Five mistakes to avoid when renovating an old property

Thinking of bringing a timeless beauty back to splendour? A personal loan can help you fund your renovation, but if you want to keep your spending under control, these mistakes identified by www.oneroof.co.nz are to be avoided at all costs.

DIY instead of calling a pro

While the internet has made it much easier to try your hand at simple renovations, the rules don’t always apply to older houses. With older houses being at risk of having asbestos insulation, roofing materials or even old linoleum and vinyl floor tiles, you may find you get stuck into your renovation, only to suddenly need to call in an expert for help.

If you have an older home, calling a pro in first can help you understand the risks involved in your renovation, and allow you to budget for the costs. When it comes to electrical re-wiring or removing walls, the risks of getting this wrong means you should leave it to an expert.

Losing a lot of character by adding brand-new elements

Old properties tend to have an ‘aged’ look, which is appropriate for the era. Renovations can all of a sudden mean your house has some original, aged features, and some features that are clearly new. New features, or even just stripped and restrained floors will look out of place in the context of your aged beauty.

Keeping the character of the home means restoring what is there, not replacing it with brand-new fittings and décor. While it may be more costly and time-consuming to restore a natural wood finish, the end result will be worth more than replacing it with a brand-new look alike.

Installing vinyl windows instead of wooden windows

One of the attractive qualities of heritage or older homes is the wooden joinery. However, once you are living in a home with single glazing and wooden joinery, you start to realise that whilst attractive, the energy efficiency is not great.

There’s a reason there’s a perception that older houses are cold and draughty; if they are not looked after, they can be. But, before you consider replacing the beautiful old wooden joinery with a more modern vinyl or aluminium look, consider what that will do to the look of your house – and your budget.

Wood is a natural element, and if looked after, can last for hundreds of years. Man-made materials, on the other hand, will generally succumb to wear and tear. Talk to a specialist about options for making your wooden joinery more energy-efficient, before thinking about replacing it, and losing the character feel of your home.

Not adapting the interior to the needs of modern-day living

Old houses have been designed on the needs of another time; family structures and roles were quite different to current lifestyles. Many older houses had functional kitchens, separated away from the other rooms in the house. Compare that to today’s ‘open-plan’ designs and lifestyles.

Keeping your home in character doesn’t mean you have to live with the traditional interior design. Updating the stove, benchtop materials and maybe moving a few walls will help modernise your home and can be done without compromising the heritage feel. However, architects warn against making changes that will reduce the number of rooms, or the overall size of your house. This could negatively affect a house sale in the future.

Making additions that are not consistent with the original design intent

Older houses have a specific layout and feel; just randomly adding on an extra room could ruin the aesthetics of your house.

While you may feel an architect may be out of budget for now, investing in an expert to draw up plans could save you thousands in the long run.

To be effective for your old home upgrade, the new addition should complement, not hinder, the flow of the house, and feel seamless once it’s all finished. Ideally, anyone in the house would be unable to tell where the old house finishes, and the new addition starts.

If you get it wrong, it could end up costing thousands to get right in the future. When you are ready to look at financing options to fund the renovation of your older home, talk to the team at Loanspot about your personal loan needs.

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Disclaimer: Please note that the content provided in this article is intended as an overview and as general information only. While care is taken to ensure the content is correct, the information provided is subject to continuous change. Please use your discretion and seek independent guidance before making any decisions based on the information provided in this article.