older Latrobe homes can be incredibly useful, but only if they’re properly updated. Intended initially as utility or storage areas, these basements often have low ceilings, minimal lighting, poor airflow, and moisture issues that make them unsuitable for a finished living space without intervention.
Address the space’s bones before installing drywall or flooring. Water infiltration, high humidity, and temperature swings must be corrected before any cosmetic work is considered.
What to Watch For:
Smart Basement Remodel Solutions:
If your basement houses your HVAC or laundry, this is a great time to reroute ductwork, improve air circulation, and add sound insulation around loud systems. With the right upgrades, your basement can serve as a comfortable guest room, game room, home office, or simply a dry, clean storage area that adds peace of mind and property value.
The success of your remodeling project relies on choosing the right contractor. While many general contractors are well-equipped for modern builds or cosmetic renovations, remodeling older homes in Latrobe and other Southwestern PA communities requires a different level of experience and expertise.
When interviewing potential contractors, don’t be afraid to ask direct questions about their experience with older properties. You want a team that can:
Working with the wrong contractor can lead to lost time, blown budgets, and irreversible damage to your home’s historical value. But working with the right team can turn your aging home into a beautifully updated space that retains its soul and stands strong for decades to come.
With extensive experience in older home remodeling, Kitchen & Bath Galleria can help you transform your home with expert service and valuable local knowledge.
At Kitchen & Bath Galleria, we specialize in remodeling older homes throughout Latrobe, Greensburg, and surrounding Southwestern PA communities. We know how to strike the perfect balance between historic preservation and modern living, whether we’re transforming a 1940s kitchen or bringing new life to a Craftsman bathroom.
Our full-service design-build team handles everything from initial concept and permit planning to construction and final inspection. We manage the complexities for a smooth renovation experience and a home that’s better than you imagined.
Remodeling older homes in Latrobe doesn’t have to be overwhelming. When you work with the experts at Kitchen & Bath Galleria, we’ll help you navigate everything, from permit timelines and utility upgrades to material selections that honor your home’s character.
Whether you need kitchen remodeling or bathroom updates in older homes, PA, our team delivers creative solutions and master craftsmanship tailored to your space.
Schedule a free consultation today at our Latrobe showroom and let’s turn your vision into a beautifully updated home with all the character you love, plus the comfort and function you need.
