Anyone who tries to renovate an antique home will quickly realize that this process is a game of balance. While you might want modern amenities and upgrades, it is vital that the house maintains its charm. This is especially crucial in neighborhoods like Old Towne Orange or Lincoln Park in Pasadena where the entire community features vintage homes with antique charm. Here are three tips you can use to strike a balance between comfort and character.
Add Space While Maintaining The Style
One of the most common complaints that people make of older homes is that they were created without any sense of traffic flow or movement. They often have smaller hallways and rooms with sharp angles and turns. By opening up some of that space, you can change the functionality of your home without drastically altering its appearance. Before you consider your options for removing walls or adding pony walls, you will need to have a licensed contractor determine which walls and posts are vital to the structural integrity of your home.
Update But Don’t Change The Key Structural Themes
When it comes time to start making upgrades to your home, you should try to keep the primary structural themes intact. Instead of replacing older casement windows with double-hung or single-hung designs, you should simply update to modern high-efficiency casement windows, like the products found at Gilkey Windows. Another example of this would be replacing your roof with modern materials to prevent drafts and leaks. You should keep the original curves and shapes of your roof, but you can easily alter the shingles and underlay to improve the efficiency of your home.
Modernize The Mechanical Systems Inside The Walls
Upgrading the major mechanical systems in your home is going to increase its value and improve your comfort without any changes to the cosmetics. The first two things to consider modernizing are your pipes and wires. Older electrical and plumbing systems tend to be inefficient and they lack many of the modern safety features that we rely on today. You can also spend a little extra time adding insulation to the walls, basement, and attic to prevent unnecessary drafts and heat exchange. These upgrades will drastically cut down on your energy bills without changing the look of your house at all.
As long as you are able to remain patient and you have a good eye for details, you don’t need to destroy the historical charm of your home. You must remember to maintain some of the key structural themes while using technology to enhance those features and improve your comfort. As with all other renovations, you should work slowly and continue to make changes until you find the perfect balance.
This guest post is written by Emma Sturgis a freelance writer based in Boston, MA. When not writing, she enjoys rock climbing and reading. Say hi on Twitter @EmmaSturgis2
