"John Grabowski" wrote in message
...

New Jersey is one of the few states that has a "Rehab Code".
http://www.state.nj.us/dca/codes/rehab/index.shtml It was designed to
minimize expenses when rehabbing an old house. You can find a copy of it
on
the New Jersey web site.

Wow! That's amazing! Thanks.

That's exactly the information I need.

My brother is an electrical inspector in one of
the tougher code enforcement towns and he always tells me that he can't
make
homeowners bring their house up to current code because of the Rehab code.
Many building inspectors are not fully aware of the Rehab code and it may
be
a tough sell to get them to comply with it. You might want to print out a
copy and show it to your local building inspector and ask him what he
thinks.

Based on that you can upgrade whatever you want without being forced to
upgrade the whole house. Although in the long run it is best to bring the
house up to modern standards as much as possible for safety, convenience,
and resale. You would still need to install smoke alarms and carbon
monoxide detectors as per the fire code.