‘Home’ is not a place, it’s an emotion. Yes, you heard that right. It feels amazing to have space which can give you the ultimate peace and joy. One can be truly content and happy at home. Of course, it takes dedication and desire to build a home from an old house. However, the experience is no less than a nostalgic memory.
Home is where your heart is!
How often forget that anybody can build a house, but only a few can recreate a home. If your hearts aren’t behind the house, that space can feel so empty and depleting. If you don’t feel relieved coming home after a long, tiring day, can you call it a home? I don’t think so. Home is supposed to illuminate your soul and fill it with joy. If that is not happening, you are probably living in an empty house. You can’t call it home.
You surely need to rethink about your personal space to create a home to bring your heart back.
Well, where does the process start? More like from an old space or apartment. At least, I have started from there. Was it easy or was it challenging? I would say intimidating, but lovely.
Having second thoughts about the old house renovation!
Is your house just not giving you the cool and updated vibes? Do you feel something is missing about it? Why live like that?
Thinking now and then, how to make it all perfect? So why not just do it right away!
It is no surprise that the only constant thing in life is change. Won’t you agree? We are supposed to grow and change right? Well, with that needs to be changed our surroundings and lifestyle as well. As it is all about home, the change we are talking about here is smartly termed as RENOVATION.
Renovation is a beautiful reference to change and freedom to create. In simple terms, it is just an action of recreating or remodeling of something old school or historic. I guess you have found an answer!
Just renovate the old house and see the magic.
Old house remodel can be challenging
Yes, you heard that right. This pretty fancy thing is challenging. Well, what’s easy? If your dream home is you’re only concerned, then why to burn calories thinking about the secondary things?
I do agree renovating an old house can be a complete nightmare, but if you are well informed beforehand about the challenges, it might be a dream comes true. There several aspects and criteria one needs to consider while remodeling their old attic. There are a dedicated thought and process behind every renovation.
Don’t worry; we are always here to your rescue. We know what you are looking for and we have got it- INFORMATION! Yes, we have created a collection of all the necessary details and impactful challenges you need to know before renovating an old house.
Here we go!
Listed down are some of the main challenges that can impact the process while you are renovating the old house.
1. Is your plan Budget-friendly?
Who would not agree that this is the most difficult challenge impacting your fancy renovation plan? If you have a small space to renovate, the budget might not be a concern. However, a big and spacious house may require recalculating your investments.
One small tip I have always practiced is renovating less, but with quality. Yes, the whole idea of renovation emerges from old, damaged and low-quality elements in the house. So why repeat this! I don’t know about you, but I would rather live in a strong cozy-small space than a soon shattering mansion.
What makes the budget top my list of challenges is the variety of investments that come along with the concept of the renovation? It’s just not about renovating an outdated or damaged attic; it is about the complete house. People at times go overboard with their expenditure and regret later.
However, let me give you a way out. How about selling the old furniture or elements that you no longer see in your new home and cope up with the budget? It makes sense. Try it out.
2. Design and Schedule it
First things first, you want to renovate, cool. Where do you think you’re going to start? Think, think harder. You need an idea! Yes, if you want to create a masterpiece, it ain’t gonna happen right away. Plan it out.
Exactly, that is one of the main challenges people face. Funny is the fact that they underestimate or neglect this one at times when this is the root of their dream. Everyone needs to have a thought before they are trying hands-on with it. When it comes to redesigning the complete house, one needs to have it all on paper.
For a home where your heart lies need special attention and care. The first step towards it will be having a complete map on your hand. Preparation is always a powerful weapon to a successful implementation and execution.
With this comes the importance of order and synchronization, which rooms need to be done first, next and so on. To avoid this chaos, it’s highly recommended to prepare a schedule and divide sections to renovate efficiently.
3. Do not forget the safety
Safety is one of those vital aspects that we want to consider but often end up neglecting. This is why it has made it to my list. When safety is taken for granted, no other challenge can triumph. There is so much to safeguard in our house while renovating. Right from asbestos to making each corner bug free. If you are in exotic locations, then you need to take care of wild creatures sustaining in the locality. The old paint, ceilings, wooden work, etc. may have been degraded and are no more, a safe option to surround yourself with. Get rid of it.
Health and safety should always be a priority while renovating. Set some safety guidelines and standards before jumping into the idea of redecorating. Safety doesn’t only mean being cautious with the construction materials. A sense of responsibility comes along with the procedure of construction as well.
