Old House Options For Remodeling

What should you do when remodeling an old house that needs that something "something"?

Maybe you just bought an older house. Congratulations.

Maybe you fell in love with the staircase or the location or the feel of the place. But....

the house needs some work. Sure, you've thought about changing some items but how extensive should the work be? Should you gut the place or just update some rooms, the kitchen and baths are usually the biggies. And what about the woodwork. Varnish layers on natural wood. Beautiful, but you're wondering if it's too dated. Great wood floors but there's some damaged spots. And when it starts to get colder are you piling on the sweaters while making dinner?

Ahh but the leaded glass windows!

As an architect I know what you're experiencing. Architects can help you figure out what to do, what has to be replaced and what can be updated while keeping the charm you fell in love with. Sometimes there isn't all that much worth saving other than the exterior. And in some cases, the insertion of modern elements actually accentuates the original details in a new and fresh way. European designers do this quite well. Think modern kitchen set against a historic envelope. Knowing how and how much to change takes skill.

In future posts I'll elaborate on some situations involving renovating older homes. If there's one thing that I would caution a homeowner about doing, it's starting work that is not required without a bigger plan in place. You don't want to have to rip newer work out or redo things correctly to meet code requirements. That's money down the drain. Consulting with an architect earlier (sometimes before finalizing a purchase) rather than later is a good idea.