Montclair's housing eras and their typical moisture issues
Approximate eras; many houses have been altered, expanded or modernized since.
- Late 1800s to early 1900s
- Large masonry or wood-frame houses with stone or brick foundations, plaster walls and complex roofs. Watch roof valleys, porches, old gutters and masonry basements.
- 1910s to 1930s
- Bungalows and brick cottages, often with shallow basements and radiator or early forced-air heat. Watch old drains, boiler piping and basement finishes.
- 1940s to 1960s
- Postwar ranches and small apartment buildings on infill lots. Watch paneled basements, window wells and bathroom ventilation.
- Recent decades
- Rebuilds and additions with tighter envelopes. Watch ventilation, roof-to-wall flashing and drainage changes for older neighbors.
Why a mixed street needs mixed answers
On a single Montclair block, one house may have century-old plaster on lath and a fieldstone basement, while the house next door is a 1950s brick ranch and the one after that was built last decade. Advice that fits one does not fit the others. Sealing the inside of an old stone foundation can trap moisture that used to escape; leaving a new tight house without its fans running invites condensation; and finishing a postwar basement against bare concrete repeats the familiar paneling problem.
Older houses here also tend to have more layers of history: earlier remodels, abandoned plumbing, coal-era chimneys and basement rooms that were once used for storage or laundry. Each can hide moisture. Mature trees, large porches and deep eaves add shade, which keeps some exterior walls and roofs damp longer after storms.
Checks for older Montclair houses
- Porch roofs and the walls where porches meet the main house
- Chimneys and their flashing, including unused chimneys
- Basement walls of stone or brick, looking for crumbling mortar and white deposits
- Plaster below bathrooms and around radiators
- Attic spaces under complex rooflines, after storms and in cold weather
- Abandoned pipes or drains that may still connect to live lines
Questions to ask before work on an older Montclair house
- Is the house in a designated historic district, and does that affect exterior repairs?
- Which original materials should be tested for asbestos or lead before disturbance?
- Can plaster with surface growth be cleaned rather than removed?
- How should a masonry basement be finished, if at all, so it can still dry?
- Will Denver require permits for the plumbing, roofing or structural parts of the repair?
General information for Hilltop, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.