Spring is around the corner and with it comes the rush of fix-up projects for those who
already own homes. For those of you who own old houses the number of
possibilities could be endless. From mundane things like fixing windows,
replacing bad siding or wood, to updating the plumbing, wiring, or heating/AC
systems. Some of the jobs are no fun. Painting, updating the kitchen, and
redoing the bath are more fun but still a lot of work. Don’t feel bad, you are
accomplishing great things by preserving a part of history if you have a really
old house. The ones who have the harder job are those who are working on a
1960-1980’s home that not only need repairs and updating, many of them also have
to add charm and style, like getting rid of hollow core slab doors that are
falling apart.
Many homes that were built before the 1950’s had charming elements in their
design that can be stripped and brought back to life, like real wood paneled
doors, beautiful wood trim around the doors (albeit under several layers of
paint), wood floors, and oftentimes even great lighting fixtures. For those with
homes from the 60‘s-80‘s, you may have a blank slate to work with and the
opportunities to add charm are endless.
So where do you begin in order to keep from getting overwhelmed? If you want
to make your planning easier, start by making a list of the things you want to
do first, then prioritize the list based on what is most essential (like fixing
a bad leak in the roof). Next prioritize it based on the most desirable
projects. Finally prioritize it based on what you are going to be able to afford
to do over the next three to nine months. If you are really lucky, several of
the projects will have the same priority level in all three priority categories.
If you are even luckier, you won’t have to add “get a loan” to the list.
Next, whether you are working on an old house or planning to remodel a newer
(1960+) home, go out and see what the best resources are going to be for getting
the materials that you may want or need to complete the projects. This should
include not only going to the “big new building materials stores” but also
visiting the “big old building materials stores” so that you can see what your
options will be for resources and get a good idea about prices. You may be
surprised to find you can often buy great antique architectural parts and pieces
that will either fit into your old house or add charm and flavor to your newer
home. The largest architectural antiques store in the Southern USA (over
100,000sf) is only one hour South of Austin and there you will find everything
from stained glass to doors, tubs, and hardware just like in the stores that
handle new stuff. Surprisingly too, the prices for the quality antique parts and
pieces will be comparable to buying new stuff, except it will probably have more
charm and character, more bang for your buck. Another advantage to shopping
“Old” versus “New” is the variety of options that you will find as you search
through what was available over the past hundred years as opposed to what is
often a fairly generic style selection that is being offered today.
Make up your wish list before you go on your exploratory trips and after your
first trip out to both types of stores you will probably feel overwhelmed by all
of the possibilities. Take notes, even pictures, ask a lot of questions and hope
your talking to someone who can help by giving you good answers. Then you can
set about finding someone to do the work if you are not planning on doing it
yourself. This is an important step if you are planning to do anything with
older materials since many contractors don’t want to be creative, or don’t have
the skills to be and therefore only want you to do the same thing that they do
for everyone else. Again, ask questions and interview your potential contractors
as well as check out their references.
Never pay for work before it is done. Buy critical materials in advance, like
flooring, doors, and specialty items so that they don’t hold up the job once it
starts or you will pay for guys to just stand around or worse, they will leave
to work on another job and maybe not get back to focus on yours for a couple of
weeks. Finally, if possible, try to understand and enjoy the process rather than
get stressed out by it all. Big projects often strain relationships with all of
the decisions and problems that inevitably arise. Remember the structure is a
house, love makes it a home, and good planning can make it a unique home you can
be proud of when you are finished.
