Renovation Ideas for Old Homes

DON’T MESS WITH THE CHARM OF AN OLD HOME

My main priority as I enter the world of renovations is to preserve and showcase the charm of my 1920’s 2-story home. I absolutely LOVE the architectural details so I am going to do everything I can to ensure they are not lost in the renovations.

Renovating old homes is so much fun! I already know exactly the projects I want to tackle because I have a vision for what my home is going to look and feel like, and let me tell you, SHE IS A BEAUTY.

MY PROJECT LIST BROKEN OUT BY PRIORITY

The first priority will be ASAP projects. The second priority will be key focuses, but I might have to wait until the Fall, once the housing market calms down a bit, to juggle everything. The third priority will be nice-to-haves, which will be on the back burner until after I’ve completed the first two priorities and seen where my budget lands.

FIRST PRIORITY

• Sheetrock and drywall - Because of the age of the home, there are quite a few settling cracks throughout many of the rooms. I will be working with a crew to cover over some spots, and fully rip out and replace other areas. For any area that is ripped out, new insulation will be added.

• Electrical and lighting - Light fixtures help elevate any room you are in. Since I’m going to be doing sheetrock work and a couple of rooms don’t have overhead lights, I will be working with an electrician to run electrical to the center of the room to add a gorgeous light fixture, as well as updating lighting throughout the rest of the home.

• Paint - This ones a given for most. Once all the ceilings and walls are good to go, a new coat of paint will be going on 90% of the walls. Check out this post on trending 2021 paint colors if you are in need of some ideas.

• Flooring - Currently, there are dark hardwoods throughout the home. To help lighten them up, I am going to have them sanded and stain to more of a light-medium tone. This will be done on both the main floor and upstairs, so the two floors match in color.

SECOND PRIORITY

• Kitchen - The kitchen will be getting fully gutted down to the studs, and then rebuilt from the floors up. I will be moving gas lines, adding custom cabinetry, new appliances, etc. This is sure to be a jaw dropper when I get done with it!

• Garage - Currently the home has a one car garage that my SUV barely fits into. That will be getting demoed and a new 2 car garage will be built in its place. The big decision will be whether I add a second story on top of the garage to extend out the back bedroom OR if I decide to build some office space above the garage for my team to work out of OR if I just build the garage. Got to love all of the options! Right?

What it looks like today. Ready for a two car garage and perhaps a little something on top.

THIRD PRIORITY

• Basement - There is room to add a shower in the basement bathroom area so I could turn this into a 3/4 bath instead of a half bath. We will see how much that would run me. Stay tuned.

• Backyard - This home already offers a paver patio, but I would love to add a pergola to the mix for some character and dimension.

DREAM WORLD

• Finish the upstairs attic space - this area is open and ready to be finished, but it would be a hefty undertaking. A dormer would need to be added so I will hold off on daydreaming about that and instead focus on watching the housing market and what my home is valued at heading into 2022.

As we all know, priorities like this don’t always go as planned, but I do think it is extremely important to have a vision, a budget and a (flexible) timeline. This should be an exciting process as you customize your very own old town charm!

Jen

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