Older homes: what repairs cost extra
The build year changes the price of some jobs and none of the others. Knowing which is which is most of the negotiation.
This is the money side. The regulations themselves are set out on our lead paint page. Here we are only interested in what they do to a quote.
What actually adds cost
One thing, and it is narrower than people fear: paid work that disturbs paint in a house built before 1978. That brings certified-firm requirements, certified renovators, lead-safe work practices, containment and the paperwork that goes with them. Containment and clean-up are where the hours go, not the certification.
In Alabama this runs through the state’s own EPA-authorized program, administered by the Alabama Department of Public Health rather than federally. source
What does not
- Anything in a house built in 1978 or later. None of it applies.
- Small work. Six square feet or less of disturbed paint per room inside is minor repair and sits outside the rule.
- Work that does not touch paint. A new fence, a deck out the back, replacing boards. The build year is irrelevant.
The trap that catches people
That exemption is cumulative. Separate jobs in the same room within 30 days are treated as one job. Three small patches in a bedroom across a month add up, cross the line, and pull the whole thing under the full rule, at which point the third patch costs dramatically more than the first. source
So if a room needs several things doing, it is cheaper to do them together than to trickle them. That is the opposite of how most people approach repairs, and it is worth knowing before you start rather than after.
Two things never qualify whatever the area: window replacement and demolition of painted surfaces.
How to scope it before you commit
- Find the build year. Before or after 1978 is the only question that matters.
- Split your list in two. Jobs that disturb paint, and jobs that do not. Only the first list changes price.
- Group by room. Anything in the same room is worth doing in one visit.
- Get it quoted with the year stated. Tell us the age of the house up front and it stops being a surprise halfway through.
Straight answers
Does an older house always cost more to repair?
No. The extra cost lands on work that disturbs paint in a pre-1978 home, not on every job in it.
What is the six square foot rule?
Work disturbing six square feet or less of paint per room inside is exempt as minor repair, but jobs in the same room within 30 days count together.
How do I scope it before buying?
Find the build year, then split the jobs that disturb paint from the ones that do not. Only the first group changes price.
About the permit and regulatory information. Current as of August 2026 and offered as general guidance, not legal, code or compliance advice. Requirements change, and how they apply depends on the specifics of your property and your job. Confirm anything you plan to rely on with the City of Tuscaloosa Building & Inspections, or the relevant agency, before acting on it.
Tell us about the job
Tell us what needs doing and roughly when the house was built.
Water or damage: we call you back within 2 hours, any day. Everything else: a real answer the same business day.
We are insured — general liability coverage, so damage we cause while working in your home is covered.
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