Property renovation can be an exceptionally stressful experience but reaps fantastic rewards. Moving into an already renovated home is the easy way to go but the improvement and living costs can be astronomical.
Owning a period property really is unique and with it comes a duty to be respectful of its heritage. You can make significant modern improvements to bring your property into ‘green’ 21st Century.
From the perfect Tudor farm house to an abandoned Victorian church to a quaint, aged country cottage, it is important to ensure your renovation is a success. And here’s how…
Where To Spend And Where To Save
By building your dream home within the bones of another, you are already making savings as well as forging a return on investment should the time come to sell. Set yourself a budget, but prepare for flexibility before you’ve signed on any dotted lines.
Period properties utilise local materials. Choosing your fixtures, fittings and materials shouldn’t mean losing historical perspective. This will only add value and prestige to your home.
Top Tip For Finding Local Materials – For roofing local slates and other materials were often used, choose a local roofing specialist who can help you source materials close to home.
Consult The Experts
Avoid throwing money away by consulting the experts. Hiring a professional architect will help your project off the ground and add weight to any changes you may need to seek permission for from your local council.
Choose specialists who have experience working with listed buildings who understand the historic fabric of the roofing and structure.
What To Keep and What To Change
Renovating a period property is about the process of managing change in a way that the property will retain its heritage. No 500 year old farm house was built with electricity and indoor plumbing. Period properties undergo extensive remodelling over the generations to incorporate modern technologies, such as under-floor heating, Wi-Fi and multi-room remote control.
Costs Of Future Living
The cost of developing your property is only the beginning. Living costs are a huge factor with older properties notorious for poor insulation and high fuel consumption. However, they are more sustainable than we often think, especially with a few ‘green’ investments…
• Groundsource Heatpumps – A long pipe that extracts heat from the ground, releasing it throughout your home. As a constant and lower form of heat it is better for the fabric of older properties than heating which drops and peaks.
• Proper Insulation – Insulation will help your property retain heat. Utilise roofing and insulation specialist who have experience working with tricky historic buildings carry out the work.
• Keep Carbon Neutral – Burning natural materials such as sustainable sourced wood is cheap and the C02 produced from burning is countered by that produced from growing.
By creating an eco-friendly and energy efficient home within the character of a beautiful period property, you can save yourself a fortune in heating bills and living costs whilst improving sustainability, value and function.