Try being a keen observer and make sure the equipment used in your dream project is well tested and reliable. They should be from an identified and trusted supplier. If you’re thinking this may add up to your budget, the investment will pay off in the future.
4. Update your Electrics
Even though you may have come up with a masterpiece plan, what will impact the renovation is decoration. The key to wonderful decoration is elegant electrical work. The old house will undoubtedly require some electrics update right from the outdated fuse box with old dusty switches.
Wiring is another essential job in electrical work. It includes a lot of work from removing old wiring and installing a new one. Also, make sure all this is being done when your ceilings and walls are open. Let’s agree to the fact that nobody would want wires hanging down or making holes all over again.
Ductwork is equally necessary for your fancy appliances to run effectively. Get this point sorted out while planning as you need electrical work to be done almost in every corner. Insulation should be taken care of wisely. When it is to be done and how should be handled carefully. You will surely be getting the assistance of electrical inspectors who may visit you from time and time again. They will help you out to upgrade the old electrical panels.
With electrical work being done in renovating, comes safety and supervision. Never neglect this point. You just can’t ignore the fact that how crucial is this point while renovation. Well, that makes it challenging.
5. Is the plumbing done right?
You cannot just underestimate the work required behind this one. Water is not only an essential part of your life but the house as well. Water clogging in any part of the house can be a nightmare. Imagine a day without water running down your taps. Scary, right? In addition to this, there is another challenge to consider which is proper plumping in the house. If clogging scares you then leakage will do as well.
A sense of comfort in the home is greatly felt when the waterworks are done right. Don’t you think so? What can be more delightful than a perfect pressure of hot water and crystal appearance? This suggests that you are supposed to fully redesign and rebuild your bathroom. It is challenging to have a new toilet fixture. If that is costly, try to fix an existing one. Make sure you transform your bathroom elegant with plumbing is done right. Get rid of galvanized pipes as they are inclined to get clogged. You should always opt for PVC or copper pipes.
I know these renovations sound challenging and expensive, but believe me, there are inexpensive quality materials available that can just do the job right.
6. Be smart with the Masonry, roofs, and windows
The first thing to catch attention in a house is how the roofs, doors, and windows are done. These elements are a representation of your style, design, and choices. Don’t let them speak out wrong for you. The shape, size, and placement of your windows are on display all the time. You cannot afford to look outdated with them. Notes should be taken about where the existing masonry was inefficient. All these require special care and thought.
It is no less than a challenge to bring it all together and recreate a classic home. The challenge lies in the fact that these elements if not done right can be the reason for further renovation cycles. Roofs and windows are the protective layers of the house in harsh conditions. Dust and sand can be the biggest enemy to you while renovating them. Hence, go for customized roofs and windows which can be easily cleaned.
Fix and strengthen the building materials used for the roofs, windows, and masonry. This is the smartest way out in the renovation. You will see the change immediately once the rebuilding is over. Your home will shine brightly in and out.
7. Careful Construction
Amidst all the issues and challenges you face while renovating the old house, construction can be intimidating. How difficult it is to cope up with uneven and crooked floors? In addition to that, there can be numerous other structural issues with fireplace and chimneys. If you are a resident of an old house that is a decade old, a whole lot of energy will be wasted in improving the earlier bad renovation.
Layouts and corridor style should be carefully constructed as you don’t want to regret the finishing later.
Many a time, the type and quality of materials needed for desired construction are not available. If you plan on sustaining the feeling of reminiscence, you require the same textured, colored and quality material. For historical houses, these materials may have gone for good.
The word construction itself brings several high-power and dangerous images in mind, at least to mine. To support my argument, imagine such risky scenarios with uncommon equipment and machines. If you are a family with small kids, maintain a safe distance between them and the construction area. These may emit a harmful smell, dust or fumes which can be harmful.
Well, this challenge also risks the safety of the place and the people involved. Construction is a practical challenge and it’s high time that it needs to be addressed.
8. Finding helping hands
If you are surrounded by a team of experts, no one can stop you from turning your old- historic house in complete rejuvenating heaven. Yes, at times apart from the materials and designs you need extraordinary vision. These people can be the helping hands in your journey of fine renovation. Now you must be wondering what the challenging part is. Well, assembling such intellect and experienced minds is no easy job. Careful and deliberate research can only let you find such a team.
