There probably have been a few times you’ve seriously investigated either doing a full or just partial renovation on an old house. It could either be adventurous or turn out to be a disaster right in front of your eyes, for example, poor timing, shady contractors, or even under budgeting.
If you want to ensure that your house renovations turns out all right as planned, it is essential to prepare beforehand and avoid any future frustration. There are a few things to consider when doing renovations in an old house.
Pre-Renovation
Before you even start the actual renovation, it is necessary to consider a few factors. As such, it will help you to prevent disappointments even before the implementation of the renovation exercise.
1. Research
It’s undoubtedly how many options one finds when they do research beforehand. Therefore, when renovating an old house, it’s significant to check on the trending patterns regarding innovation.
The process could range from interior design, furniture setup, modern household equipment, to other exterior supplements like fountains or home gardens that will give your house an extra touch.
Nevertheless, it’s always advisable to seek advice from a neutral second person who’ll assess it from a different perspective.
2. Seeking the Required Permits for Renovation
Depending on the kind of renovation carried out, given that it’s an old house renovation, it’s wise to acquire the relevant permits from the authorities, advises McCaw Management. So, having a professional building inspector assessing the house to determine what the renovation is up against in terms of licenses and the law is a good idea.
However, this mostly affects houses that are already listed. Projects that do not require permits to proceed to avoid further delays.
3. Finding Subsidence in Renovating Projects
It’s also essential to identify any structural faults present before any renovations take place. It will help prevent any further damages. For instance, asbestos usually accumulates in most old houses. So, in such a scenario, seek a professional assessment, and if there’s any, you should drain it immediately.
4. Planning
The process of planning is by far the most crucial part of the pre-renovation yet. First, you need to know what you want out of the renovation precisely. Understanding the purpose of the repair will narrow down the most crucial parts of the renovation. After that, carry out a number-crunch before heading straight to budgeting as the numbers will provide a rough estimate. That’s where budgeting comes in.
Further, before hiring a contractor-gauge, find out whether free assistance can come from family and friends to eliminate the minute jobs that you can easily do without the contractor. Budget cut downs are done through divide and conquer by distributing chores.
Finally, hiring a trustworthy contractor to avoid future regret is also important. At the same time, an airtight contract – payment schedule, working timeline, potential penalties in case of any delays, and a detailed agreement about the final product, helps a great deal during budgeting.
During Renovation
1. Check Plumbing and Wiring
In any household, plumbing and wiring are very crucial. Depending on the year of construction of the old house, there might be changes required on the plumbing and wiring systems. It is vital to check on the systems to avoid any breakages or wire exposure.
Given that you are dealing with an old house, there are very high chances of exposed wires that will most definitely require replacement. Broken or corroded pipes will follow suit.
2. Time Allocation
Often, renovating old houses can be challenging, and such projects tend to run over the underlined schedule. There may be delays from permits, poor weather, back ordering of relevant material, or unfortunate accidents that may result in the project taking longer than expected. They say patience is a virtue, but it’s wise to consider all these miscellaneous happenings while allocating renovation time.
3. Overseeing Renovations
Overseeing renovations is like working a puzzle. Since your idea is becoming a reality, supervising the whole project will go a long way in bringing it to perspective. Simply, personally ensuring that everything operates smoothly as per your intentions is the true definition of owning an old renovated home.
4. Environmental conservation
Eco-friendly materials are nowadays a trend. So, renovating old houses is a paramount opportunity to express what you stand for in conserving the environment. Having eco-friendly renovations is the one way through which old meets new. It may come in different forms, such as recycling water, using recycled products, or conserving the environment by using other forms of energy production like solar energy. In turn, you end up saving money that you could instead channel into another aspect of the renovation.
Conclusion
In short, consider all the necessary areas that needs to be improved while you decide on renovating your old house. You may want to maintain the antiquity of the place while upgrading to the new trends. Use the above-mentioned tips while you take up the task of renovation.
