Local incentives and historic tax credits can make historic rehabilitation more attractive. The baseline definition of “historic” is typically an age of 50 years or greater. These incentives may require a certain level of preservation of interior spaces or finishes, in keeping with the building’s character and historic fabric, but do allow for a significant amount of adaptation.

Reusing building elements is often labor-intensive, due to restoration needs and needing contractors to work around these elements. However, avoiding the purchase of new materials while reducing construction waste can lead to significant cost savings. Doing a budget comparison between restoration and new construction costs will help building owners make informed decisions.

If in-house staff perform preventative maintenance, costs will be minimal.

A good preventive maintenance program will not only identify leaks and obvious problems, but will also include a regular flow and flush rate test for at least 20% of fixtures to ensure continued performance.

In buildings with older or diverse fixtures, it may be difficult to find product documentation of flow and flush rates. Identify fixtures by brand and model information, and contact manufacturers for assistance.

Provide manufacturer data verifying the flush/flow rate of all installed fixtures and fittings that either exceed or do not meet UPC/IPC specifications.

Replacement of traditional fixtures with high-performance alternatives may require higher upfront costs. However, these fixtures will conserve water as well as energy (from hot water), and will generally offer a favorable payback.

If you have a pre-1993 building, and are planning on performing a major bathroom renovation as part of the overall LEED project, be sure to register the project with the USGBC before starting any retrofitting, in order to claim the less stringent 160% baseline case.

When replacing flushometers, make sure that the existing water closet or urinal bowl is capable of providing the flush rate specified on the new hardware. This information should be available on product data sheets or by request from the manufacturer.

If retrofitting is required, begin with low-cost fixtures and fittings, such as 0.5 gpm faucet aerators, high performance or dual-flush flushometers, and low-flow showerheads.