The team can be a dynamic combination of structural engineers, architects, inspectors, and home renovation contractors. If the house is quite old and sustained history, a local historian will be a smart addition to the team. It may be easy to find the above professionals. The real challenge will be to find people with such a professional who is capable of understanding your goal and vision.
You are creating a home for yourself, not a few square feet building. The people around you should justify the designs by preserving the vibe rather than just destroying the old stuff. Assistance and talent are what you should look after for a satisfying renovation.
9. Maintain the cleanliness
Who other than my female ladies knows the significance of hygiene and cleanliness? Well, if it is while renovating it will be a tough challenge. Right from wiping off the residue to be caught in the middle of inhaling harmful fumes, maintaining the cleanliness can be fretting.
It is not just about cleaning the area once the renovation is over. You have to care for it during and before as well.
If it is your first time renovating, please be well prepared for disastrous scenes. Of course, you always have the option to hire cleaners, but that doesn’t make your part easy.
If you are left all by yourself, I suggest you go with the famous saying ‘Divide and conquer’. Divide the space and as soon as one corner is getting renovated, conquer the other. Make sure your renovation is according to the pattern that suits you, there should be no going back. Let me elucidate, it means that once your kitchen cabinet is cleaned there should not be any further renovation left. Similarly, get the work completely done in a particular room. Nobody wants to spend their entire day just running back and forth in the same space for cleaning.
10. Know the progress
What is happening with your plan will be a good question to answer now and then. It is very necessary to be updated with the schedule and the work being done. Often it has been observed that the work meant for 3 days is completed in 6 days. No matter how professional the builders are but if you don’t get involved upfront and close, the story might change.
Make it a habit of getting reports every morning about the previous day’s work. This way you can be well aware of what is happening to your home. You can intervene at the right moment whenever you feel things are not going the way they are supposed to. Also, the amount of money being spent on each section will be under your vision.
Now to make this work uninterruptedly, it introduces a new challenge. It may sound organized and sorted to get reports, but practically the case isn’t so. Many a time, the builders may provide false reports claiming the undone work. Often they keep things hidden for unstated reasons. In such a scenario, you have to step up and take care if the information being sent is valid.
11. Technology check
What has been a human’s best friend lately? None other than technology, you have to agree. Your new home must get a technology update. There is several techy stuff available in the market today which can give you a high tech renovation. As cool as it sounds, it is equally challenging to get it done practically. Technology can play the most expensive part of your renovation plans.
With the technology-driven era, what not can be done? Undoubtedly, it has made life so much easier. Right from traditional lights to the automated electrical system, everything has changed for good. Not only has electric lights been colorful and eco-friendly, but it can just run on your demands. Thanks to the invention of AI. The heating and cooling system also doesn’t need to be old school. Find the newest technology in the market today. With smart technology right at your doorstep, your home can be the talk of the town. Who wouldn’t like that?
It sounds tempting to stay updated and techno-driven. However, remember all this coolness may add numbers to your bill and budget. The process of finding things in a budget and fixing them is already proven to be challenging.
12. Getting over the old environment
It may sound bizarre, but trust me it has been the most challenging part of my renovation journey. I know many would agree with this note. The idea of renovating comes when we look for change or want to fix outdated-damaged things. Don’t tell me it doesn’t break your heart to see your old living getting broken down into pieces. It has happened to me all the time.
No matter how obsessed we are with the idea of renovation, but getting used to a new home will require time. I have seen people complaining that they still forget the way of corridors and doors of a new place and bump into the wall. These scenarios are a common sight in a renovated house. Living in the old home was once a commitment to us, now how can one expect given that up will be easy.
Thanks to the creators and designers who still know how to keep the essence of the old place alive with the new one. I have always kept one souvenir in each corner to remind me of the old-lovely days. Can you relate to me? Do you think as well that getting over the old vibe is challenging?
Well, we have reached the end of the list. These were by far the toughest but great challenges that impact the activity of the old house renovation. It is always good to know the difficulties earlier to be able to resolve them efficiently. The information will surely help you out if you are heading for a renovation. The first impression will be the architectural designs, play safe and cool. Honestly, the key to a successful renovation is accepting the challenges in the way and making the best out of it. Wishing you the best. Happy Renovating!
