Top Design Trends You Don't Want To Miss Out On During Your Old House Remodel

Modern technologies and innovations in the area of the houses’ remodeling did a big step forward in comparison with the last decades. But it doesn’t mean that you cannot use these achievements in the old houses.

From some perspective an old house can be even a better investment than a modern one as it has its specific charm as well as a durable and strong foundation. Your main task is to adjust the tendencies and innovations we have now to make your house look unique without sacrificing its convenience.

But before starting with the planning, kindly ask your contractor or designer to check the planned maintenance works in the house. With time you need to arrange it more often but typically it should be done every 50 years. So, if you bought a house recently, IDA Design and Build recommends to make sure this job should not be done in a few years after the renovation you arranged.

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Differences Between Remodeling Of The Old And New House

If you are checking the information of how to repair the house, you most probably will find only common recommendations without considering the age of the building itself. This can lead to crucial mistakes which can be avoided if you read the following suggestions.

Mortar is a key component of making the house solid and ready to wait for the next 50 years to be repaired. Unfortunately, you cannot choose any mortar from the market as only a few of them are suitable in regard to the consistency and even color.
Moreover, besides the aesthetical match, some of the mortars can literally spoil the basis of the building so the remodeling company needs to carefully acknowledge yourself with the materials which can be used for your house.

Sealers are the bad choice if you are planning to remodel the old house. While they can be suitable for the new buildings, here they can lead to additional problems as they are blocking the moisture. This is especially crucial if you are living in the areas with the big difference between high and low temperatures.
If you need to fix a broken part or to replace it, it’s better to choose the same (or equal) materials. The usage of the traditional putty cannot be an option and it’s better to replace the whole wall than to do some small touches which later can only spoil the rest of the original construction.
If you have to deal with wood, the best idea is to choose the same wood as the original (unless you are planning to change all the panels). In regard to the parts of the wood, for the old houses it’s better to use the heartwood as it’s more stable and applicable for all types of the constructions.
Moreover, the wood should be original and without the mixture of the different types. Flat lumber is also better to place with the heartwood outside which provides an additional protection of the wood. One more additional difficulty your designer needs to take into account is that most probably you will be more interested in a tailored, or hand-made wood pattern instead of the modern ones done with the machine.

If you want to save the unique look of the building, you should follow the old recipes. Besides the equipment and tools, you should also try to use the old methods of the woodworking processes.
If we are talking about the whole house with the roof part, please discuss with the remodeling company the necessity of taking care of its proper condition, and frankly speaking it’s not an easy part of the project. The slate is one of the crucial components, and unless you are willing to replace the whole roof, we are recommending finding a suitable match for the broken or old parts.
In regard to the roof, we should mention that its durability is longer than that of the house but still taking place. There are no universal calculations so it’s part of the project to check the house’s plan to find out the durability of the roof which can be 100-120 years. Nevertheless, it’s recommended to check the roof physically at least once per year to avoid expensive adjustments in the future when it’s already too late for the repair.
If you are planning to keep the house in the same antique look, it’s always better to deal with the same remodeling company all the time. Only the professionals who have already done most of the job can be a reliable team if you are willing to make some adjustments in the future.
The thing is that modern techniques can slightly erase the uniqueness of your house, and only by making small steps with the same contractor you can avoid it. IDA Design and Build will be with you on all the steps including the necessary updates of the house’ renovation in the future.
Windows are the eyes of the house. Your old house has wisdom eyes with a lot of memories throughout the decades, and it’s your task to try to keep them in their original shape. Despite the modern technologies and innovations, new houses cannot boast of the same durability of the windows and framed and their older analogs, and that’s the reason to consider keeping the old windows instead of replacing them with the fashionable substitutes.
If you have a need to strengthen the old windows, you should consider remodeling the frames and adding some special weatherstripping which can be irreplaceable in case of cold and windy weather.
Plaster is one of the more visible and therefore most important parts of the old house’s identity. You may think that old plaster must be fully replaced with the modern options but it will definitely destroy the authentic look of the building. Moreover, if you are planning to arrange some jobs with the old plaster, it’s highly recommended to do the first attempts on the parts of the house you cannot see so you will make sure the new materials are matching with the old foundation.
The best idea in regard to the plaster jobs is to use such technologies and techniques of work as glue-injections (instead of plaster buttons), mixture of gypsum with more traditional materials such as lime putty (instead of using the single type… Also, for some purposes it’s much better to use the coarse variants of the plaster as they perfectly match the old-fashioned design.

If you are willing to fix the cracks which are unavoidable in the old buildings, it’s better to use the V-shape cuttings to input the plaster or compound as in this case the typical covering of the cracks will not be efficient in the longer term.
Small details are not less important than the overall construction and interior of the house. And hardware is one of the best examples. You can keep the classic look of the room but if the lock of the door is replaced by the modern model, you better should remodel all the interior to make it match.
Nowadays, if you are planning to buy new hardware for the old house, it’s better to check the similar options as most probably it will be very difficult and sometimes even impossible to find the same original pieces. Moreover, in comparison with more modern components, it’s recommended to make all the necessary measurements (and even to show the original model to the seller or the remodeling company) to make sure it will be suitable and you will not need to arrange an additional job to install the hardware.

But it’s not always necessary to replace the original details if you are taking good care about the current ones. To do so, kindly discuss with the contractor the necessity of using proper solutions which are not too aggressive for the old materials. Additionally, it’s always taking more time to clean the original surfaces, especially if you are planning to remove the old layer of the painting.
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It’s recommended to do this in small steps instead of using the stronger solutions. Finally, if you are still not fully satisfied with the result, there are always options to replace the used hardware with the same from another location while the older one you can keep in the less visible places.

Old houses’ remodeling is a part of the permanent process of keeping them in good condition. If you find some elements that need to be changed and repaired, it’s recommended to arrange all the necessary jobs immediately and don’t wait until a proper remodeling process.

It will save a lot of time and money as with time small issues can turn into a big problem with much more effort needed to fix it. Moreover, if you arrange the repairing of some parts of the house too late you may face the necessity to fully replace the broken components which, of course, will remove some extra charm from the original building.

When arranging remodeling of the old houses, it’s always better to get some consultation from the specialists before or, what will be even more efficient, to apply for the professional services.

Not every contractor can do the job properly as old houses require some special equipment and skills so you should check the reputation and the particular projects of the remodeling company beforehand. Thus, IDA is one of the greatest examples as it has a reliable team of the professionals as well as the necessary experience in all the areas of the repair.

There is no doubt that the choice of the contractor can significantly affect the result, therefore it’s crucial to spend some extra time while checking different options and offers.