Fixing an older Calgary house: what each problem means, and who fixes it.

Most of the time, fixing the problem is the right call.

A repaired house is worth more, and the difference is yours. Get at least two written quotes, and ask the questions under each heading before you sign anything.

If the quotes add up to more than the house can carry, or more time and money than you have, selling it as it stands is the other way out. That part is what we do, and it is at the bottom of the page.

• Poly-B
• Foundation
• Mould
• Flood & fire
• Asbestos
• Old wiring
• Roof & hail
• Clean-outs

Foundation cracks and movement

Calgary is built on clay that swells when it is wet and shrinks when it is not, and older houses show it.

Some cracks are cosmetic shrinkage. Some mean the footing is moving and the fix is underpinning or piles. Working out which is the first job, and the answer should be in writing.

Flood, water and fire damage

A basement flood, a sewer backup, a burst pipe, a kitchen fire. The sooner it is dried out and cleaned, the less of the house has to be replaced.

Most of this work runs through a home insurance claim, so ask early how the company works with insurers. If an old flood was never properly dried, expect mould to be part of the same job.

Knob-and-tube and aluminum wiring

Knob-and-tube was used in homes from the early 1900s to the 1940s. Aluminum branch wiring turns up in some houses built between the mid-1960s and the late 1970s.

Many insurers see knob-and-tube as a higher risk; some will not renew a policy until it is replaced. Aluminum wiring is safe when the connections are done properly with devices approved for aluminum, and some insurers want an electrician’s inspection to show that before they will write the house.

Clean-outs and a house full of belongings

An estate that still holds forty years of belongings, a hoarded house, a garage nobody has opened in years.

Clean-out companies sort, haul, donate and dispose. Before the truck is loaded, ask them to set aside papers, photos and anything the family has flagged.

How companies get on this list

• Every company is listed from the information on its own website, checked on 26 October 2026.
• A listing is not a recommendation. We have not hired every company on this page, and nobody pays to be on it.
• Companies are in alphabetical order, not ranked.
• Some listed companies may also send homeowners our way through our public referral program, on the same terms as anyone else.
• Is this your company? Email info@sellhomeasis.ca to correct your listing or take it down.

A plain-language summary of public information from Health Canada, Alberta Health Services and the Government of Alberta, and of what we see in Calgary houses. It is not professional advice: get your own inspection and quotes. Insurer practices and costs change.