When Remodeling an Old House, Which Features Should You Keep?

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Owners of quondam houses have a destiny to navigate when they enter on an sometime house remodel . Some householder may be tempted to make a clean sweep , stripping everything down to the stud and part unfermented . Others may need to focus on restitution , hold on as much as possible intact . Most homeowners settle somewhere in between , trying to retain some key features and edit out elements that do n’t tally their kinfolk ’s want or life-style . But how does a homeowner interpret these various approaches into action at law ? get by establish what you wo n’t be exchange , starting with the following feature film that should be at the top of your preservation tilt .

1. The Floor Plan

In older house , the flow between the principal living spaces is usually quite logical , with a pragmatic family relationship between the main entrance , the parlor , the kitchen , and the secondary entrance . In some homes , posterior addition alter this flow , often confusing thing . If possible , respect your household ’s trading floor plan . at least in the original portion of the home . This may think of restoring component removed by previous owners . For example , in the 1970s , asopen plansbecame the norm , nutrient preparation and dining areas were open up to create country kitchens , “ great rooms , ” or other multiple - usage blank . As a result , distinct dining rooms waned in popularity . Today , however , the dining room is back , and it ’s deserving reintegrating into your floor architectural plan if previous renovations removed it . In general , head off ripping up an original level architectural plan in your older home . At first glimpse , it may not seem pliable enough to allow for your mean renovations , but take a breath and think again .

2. Staircases

As the monetary value of quality craft has soared , the caliber and character of the distinctive stairway have plummeted . If your stairway have original handrail , rail , and newel posts , rejuvenate rather than exchange them . Stripthem if they ’re crafted of hardwoods or so coated with paint that turning , panels , or other details are no longer laconic . If they require to be stabilise , find ways of doing this that wo n’t detract from their show . poorly worn pace can usually be replaced without too much difficulty , but be sure the item are restore , too , such as the nosing returns ( the rounded edges that extend beyond the riser ) . young banister to replace broken or lacking ones can be milled surprisingly inexpensively if you betray around . Staircases are key figure elements in a house and well worth the special dollars necessary to preserve and mend them .

3. Woodwork

Up until the years after World War II , when sleeker , more modern styles took hold , moldings remained of import design elements , even in unassuming houses . Baseboards and casings around the windows and doors were made of wide stock , often with applied modeling to add shadow lines and a bolder , three - dimensional effect . Particularly in the previous 19th C , valance board were heavy and dramatic . If you ’re favorable enough to have a home where the original woodworking is intact , save up all that you’re able to , include any early pane , built - in casework , spindle workplace , and other cosmetic component . While you ’re at it , draw on them for inspiration . If your renovation involves adding windows , doors , cabinets , or other elements , comprise inside information from the existing woodworking to make the new space more of a piece with the existing house .

4. Plaster Surfaces

Save original plaster where possible . New wallboard lacks the strength , durability , soundproofing , and role of traditional plaster . Many techniques have been acquire to keep oldplasterwalls and ceiling , admit special automatic washer that can reattach and stabilize loose and cracking poultice . You may want to take on small repairs on your own , but think of that plastering is skilled work . For larger and more complicated jobs , look up an previous mansion remodeling contractor .

5. Floors

The history of a household ’s update is often easiest to trace through its flooring . For illustration , hired hand - plane pine board upstairs and machine - planed oak strip take aback down are certain signs of remodeling , probably in the last few decades . A series of roast that constitute a line across the floor in the middle of a way for no evident reason can argue the shifting of a divider or the remotion of a chimney . Unless your floors are both uniform and consistent with the style and vintage of your home , they probably have something to say about the chronicle of your house .

If you’reselecting flooringfor an plus or renovation to an older home , consider how the new surfaces will work with the surviving original flooring . Options include regain salvaged materials that will make a unseamed transition from the old to the new , resurfacing the older flooring to check the young , or incorporating details from the original wood trading floor into the new trading floor — for example , a edge blueprint , the board width , or the metal money and color of the Ellen Price Wood . You may instead go for an entirely dissimilar surface , such as bulwark - to - paries carpeting in a unexampled family elbow room or novel tile in the kitchen that coordinate with the sure-enough while not copying it . There ’s no one solution , but always demand yourself : Will the young suit the erstwhile ?

6. Windows

If your home is a C or more erstwhile and its window are original , the secure approach is almost always to preserve rather than supplant them . Those old window are credibly made from old - increment Grant Wood , which means they ’re unattackable and resistant to rot . If properly refurbished , they ’ll in all probability last longer than today ’s distinctive permutation window would — and you ’ll be keeping them out of the landfill . If you ’re game for doing some of the work yourself , refurbishment should be cheaper than replacement , which is good intelligence if you ’re remodel an one-time family on a budget .

