Moving to an old building but want to retain its original charm? Here is how you can do justice to an old house during renovations…

Renovating an old building can come with a lot of challenges. While you may have a good idea of what goes into a project with a modern building, older structures can come with unique challenges that make the whole job a lot harder. It can be all too tempting to simply stick to the modern options when you’re doing this, but this won’t do justice to the beauty your home once had, and it can be a better idea to try and replicate the look that it had originally. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring some of the key areas that will need to be considered as you go through this, giving you hints and tips to make it easier along the way.

Roofing

Roofing is one of the hardest features to get right on an older home. There are countless methods used for roofing across the world, and this creates a big challenge for those who want to replicate something from the past. Thatched roofs are a very good example of this, with the methods used to create roofs from straw been largely lost to time. Of course, though, you can often find specialist builders and contractors that will be able to work with you to ensure that your roof matches its original design. Experts can often tell what type of roof a building should have based on its location, age, and the rest of the build.

Windows & Doors

Most modern windows and doors are made from materials like PVC. While this provides an excellent long-lasting finish, it also doesn’t look particularly vintage, and this is something that most people want to be able to overcome. Timber windows can look much better than white plastic ones, and modern examples of this sort of product are a lot more secure than they used to be. In fact, you can get almost all of the benefits of PVC with something like wood, as long as you’re willing to keep it cleaned and maintained.

Stonework

Stone is an incredible material. Unlike materials like metal, stone is exceptionally good at withstanding pressure, with some examples of this material actually getting stronger when they have weight on top of them. Bricks and other types of stone will always degrade over time, with the faces falling away and cracks forming. Masonry experts can help you with this, providing you with the means to repair your stonework without having to replace it. Some people choose to use cladding for this, though this will usually look quite fake when compared to the real thing.

Flooring

In the past, wood and stone floors used to be a lot more popular than they are today. Many old homes have floorboards, even if they are covered with carpets or tiles, and revealing these boards can be a great way to do justice to the way the place originally looked. There are loads of companies out there that deal with floorboard restorations, giving you the power to make your floors look like they did when the house was first built. Stone and tiles can be harder to restore, but you can also find companies that will be able to handle this for you.

Walls

A house wouldn’t be a house without some walls, but this can be one of the hardest places to achieve the right results when you’re going for a classic look. Thankfully, modern trends often reflect those from the past, with neutrally coloured walls with artwork and pictures hanging being popular for hundreds of years. You could also think about interior cladding for your walls, with some older homes being covered with wood on the inside. However you approach this, it’s always worth keeping your own stylistic preferences at the forefront.

Lighting

Lighting is another big issue for those who want to make their home look like something from the past. Lightbulbs haven’t been around for very long, and this means that many older homes would have used candles and lanterns when they were first built. Of course, though, this isn’t going to work in a modern building. You can find light fittings that are designed to replicate the lighting methods used before electricity took over the world. Options like this won’t be entirely authentic but will be better than many modern styles.

Doing justice to an old home can be harder than you might expect. This process will always take ingenuity and creativity, but you also have to be prepared to do some research to find the information you need.