5 Tips for Renovating an Old House

Renovating an old home is far more complicated than renovating a new house, which is why you need to give it a bit more thought, and why we have put together a few helpful tips to get you through the process a bit more smoothly.

1. Be sympathetic

If you want to renovate your old home while paying respect to its past, it’s a good idea to do what Kyle Corkum and his family did and not only assess every inch of the property and its historic features, but also find out a bit about its history. That way, you can find out which parts of the house are most important, and maybe think about preserving them.

The joy of buying an old home is that it does have history and it does have features that are more unique. Be sympathetic to them, and even if you don’t keep them all, leave some intact and ensure the renovation is sympathetic to the original vision. It will be so much better that way.

2. Add to your budget

Whatever budget you have in mind for renovating an old home, you’re going to want to add a little more as a contingency. When you’re renovating older properties, it is not unusual to stumble upon all manner of unusual issues that will need dealing with from protected species of bats nesting in the rafters to old mineshafts right under the kitchen floor. Hopefully, most of these will be picked up before buying, but if there’s one thing that’s true, it’s that old houses are full of surprises.

3. Match the mortar

It is possible to closely match the mortar color of old homes and doing so will ensure that your home’s exterior looks o much better than it would if you were to not put much thought into the mortar at all.

4. Consider underfloor heating

A lot of older homes don’t have any radiators or heaters installed because they simply were not a thing at the time, and maybe you should keep it that way. Not only do radiators and heaters take up valuable space, but they are often ugly and not in keeping with a period home. The great thing about underfloor heating is that it is hidden, which means it won’t take away from the vintage feel in your home, nor will it take up valuable space your family could be using.

5. Use reclaimed wood

If you have to do any projects that require a significant amount of wood, not only is using reclaimed wood likely to be less expensive and better for the environment, but it should more easily enable you to get a better match and ensure that your home is not a hodgepodge of different style, unless, of course, that is the look that you are going for, and the mix and match look is one that can look great when done sympathetically.

Renovating an old home can be so much fun, so be sure to have fun with it!