Why Living in a Historic Home Can Be a Hassle and How to Manage it!

Why Living in a Historic Home Can Be a Hassle and How to Manage it!

Ah, the allure of a historic home! Sharing a space with centuries-old memories that warm the cockles with every creaky floorboard or majestic chandelier! We know, we agree, but we also can’t help but point out a few drawbacks that have always kept new owners of old houses awake at night thinking, “maybe I should’ve settled for a condo!”

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How to cope? That’s no way to think about any purchase, let alone one you invest so much heart in, and have probably dreamed about owning for a long time. So we figured we’d give owners and dwellers of historic homes a few tips on how to do away with the most common frustrations that came with the keys and the dream!

Are you paying through the nose on energy bills?

It’s a well-known truth, historic homes tend to be chillier – of course, more often than not, it’s also easy to find the cause of the chill. Tip #1: it’s not a ghost! Tip #2: it’s probably a lack of insulation that's causing the draft and your problem might lay with your windows. They’re probably a beauty to look at but caulking them or injecting some silicone rubber sealant won’t detract from that – except that it might, if you try it yourself, so maybe ask a professional if you want a smooth as-if-it-never-happened-type finish. And never – I mean never, DIYer! – even think about using shrink wrap and tape. You should also weather-strip your doors if it comes down to it.
 

Are you suffering from noise-related insomnia?

If blaring car horns are waking you up in the middle of the night and have you running downstairs scared that you’ll find a truck-shaped hole in your living room wall – then your house is probably too close to a high-traffic road. Which is the case for many historic homes, as even before there were cars people were still creatures of comfort who needed to get from their home to the road as fast as possible. The answer for modern owners? Why, a sound-proofing service, of course – or, if you want to be smart about it and not spend thousands, ask a professional remodeling company to procure some glass panels and mount them on the inside of your beautiful wavy windows.
 

Are you exposing yourself to some old-timey toxins?

Historic homes are renowned for their vintage, quaint or elegant charm, which sometimes includes the original paint job. If your window frames, doors, banisters or porch show their age, make sure the patina of time isn’t hiding a danger that, up until the 1960s, was making most home owners very sick. Lead-based paint, if in any way damaged (cracked, flaky or eve damp), is toxic through the dust that forms from it – so be sure to renovate and remediate the problem using lead-safe certified contractors ASAP.

Are you bumping into things all the time?

While historic homes look like a dream come true when your first set foot in them, you might realize in time that walking into and around your house feels like being a tall bulky visitor in Frodo Baggin’s Bag End. That’s because in the old days, houses weren’t designed for open-floor plans like the trends dictate today – and that means they can get pretty stifling, pretty fast. A bit of a redesign can help with that, small stoves can surely be replaced with the large hooded ones we’re used to today, and superfluous walls can be obliterated. All it takes is a call to a reliable remodeling firm :)

Last, but not least, remember that the most sought-after home feel is one that mixes the old with the new to eye-catching effect: a claw-foot tub and a large walk-in shower, side by side, for instance, will make more sense for the modern dweller. And, provided you get a good design and remodeling firm on board, the transition can be seamless, even magazine shoot-worthy!

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There you have it! You can how stop fretting about these drawbacks and start thinking of them as quaint quirks. They’re there to give testament to the age of your historic home – which is what drew you to it in the first place, isn’t it? – and their negative impact on your life can surely be diminished. Call dRemodeling, an expert in transforming historic homes into transitional gems, and let us make your time indoors more than just livable – when we’re through with it, you’ll feel blessed to be able to call your creaky character-full property your home!