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If you’ve recently purchased or are planning to buy an older property or perhaps have been given one through an inheritance, you’ll face a few more decisions to make than owners of newer properties.
For example, if you know that you want to keep the home rather than knocking it down and building from scratch, there are sure to be various renovations that are required to modernize the property. Read on for some top updates to consider before moving into an older home.
In This Post:
Get Wiring Checked and Replaced as Needed
One of the first tasks is to get the electrical wiring checked in your home, along with the power points and other outlets. Most older properties have wiring that isn’t up to modern standards and may be unsafe. Over time, mice and other critters may chew at wires, making them unstable, connections can become loose, and other issues can occur.
It’s best to get an electrician into your home ASAP and have them thoroughly inspect the wiring and outlets. While some repairs may be possible, you may also need to put new wiring in everywhere to bring your property up to today’s standards.
While you’re at it, it also pays to update light switches and plates. Many older properties have yellowed, painted over, or weirdly styled or shaped options that show the age of the home. Fresh white, silver or black options can help bring your home into the modern era.
Update Plumbing
It’s also essential to see whether the plumbing throughout your place is okay. Again, many aged homes have issues in this area because pipes rust, burst, and otherwise leak and cause problems over time. You can inspect some of the plumbing yourself and spot obvious parts that need fixing or replacing, but it’s also wise to hire a plumber. They’ll be able to notice potential hazards that you won’t and can do the necessary repair or replacement work.
Some common plumbing issues in old homes are outdated pipe materials that have worn out or are no longer meeting the current code and buried pipes (underground or in concrete) that have shifted downwards, restricting water. Bad repair jobs over the years are also often a culprit of plumbing problems in older homes.
Get Rid of Old Flooring
One of the first things you might have noticed when you entered your property is older-looking carpets or other floorings. While some carpets can come up okay if given a thorough clean, most will need replacing, especially if they’re of an older style, color, pattern, etc.
If you’re lucky, you may find when pulling carpets up that there are hardwood floors beneath the material. If so, it’s worth getting the wooden floorboards polished. You might also want to replace worn-out and lifting vinyl, chipped tiles, or other less-than-appealing flooring.
Put in New Heating and Cooling Products
Many old homes don’t have suitable heating and cooling products, which you can rectify when you modernize. It’s worth putting in modern ceiling fans to help move the hot air around and provide more ventilation in your home, and you may also like to add a fireplace or a gas heater. Many people also enjoy using reverse-cycle air conditioning.
Replace Windows and Add Insulation
None of us like spending a lot of money on our power bills each year. Seal gaps around your home to cut your electricity costs, so you don’t have to run air conditioning or heating so much. For example, the windows in your property may not shut properly because they’ve moved or fallen apart over time. Similarly, the glass in the windows may be too thin or cracked to do its job. Replacing windows or at least the glass panes can stop hot or cold air from entering your property.
It’s also wise to add more insulation to your home. Older properties either didn’t have much of this product put in in the first place or what was installed has disintegrated over time. Incorporating more insulation will help keep your place a lot more temperate.
Check That There Aren’t Any Lead Paint or Asbestos Issues
While lead paint and asbestos aren’t allowed to be used in homes these days, years ago, they were commonly utilized in house construction and decorating. As such, if you have an old home, it may very well contain one or both of these hazardous substances.
Get a specialist to come in and check your home. If tests come back positive, it’s worth outlaying the money to get these potentially poisonous substances removed as soon as possible.
Other ways to modernize your property are to clean and repair or replace gutters and the roof. You can do this with the help of experts at Mighty Dog Roofing in Sandia, Texas. You can also restore original woodwork and other features (such as lead lights or fireplaces) that you want to showcase, paint the whole house, and upgrade dated fittings and fixtures.
All these jobs will help turn your home into a more livable and beautiful property and add value, too.