The 7 Biggest Opportunities For an Old Home Renovation
If your home is at least 30 years old, then it qualifies as an old home. The older a home is, the more likely you are to find issues that negatively affect its livability and safety.
This provides you a great opportunity to make substantial improvements, transforming your entire experience of life at home.
Let’s take a look.
Cracks and uneven floors
An uneven floor could mean a structural problem that’s fairly common in old home renovation. What’s more, an uneven floor is a safety hazard and could worsen over the years.
Doors and windows that do not latch properly are possibly caused by foundation issues, as can plasterboard cracks, especially over doors and windows. If there are bulges and cracks in foundation walls, it’s best to have a structural engineer check it before it’s too late.
Leaking roof, windows, and doors
The state of your roof is critical to the health of your old home. Water leaks and water spots are indicative of a problem and the damage will grow over time. It might be a plumbing problem, an insulation problem or unsecured flashing, cracked shingles, cupping and missing tiles. You might need to re-frame walls and underfloor sections.
Old windows and doors are a major intrusion point for water, resulting in dry rot and the moulds. Your home renovation should include replacing them, which means improving the exterior facade of the home.
New windows can be amazing. Not just in terms of their visual appeal. They can really illuminate your home and offer better insulation from heat, cold and noise.
A new roof also offers a great opportunity for a home extension upwards. Create additional living areas and unlock that view. All without sacrificing your garden.
Old-style ceiling with asbestos
The Stucco ceiling or what’s also known as the “cottage cheese ceiling” was once considered a modern touch, but now it’s just outdated. It’s also likely that the finish contains asbestos.
This outdated ceiling can be removed and replaced. Do it as soon as possible.
Dated design and fixtures
Petite kitchens, tiny bedrooms, narrow hallways, tiles with stained grout, ladder-like stairways, and ultimately a busy layout are found in old homes. As well as outdated paint colours, scratched cheap laminate, chunky furniture, and wood cabinets that are inefficient.
Renovate with light paint colours and the use of stainless steel, marble, or granite. There’s a reason why modern houses do away with these dated styles.
An architect will be able to tell you the best way to renovate an old house. A really good architect will work with you to create a home design that will work for your entire family today and well into the future.
The presence of moulds
That musty smell in the basement is probably mould. In the olden days, underfloor drainage or perimeter drainage was not provided in the same manner as done today. Waterproofing of foundation walls and slab floors was also not usual.
If your home is more than 30 years old, chances are the perimeter and underfloor drainage is insufficient by today’s standards. Unless it’s updated, it is sure to keep causing problems.
Mould is usually found in walls, attics, and underfloor framing and releases gases. It has a distinct musty odor that’s hard to miss and is a danger to people living at home.
Termite Infestations
Termites are a threat to old houses. Also bees, wasps, and ants. An infestation can damage the structural integrity and the mechanical systems of your home.
Better to replace your walls entirely when it comes to termite infestations. The sprays used to get rid of termites are not only harmful to your health but also do not guarantee they won’t come back.
Faulty wiring
These are signs of old-style wiring that’s faulty: discoloured or charred outlets and switches, worn electrical plugs and sockets, outlets and cords that easily get hot.
Old wiring cannot handle the electrical load that’s required by most modern appliances and gadgets. A rewiring will bring your home up to current standards. If you keep experiencing dimming of lights or power outages, it means your house is in dire need of rewiring.
Always smelling like something is burning? This burnt smell may be the result of an electrical short that might have happened under the floorboards or behind the walls — which is a fire hazard.
Replacing your wiring has many added benefits. More connection points and the ability for very high bandwidth data connections and home automation. The future is here.
Add-Style: Providing Affordable Home Renovations for Old Houses
Add-Style has decades of experience in old home renovations. Whether it’s a house refurbishment or a whole house renovation, our team of professionals has got you covered.
We keep our house renovations costs down by streamlining the design and build process — plus, we work with a fixed price contract.
Call us now and let’s talk about how to renovate your home in Sydney’s northern beaches and surrounds.