Renovating an old home isn’t something a lot of people tackle. However, if you choose to renovate an old home, you’re going to have a lot of fun with it. From seeing the amazing character in the wood floors to seeing the way they used to design doors, there is so much to explore and take in. Whether this is your first time renovating an old home or your 30th, hopefully these tips will come into handy!
1) Old Houses Have Lots of Surprises
Let’s be honest, old houses are full of surprises. They don’t mean to be, but they are old! You must be careful with everything because you don’t really know what you’re getting yourself into. Until you’re able to make a full assessment of the home, treat it with care. Make sure you know what you’re looking for, when you’re renovating an old home. And if you don’t know what you’re looking for, don’t be afraid to ask!
2) Old Homes are Known to Have Water Damage
If you’re looking an old home in the eye, it most likely has suffered water damage at some point in time. Don’t panic because as long as you know this could be an issue, it’s an easier pill to swallow. Ceilings and floors are where you should mostly look for water damage, but the truth is that it can be anywhere in old homes. I mean I have a 9 year old property and even that has some water damage from 2 episodes of flooding form the bathroom – the joys.
3) Don’t Try and Renovate an Old Home Alone
Unless you really like being alone, it can be hard to do all of this hard work yourself. One thing you should know about renovating old homes is that it takes a village. You will need a nice team of professionals to help you. It’s worth it to try and put an awesome old home renovation team together. Try and get a little history on the home as well. The more you know about the home, the more you can try and keep its history alive.
4) Don’t Overinvest in the Home
Sometimes it’s fun to take on a project, but unless you’re restoring a home for historical reasons, you don’t want to overinvest in a home. Old houses are notorious for being money pits. Are you willing to commit to an investment like this? No matter what, don’t take on an old home in which you can’t get your money back after a re-sale. Numbers are important, even when you’re renovating or restoring an old home.
5) Invest in the Outside of the Home First
As mentioned before, renovating an old home is expensive, which is never fun. However, you already know you’re going to need to put money into the home. Start with the outside. If the outside is not properly maintained, then it can easily cause damage on the inside. If the roof and windows need replaced, don’t delay on getting these items fixed.
6) Keep the Quirks
Most people want to keep the quirkiness of an old home when they buy it. The most attractive part of an older home is that it’s not a cookie cutter home. The old home most likely has character and is super interesting. Keep the quirks of the home, at any cost. When you’re repairing an older home, you’re going to run into some weird things. Think about it, things were so different back then, homes were built differently. Put on your thinking cap and keep those quirks in the old home you’re renovating. Also, don’t be shocked if during the renovation you find some really odd things. Sometimes people didn’t know what they were doing when they were building houses. It could be a matter of convenience, such as what was available for home building, during that time period.
7) Mix Modern Technology with Old-School Architecture
Something that is really cool about technology is that you can use it to your advantage. You can make an old home a smart home. You can use technology to help you put in a heating and cooling system that works with the house. You can install amazing lights and use Alexa to help turn them on. Don’t be shy about turning that old home of yours into a modern technological masterpiece. One thing about technology that you should know about, there is plenty of it! There is almost always a solution for a problem too. Do your research and you’ll have no problem intertwining history and the present together.
If you’re thinking about renovating an older home, the first thing you will want to do is get pre-approved for a loan. Unless you plan on paying cash, loans are a great way to buy the home at a lesser price and then later resell for a profit. Old homes can be found all over the country, so you certainly won’t need to worry about there being a shortage of any kind.
Have you ever renovated an old home?
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