Newweatherstrippingcan be added without much expense , as can surprise windows ( sometimes on the interior , especially on historical household ) . Old glazing chemical compound can be repaired and rotted elements can be replaced , or the wood can be stabilized with epoxy or other consolidants . If refurbishing is n’t an choice , for new houses you may be capable to come up reasonably priced , good - quality copies of the original windows . Whether you select to supplant or restore , do endeavor to retain the original windowpane contour . Replacing original multilight windows with single - pane sashes ( substituting , say , 1/1s for 6/6s ) change the appearance of a house rather in the way that a pencil lottery is transformed when some of the shading is delete . It ’s probably a bad idea .

7. Doors

As with window and other detail , attempt to save original door . Remember that doors removed in one part of the house can be reused elsewhere . If you want extra doors , you could incur similar styles at architectural salvage . They do n’t have to be monovular , but if they resemble the archetype , they wo n’t seem out of place . This hold - on - to - the - original approach use to exterior doors too . In the quest to save zip and tighten up the house , you may be tempted to replace a worn - looking for impanel front doorway . unluckily , many of today’sreplacement threshold , sometimes made of steel , often stamped with faux graining , count like the architectural equivalent of a dark eye . stress to touch on the original door , or at least ascertain a replacement that retains the same spirit .

8. Hardware

Hardware is loose to supercede and is typically among the first constituent to be convert in a home base . Tastes develop over time , hardware can wear out or break , and a need for tighter security measures mean that lock from time to time have to be upgraded . As a result , many old homes have a range ofhardware — and if late remodelers skimped , some of this hardware may be of modest character . Hinges and lock set common in new construction tend to be cheap , and they look it . Another consideration in old homes is that the quality of hardware in the public spaces tend to be higher than that used in secret areas . Expensive mortise lock in a in high spirits - expressive style priggish business firm often give path to simple latches in upstairs bedchamber . contingent like this mean that it ’s important to be intimate your sign of the zodiac ’s hardware and be aware of the organic evolution of locks , latches , hinge , doorway knockers and bells , hooks , and the rest . give care to your hardware . It can offer flair ideas as well as hint about how your house commute over meter . For deterrent example , a simple latch from an upstair closet can revolutionize the choice of settlement on the cabinets in your raw kitchen . Was that latch rightfully original to the house ? Well , if take away it bring out unpainted wood beneath , you ’ve got your solution !

9. Wallpaper

Did you unearth some sometime wallpaper during your remodel ? golden you ! If you ’re thinking about keeping it in place , first do some enquiry to confirm that the paper is true to the period of your nursing home ’s construction . Next , assess the consideration of the wallpaper : Is the full wall of paper salvageable ? Are maculation damaged or missing ? You may be able-bodied to find refilling paper in the same formula , although you probably wo n’t get the same color match . Another option is to pick out to preserve just a part of the rampart that has the original newspaper intact , perhaps take clever with wainscoting ( if period appropriate ) to hide damagedwallpaper . If just a bit of the wallpaper is salvageable , consider cutting out that section of the wall and framing it to display as a firearm of art that evokes the place ’s early day .

10. Dumbwaiter

By all means , salve it ! Dumbwaiters are treasure in historical nursing home and if you ’re fortunate enough to have one , you ’d be impertinent to preserve it . If you ca n’t envision a practical use for this mini freight elevator in your modern-day life-style , consider other ways to incorporate the ingredient into your decor : You could remove the doors and secure the food elevator in place , creating a presentation place for cosmetic items or glasswork . Or you could build in a wine rack to keep your favorites ready to hand — what a conversation starter ! Then , with the food elevator fixed in attitude , reclaim other division of the shaft for use as closets or cabinets .

11. Shutters

If your sometime theatre has a few shutters miss and others that are just barely hanging on , you may rush to rip them all off and be done with it . If enquiry ( or an expert assessment ) read that those shutters are true to the original conception of the abode , reject the temptation to remove them . Your renovation will be more architecturally right if you fix the exist shutters by removing level of paint , fixing broken slats , and replace hardware . You ’ll save money too : New woodenshutterscan cost hundreds of dollars , while a can of key stripper can be had for a fraction of that . If you ca n’t pull through all of the shutters , you may involve to source matching replacements . But by salvaging those that you may , you ’ll have fewer left to corrupt . If you have enough of the original shutter , consider placing them all on the front of the house so your home put its most authentic self forward .

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