Things to Consider before Remodeling an Older Home
Before starting over with remodeling an old home, it is important to consider what changes need to be made. Certainly, this demands familiarity with virtually every inch of the house. You need to take into account questions like: How old is your house? What parts need changes? How you would like your remodeled house to appear? Are you legally permitted to bring about the desired changes? How much money do you have to act on your plans? In short, make a detailed mental map and put it on paper before acting on your idea of remodeling an older home.
Need for an Architect
Many home improvement tasks can be done by one's own hand like painting, replacing wallpapers etc. Required equipment like sprayers and steamers can be rented for this purpose. However, architectural advice is necessary in a great many cases especially when adding new rooms, windows and doors, replacing roofs, electrical systems, and introducing security systems and so on. Make sure the architect you contact has experience in remodeling of homes. Homestores.com and The American Institute of Architects (AIA.org) are ideal online spots to find a qualified architect.
Color Selection
The look of the remodeled house is closely knit with the color selection for sidings, doors, window sashes, railings, and staircases. Sparkling contrast of colors can serve to disguise flaws in architectural details. It is important to choose colors that are in harmony with the ones preferred in the locality. Select colors according to the details and complexities of your house features. Too many colors can appear childishly obtrusive while a mere couple of them might divulge your dullness in taste. As a general rule, light colors make the house appear larger while darker ones reduce its size.
Health Issues
Remodeling of an older home creates some important health concerns. One threat is the use of lead-based paint. Even in its deteriorated form (like paint-chips and lead-containing dust) it can affect children and adults. Hence, the safe thing to do is dispose of any historic paints of your old home. Many houses until the end of 1970s used asbestos-rich products for insulating and fireproofing places. Asbestos is notorious today for causing lung diseases including lung cancer. Remodeling can expose one to an asbestos threat. Seek a health professional's opinion before setting out to rework parts of older houses. Take time to search for online articles on home remodeling safety.
Energy Saving Efficiency
Was your home built between 1940 and 1975? If yes, maybe it is time to assess your house's efficiency of energy saving. Energy Research and Development Administration has found that buildings constructed in the mentioned period, generally, show the poorest energy efficiency. Older buildings usually had a low glass-to-wall ratio i.e. less than 20% and hence were better conservers of energy than most new ones. Better results are achieved if the relation between climate and building structure is understood and tended to while remodeling an old home. For example, in hot climates, light-colored exterior walls provide greater reflectance and hence cooler effects in the interiors. The Old House Web is one of the good online sources for information in this area.
