Boston Brownstone Inspection Guide

Published January 18, 2026 by Editorial Team

Boston, MA

Massachusetts landscape

Key Takeaways

  • Boston brownstones are typically 120-150 years old with multiple renovation layers
  • Shared party walls mean structural changes require neighbor coordination
  • Original features like pocket doors and plaster walls are assets worth preserving
  • Most brownstone inspection reports are long - age brings documentation

The inspection report for our South End brownstone was 78 pages. My wife and I sat at the kitchen table scrolling through it, feeling increasingly sick. Balloon framing. Original gas piping converted to electrical. Evidence of previous termite damage. A roof approaching end of life. This was supposed to be our dream home.

A friend who'd bought a brownstone a few years earlier talked us off the ledge. 'That's what 130-year-old houses look like on paper,' she said. 'You're not buying new construction. You're buying history.'

She was right. We closed on that house, and five years later we've learned what brownstone ownership actually involves.

Common Brownstone Findings

Almost every Boston brownstone inspection includes some combination of:

  • Balloon framing: Pre-fire-stop construction where wall cavities run continuously from basement to attic. A fire hazard by modern standards but not fixable without gutting the walls.
  • Mixed electrical: Original knob and tube, often alongside 1950s and 1980s updates, sometimes alongside modern work. Untangling what's active requires careful evaluation.
  • Old plumbing: Cast iron drains, galvanized supply lines, and various generations of updates.
  • Foundation concerns: Rubble foundations, mortar deterioration, evidence of past settlement.
  • Roof condition: Flat and low-slope roofs common, with varying degrees of remaining life.

Party Walls

Brownstones share walls with neighbors. These party walls create specific inspection considerations:

  • Structural modifications require neighbor agreement (and often their wall inspection too)
  • Water damage may originate from the adjacent property
  • Sound transmission through shared walls varies by construction
  • Any work near the party wall may require legal agreements

Your inspector should note party wall conditions, but understanding that these walls aren't fully yours is important context.

What Actually Matters

Not everything in a lengthy brownstone inspection report deserves equal weight:

  • High priority: Active roof leaks, structural issues, dangerous electrical, heating system failure
  • Plan for it: Approaching end-of-life systems, deferred maintenance
  • Normal for age: Old-but-functional systems, cosmetic issues, code compliance gaps that predate requirements

A good inspector familiar with Boston brownstones will help you understand which category each finding falls into.

Finding the Right Inspector

Not all home inspectors understand historic urban housing. Look for inspectors who:

  • Have specific brownstone or historic home experience
  • Understand what's normal for 19th-century construction
  • Can distinguish between 'different from new' and 'actually problematic'

An inspector used to suburban new construction may flag every historic feature as a defect. That's not helpful.