When it comes to buying a new home, the housing market is such that beggars very much cannot be choosers. Many, in the face of high mortgage rates, are moderating expectations and plumping for older fixer-upper homes than newer builds. Naturally, these homes require extensive renovation to meet modern standards – but where should you start?
Walls and Flooring
Two of the most dramatic ways in which you can update an older home are through addressing the walls and floors respectively. Even just a fresh lick of paint on tired-looking walls can make a world of difference for how a space feels – making more involved changes all the more impactful.
In terms of picking out colours, neutral tones are a quick and simple way to achieving a modern look and feel. This is especially the case when paired with fresh flooring options; old tiling might benefit from being replaced with fresh hardwood flooring, or a neutral colour of carpet to ensure rooms remain bright-feeling.
Kitchen and Bathroom
The kitchen and bathroom are both projects in and of themselves, wherein fitted installations are the key to achieving results. In order to modernise a kitchen, there is little to do but completely replace existing worktops and units. Repainting cabinets is a low-cost alternative to this, but being able to budget for a larger kitchen refurb means you can avail of modern conveniences such as induction hobs or a dishwasher.
Similarly, bathroom renovations would benefit from a fullness of approach, in order that older elements can be completely stripped out in favour of new, fresh, and importantly water-tight new installations from tiling to toilets and baths.
Updated Furniture
Of course, modernisation can be achieved throughout the home with careful consideration towards furnishings. Your choice of sofa and coffee table can be instrumental to how your living room contributes to your overall modern aesthetic, but thought should also be given to fitted storage in the form of wardrobes and other such cabinets, in bedrooms and utility spaces alike.
Energy Efficiency
Not all modern renovations are necessarily visible, mind. While many modernisation endeavours lean on aesthetic results as well as practicality, there are quality-of-life changes you can also make that bring a house into the 21st century – chief amongst which, perhaps, would be attempts to improve its energy efficiency.
Victorian properties are notoriously draughty, particularly if they have not be substantively renovated over the past century. Pre-1920s homes tend to exhibit single-leaf solid-brick external walls as opposed to cavity walls, resulting in reduced energy efficiency and colder – or more expensive – winters. Combining effective internal insulation with external wall cladding can dramatically improve heat retention in such homes, giving them a new lease of (modern) life.
Renovating an older home can be a comprehensive undertaking, and overwhelming to boot. But taking the above into consideration can make the process a much simpler and more manageable one – with excellent results to show for it.
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