What Does It Take To Restore A Period Property? More Than You Think!
Period properties have a certain charm and charisma. While they’re just as much a product of the mind as new builds, there’s something special about them that evokes emotion. Whether it’s childhood memories or a nostalgic sentiment for the past, period properties have us hooked.
Restoring a period property, however, is more of an undertaking than you might imagine. There are two main issues. The first is simply the age of the building. When a property is more than one hundred years old, it’s prone to a host of issues that newer properties just aren’t. Wear and tear accumulate over the years and eventually take their toll in some visible, meaningful way.
The other problem is building standards. While modern building companies understand how to build something that lasts, builders in the past weren’t always so precise. The construction of older buildings is, therefore, often far shoddier than for their newer rivals. As Hansen Living points out in a blog post, restoring a period home is a substantial undertaking.
Okay, so what does it take to restore a period property? Let’s take a look.
A Willingness To Accept Water Damage
Older properties are at a higher risk of water damage because their plumbing is often less reliable. Sometimes, there’s no game-changing structural damage to the building, but often there is. A pipe can crack under the foundations of the building and slowly leak water into the surrounding brickwork and basement. Over time, the water seeps through the material and eventually reaches the air, enabling mold and mildew to thrive. You may replace sump pump to waterproof the basement. To find the best ones available on the market, you can check out https://homerdiy.com/everbilt-sump-pump-reviews/.
Damp is a problem because it weakens the foundations. And once they’re compromised, you have no choice but to dig a trench and carry out costly repairs.
A Large Team Of Professionals
Restoring a period property isn’t something that most people do single-handedly. Instead, it’s something that often requires an entire team of professionals to pull off.
The reason is that when you’re trying to turn a period property around, there’s often a lot of specialist tasks that you need to complete. Everything from the Metal Roofing Restoration System and electrical wiring to the plumbing that requires ripping out and starting again. Plus, there’s a need for people who know how to create interior spaces that are sensitive to the original character of the building. If the property is near overhead powerlines, you need electrical spotter sydney. After all, if the owner wanted a new build, they would have bought one.
A Bit Of Help From Technology
While some people are unwilling to strip out period details in their properties, it can pay to deploy modern technology in some circumstances.
In practice, this usually means installing boiler systems that break up the home into different sections. You don’t always have to rip out the original piping: sometimes you can get away with leaving it intact while adding modern tech to the mix. You can also include things like modern insulation to cut your bills without affecting the character of the property in any way.
If you’re planning on restoring a period property, then you need to be in it for the long haul. It’s not always straightforward, but it can be enormously rewarding.