When you have bought an old building, or you are considering getting one and making a whole load of restoration works, there is plenty that can go right – and a whole load that can go wrong at the same time. You certainly want to avoid the latter category as much as you can. Of course, many of the mistakes that are commonly made are universal across old or listed buildings, whereas some are bound to be quite specific to the property in question. The following blog post will check out a few of the most general mistakes out there. This way, you are not going to fall into the trap of making errors that have been made time and time again in the past. So, let’s get into some more detail on this right here and now.
Trying to Modernize Too Much
While you will want to add some modern features to the old building, this does not mean that you should simply go hell for leather and attempt to fully modernize the property. Otherwise, you are going to take away a great deal of the charm that made you want to invest in the property in the first place. You should focus on the repair work that can be done in a traditional style first and foremost. Once this has been sorted, you are then going to be able to look at what you can do to upgrade.
Thinking You Can’t Have Anything New
While this one may feel like it is very much running contrary to what has already been discussed, you certainly do not want to end up in a situation where you think that you cannot have any modern conveniences at all. So, you should certainly look into an internal air conditioning unit if this is something that you will need to increase the comfort of your home. Ultimately, you want to strike the right balance between keeping the nice old features of the property and not getting into a situation where you feel like you are not able to have anything new at all.
Not Consulting with the Experts
Even if you have gone through numerous home restoration projects in days gone by, this does not mean that you should simply rush ahead without a second thought. This is particularly the case if you have invested in a listed building or one from a particular time period. If you consult with people who know what they are doing, they are much more likely to be able to provide you with the type of solutions that are going to be specific to the period, while the odds that you are going to cause some sort of irreparable damage is going to be significantly reduced.
Removing Architecturally Significant Pieces
There could well be some parts of the building that are considered to be particularly architecturally significant that you will certainly want to avoid removing. This could end up meaning that the property no longer has the listed status, and this is the exact opposite impact of the one that you were originally intending. Again, this is why it is going to be so important that you have the property assessed in the first place, as it will mean that you know exactly what these parts happen to be in the first place, and you will avoid removing them.
Not Thinking About the Outdoor Space
While you may well get bogged down thinking about exactly what you are going to do with the actual building itself, this certainly doesn’t mean that you should forget about the outdoor space. In fact, this can make such a big difference to the overall appeal of the building. Not only this, but you also need to think about how it is going to interact with it all in a way that makes the most sense. You need to be careful about knocking down any boundary walls or removing gates. Again, this all comes down to reiterating exactly why it is so important to have a proper planning phase where you get all of this down on paper, and you know exactly what you are going to do.
Trying to Do Too Much
When you are restoring an old building back to its original glory, it tends to very much be a little by little approach rather than one that sees you rushing into it all head first. With this in mind, you should certainly avoid trying to do too much as you can end up having the opposite effect to the one that you were originally intending. Ultimately, it is worth covering the most important parts first before moving on to the other elements of the building. If you get bogged down in trying to do everything all at once, this could end up having a seriously detrimental effect on what you are doing.
Setting an Unrealistic Timeframe
This one ties very much in with the point that has already been listed in the section above, but you certainly do not want to have a timescale that is unrealistic and is simply not likely to have your goals accomplished. You should make sure that you give yourself enough time to complete each task at hand. At the same time, you also need to have a realistic expectation of the budget and how this is going to have an impact on what it is that you are trying to achieve in the long run.
When you are restoring an old building, these are among the mistakes that are all certainly worth avoiding as much as you can. Ultimately, it is certainly going to be worth taking your time and getting it right, as well as getting all of the expert consultation services that you require. You certainly do not want to risk it being a project that makes your property worse or damages it in one way or another. So, now is the time to restore as needed.
