For many people, the art of historical property renovation is a labor of love which brings the ultimate in job satisfaction, fulfilment and rewards. Our cultural heritage is rich and diverse, and it makes sense to preserve our history as well as possible, salvaging our buildings against the ravages of time.
If you are about to embark upon a historical restoration project, or have one underway, the chances are you are already immersing yourself in all the information available both online and in your local library relating how to do it, what to do, and when.
The art of historical restoration depends upon knowing the right way to bring a building back to its formal glory, without risking modernization of any sort when it comes to selecting the correct style to undertake the development in.
Maintaining period features and ensuring the property is enhanced in line with its appropriate cultural time can be difficult, but is ultimately extremely rewarding. Learn from those who have been successful such as this Woodlawn Historic Home Restoration.
The Internet can often be used to turn up beautiful, salvaged features such as the 1925 antique Victorian wrought iron railings DAS Studio preserved when the historic Sulphur Springs Hotel was raised.
Preserving a building is often called the ultimate recycling project, yet preservationists commonly fight the stigma that historic buildings are inefficient and require daunting corrective measures to retrofit for energy saving devices and systems.
Green and sustainable design has become an increasingly popular issue in both the preservation and new construction industries. Preservation and green goals overlap, and reconciling their differences is possible, provided that both sides strive to be as creative and flexible as possible.
In addition to factoring in environmental awareness when you restore your period building, you also have to bear in mind the aesthetic appeal of the place, and how it measures up to its original glory in terms of fixtures and fittings.
Abiding by industry best practice when restoring historical buildings
The LEED for Neighborhood Development Rating System (LEED-ND) integrates the principles of smart growth, new urbanism, and green building into the first national system for smart, green, and healthy neighborhood design. LEED-ND also addresses historic buildings.
The U.S. Green Building Council publishes LEED for existing buildings and recently adopted LEED-EB as a guideline for green building in a troubled economy.
While this is a valuable checklist for maximizing the sustainable qualities of existing buildings in a real estate portfolio, it stops short of addressing historic buildings specifically.
How do you source advice when it comes to undertaking faithful restoration?
Seek out the Historic Districts and Historical Societies in your area. Many offer information similar to the Historic Handbook provided by Local Historic District and Property Commissions in Connecticut or the long list of Florida Historic Places provided by Florida Historic Homes.
decorative trim, siding, shutters, shingles and
other features, no matter how old or unusual they may be.
Call (888) 209-9307 or contact us to see how we can assist
you with your historical renovation project.
We pride ourselves on offering a customer-focused service which places attention to detail and care of period features at the heart of everything we do to restore your home or building to its original splendor.
We understand the importance of getting your project right, to keep it faithful to the original specifications of your property, and ensure that all elements of period style are retained.
HISTORIC SOCIETIES:
- Preservation Directory online resource for historic preservation, building restoration and cultural resource management in the United States and Canada
- Historic Building Inspectors Association
HISTORIC RESOURCES:
- Historic Properties ~ Resources for Historic Properties ~ Excellent links and resources here
- ThatsMyOldHouse Historic Resources
- Resources for Historic Home Buyers and Owners including Historic Architectural Styles
HISTORIC HARDWARE:
- Renovator’s Supply: Reproduction Antique Hardware and Restoration Hardware, Plumbing and Lighting
- Restoration Hardware
- Van Dyke’s Restorers ~ Restoration Hardware collection and much more
- House of Antique Hardware
- Robinson’s Antiques: Antique Replacement Hardware Matching Service
HISTORIC COMMUNITIES:
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Thats an amazing remodeling job.
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Great remodeling! It would be awesome if this would become a booming trend.
Nice work! Love how the finished product looked
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This is really a great remodeling job
Giochi Super Mario´s last [type] ..New Super Mario World 2
A tasteful remodelling job can greatly add to the value of a property, as long as you don’t go overboard with labour and expensive fittings. Buyers want to see themselves in your house, not you. Nice job!
What a gorgeous home!
The difficult part of restoring old homes and properties is that often the buildings’ wire code needs to be updated. This can be very costly.
Vancouver Homes´s last [type] ..OPEN HOUSE
I completely agree with you: it is very satisfying to restore a historical home. Not only that, it can immensely add to the value of the property. Thanks for the post.
This is a fine home , and to me there is nothing better than keeping up the old herritage , I love it so much, I am building a new house right now , the way they use to build house’s.Ihave not bought anything from good millworks but I know them and they do good work!!!
Wow what a big job. It seems like it would be really important to have the right company helping you during a renovation. I would imagine there are many mistakes a person could make without great advice.
I have to agree with one of the comments that you shouldn’t put too many ‘persona;’ touches to any house restoration. My friend moved into a semi furnished place and ended up giving back or selling most of the furniture since it did not suit her tastes.
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The idea isn’t to save everything at all costs, but to consider the value and utility of old buildings in planning decisions. “Historic buildings” doesn’t just mean the biggest or grandest buildings in town–the homes and workplaces of regular working people can also be historic buildings or districts in their own right–as can the places where they played, like a neighborhood bar. Often, these are the structures at greatest risk, because they are assumed to be so commonplace as to be without value.
Great blog. There are so many great sites mentioned. In order to renovate an older historic home it is important to also keep in mind the colors of the house as well as all the specific metals used that can be recreated.