5 Tips To Restore An Old But Livable Home

Older homes have brilliance and elegance in them that attracts lots of homeowners.  Because of their uniqueness and appeal in terms of style and structure, there are some people who opt to buy old homes rather than building a modern one from the scratch.

But more often than not, older homes come with damage and problems that need repairs. Some may even need an upgrade to keep the whole house livable for few more years. Below are some of the most common old homes problems and how you can deal with them.

Old House

Water damage

Water damage at old structures and buildings is a common thing. This damage attracts termites and pests that can cause further damage if not fixed immediately. Inspecting the whole house thoroughly is a must to identify those damages and eventually fix the source of water leakage.

Cracks

Water can penetrate and go through cracks at the walls. It’s highly recommended that cracks are immediately sealed and repaired to avoid water and moisture intrusion. Checking the inside and outside wall foundation is a must so no cracks will be left unsealed and unrepaired for a long period.

Wiring upgrade

Wiring issues at old homes is a common thing. Upgrading the whole wiring connection is highly recommended for old structures to avoid any untoward incident. Outlets must be inspected as well and change or upgrade If necessary. The electrical box must be inspected thoroughly too.

Lead and asbestos

Older homes are made from old materials that might contain lead and asbestos. For the safety of all people who will occupy the house, calling a professional to do the inspection and to remove the said toxic contents is highly recommended.

Energy efficiency

One of the biggest downside of old homes is that they are not energy efficient. The windows are usually unglazed. Air leaks can be found almost anywhere. Appliances are old and consume lots of power. These issues must be solved immediately to make the house more energy efficient.

Restoring an old home can be quite stressful and a bit expensive. So better be ready with it if you choose to live in an oldie-but-goodie home around your city.

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Comments
  • My sister & brother in law just bough a fixer-uper, so they have A LOT of work to do once they close on the house.

  • Goodness, reading this makes me happy I live in a fairly new rental home. I’m not the paranoid type, but thinking about these harmful substances getting into my child’s system is pretty horrific.

  • We are actually in the process of buying our first home and it is definitely a fixer upper. This is now bookmarked and I’m adding quite a few to my must use list! Saving money and finding things that work well can be intimidating. Thank you so much for sharing!!!

  • I love watching HGTV and seeing all these people who buy older homes but then are surprised by the underlying issues. I think older homes are great, they have a lot of character, but you do have to be careful about issues like water damage, lead and asbestos.

  • Some houses just really need some serious love so that you can return them to their old, lovely state! These tips are very helpful and you can always try renovating instead of building over it.

  • Oh boy, the wows that go along with living in a beautiful old home. I grew up in an older home and it always felt like my father had a project going. Something that he was doing to maintain, improve, or provide upkeep. Still, it was beautiful and totally worth it. Great things to keep an eye on!

  • Now this what I call practicality. I can imagine how most good spots and blocks have already been taken and buying a house structured at that place might sound like a good plan. These tips will surely extend the house’s lifespan for a decade or two.

  • Grand Rapids has neighborhoods full of beautiful historic homes, but many of them are fixer uppers. Not only do those homeowners face the challenges of upgrading their homes, but they often have to use materials true to the time frame when their home was originally built. They are just stunning though. Nobody seems to build homes with those wrap-around porches and Victorian styling anymore. Such a shame, but I guess that’s why you’d invest in fixing up an older home.

  • We are about to purchase a home, and have been looking at fixer uppers. They are cheaper and we can make it exactly what we want.

  • These are all such wonderful tips. My husband and I have been looking for a house, and we may just go with an older one and fix it up a bit. I think these tips will come in handy if we decide that.

  • What a greatful tip restoring an old house into its old roots. I would probably try this to my old house.

  • I like living in a new house but old houses are somehow cool. It would be so nice to live in an old house.

  • I remember living in my grandma’s home. It was old, like 100 years or younger and needs some renovation.

  • It would be really cool to have a vacation in our old house back home. I will tell these tips to my parents.

  • I know it’s quaint to restore an old home. I love the outcome/final look, but things like this worry me… I’m not really handy or able to afford to hire too many people at the time, so I think when our time comes to buy we’ll look for new or newer (knock on wood).

  • These are so great tips. When I first purchased my first home it was a lot of work. Every year we did 1 major project. When we purchased our 2nd home we made sure it was new because we got tired of fixing up everything.

  • Ugg…water damage is the worst. We had an issue in a home we lived in, and if you don’t take care of it quickly, it makes reselling a house really hard. I think the biggest obstacles are when your old home is made with components that don’t pass code anymore.

  • When we were looking to buy last yea, my hubby thought about getting an older home. The idea of doing renovations wasn’t too appealing at the time. We ended up buying a home ready to move in. The place we lived in before was old and had terrible insulations. That made our electric bill extremely high in the winter.

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