Bernardsville is a Somerset County borough with a distinctive split in its housing: a walkable village center of early twentieth century homes, and the large estate properties on the high ground north of town that locals call “the Mountain.” The Olcott Avenue Historic District in the village center, listed on the National Register in 2009, dates from roughly 1900 to 1930 and is dominated by Colonial Revival houses. Median home value in the borough runs around $794,000, against about $601,000 countywide.
Older Homes, but Not Uniformly Old
About 24 percent of Bernardsville’s housing was built in 1939 or earlier. That is a substantial share, roughly one home in four, but it also means three in four were built later, so the borough should not be treated as uniformly pre-war.
In the genuinely old quarter of the stock, knob-and-tube wiring is a realistic possibility and something to look for specifically. Knob-and-tube predates grounded wiring, has no ground conductor, and was never designed for modern appliance loads. Where it is still energized, many insurers will not write a policy without remediation, so its presence affects more than safety. Blown-in insulation installed over active knob-and-tube is a particular concern, because the wiring was designed to shed heat into open air.
Homes from the 1965 to 1975 window may contain aluminum branch circuit wiring, and pre-1970 properties commonly still have galvanized steel supply piping at or near the end of its service life. Lead-based paint should be assumed in anything built before 1978.
Radon: Bernardsville Is a NJDEP Tier 1 Municipality
Bernardsville carries the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Tier 1 designation, the highest radon potential category. Radon testing is a standard recommendation for every purchase here. Michael is a licensed New Jersey Radon Measurement Technician, License #MET10521.
Estate Properties Take Longer to Inspect Properly
The larger properties above the village present more of everything: more roof area, more mechanical systems, outbuildings, and often multiple generations of electrical and plumbing work layered on top of each other. Where an original knob-and-tube system runs through a large multi-story house, establishing its actual extent is not something that can be settled by looking at a few outlets.
Where a system’s condition or scope cannot be determined visually, the right step is evaluation by the relevant licensed specialist, an electrician for wiring or a structural engineer for framing questions, before the expiration of your inspection contingency. That is when you still have the ability to act on what is found.
Getting There
Bernardsville is served by NJ Transit’s Gladstone Branch, part of the Morris & Essex Lines, with service toward Summit, Newark, New York Penn Station and Hoboken.
Schedule Your Bernardsville Home Inspection
Call (973) 812-5100 between 8 AM and 8 PM on business days, or 8 AM to 5 PM on weekends.
Accurate Inspections, Inc. | 56 Woodland Drive, Woodland Park, NJ 07424 | Inspecting NJ Homes Since 1993 | NJ Licensed Home Inspector GI0121
