Irvine Construction Blog
Archive for the ‘Historic Home Restoration’ Category
A Modern Kitchen in Your Historic Home
Owning a historic home is like holding a piece of living history. These homes are rich in character, charm, and stories that span generations. However, while their timeless beauty is undeniable, their original kitchens were often built for a different era – one without modern appliances, conveniences, or today’s busy lifestyles in mind. The challenge lies in creating a kitchen that blends the functionality of today with the aesthetic integrity of the past. Balancing Old and New When remodeling a kitchen in a historic home, the key is to strike a balance between preservation and modernization. Maintaining architectural details like…
Pros and Cons of Finishing Your Basement
An unfinished basement is no one’s favorite part of the house. Among the spiders, dark corners, and damp walls, there isn’t much to enjoy. That being said, the lowest level of your home has the most potential to be great. Finishing your basement is a huge investment, and there is much to consider before taking the leap. If you’re wondering if you should finish your basement, here are some pros and cons to consider. Pro: It Increases Your Home’s Value Even if you’re not planning on selling your home anytime soon, it’s important to consider how any choices you make now…
Are Energy Retrofitting and Historic Preservation at Odds?
With a large percentage of homes having been built before modern energy-efficient fixtures were available, there’s a lot of potential for beneficial energy retrofitting in single-family homes. However, if your home is considered historic—or you just want to preserve its original character—it can feel as if you’ll be sacrificing your home’s historic features when you make upgrades. But thanks to advances in energy retrofitting capabilities, as well as with a little extra work on the part of you and your contractors, you can complete an energy retrofit without compromising your home’s historic preservation needs. Review the Requirements If your home…
How to Deal With Lead Paint in Your Historic Home Remodel
Once a staple of interior painting, we now know that lead-based paint is dangerous for anyone exposed to it for too long. Children and pets are the most vulnerable, but healthy adults and the elderly also can experience lead poisoning with enough exposure. If you’re planning a remodel of your historic home and suspect (or know) that you’ve got lead paint, here’s what you need to know about keeping everyone safe during the process. Identify Lead Paint You may know that you’ve got lead paint in an area you’re planning to remodel, or you may just suspect that you do…
4 Ways Renovating Your Historic Home Can Be Cost-Effective
The decision to renovate your historic home may be a difficult one, especially if you’re looking solely at the price tag. However, while knowing what you can reasonably afford before you sign a contract is important, it shouldn’t be the only consideration when making your final decision. In fact, even if the cost of your renovation seems high, the benefits of your renovation may far outweigh the sticker price. Here are 4 ways that renovating your historic home can be cost-effective: Your Neighborhood Many historic homes are located in neighborhoods full of similarly historic properties, and may even be located…
5 Renovation Projects That Promote Energy Efficiency
As everyday energy costs increase, more and more homeowners are turning to renovation projects that promote energy efficiency. Whether you’re looking to decrease your overall energy bills or you want to do your part to reduce your impact on the planet, many homes can benefit from some renovations that make them more energy efficient. Here are some of the major benefits of having a more energy-efficient home, if you’re on the fence about it: Increased home value: Buyers are attracted to homes where a conscious effort has been made to be more energy efficient. Upgrades that decrease your energy bills…
Renovate or Rebuild? How to Know Which Option to Choose
When you own a home, whether it’s a new purchase or one you’ve owned for a while, the itch to change things up inevitably begins to show itself. And, if the space you’re in needs a lot of work, or if you’ve just got much grander plans than the bones of your space seem to allow, you may be deciding between renovating and rebuilding to start with a fresh canvas. To help you figure out which approach is right for you, here are 5 things to keep in mind: Your Budget For many people, this is probably the main deciding…
5 Tips for an Interior Historic Home Renovation
Your historic home is more than just the gorgeous exterior features. You want the whole picture, from floor to ceiling, and you want it to shine the way it did when your home was first built. If you’ve got grand visions of renovating your home’s interior in an historically accurate manner, you’ve got some different considerations than if you’re renovating a modern home. Here are 5 tips to get you started with your interior historic renovation: Start with What You Have The best place to begin your interior renovation plans is with what’s already in your home. Does your home…
5 Common Findings when Restoring Historic Homes
Renovating historic homes has a lot of upsides. You get the quality of construction from years ago, along with the gorgeous built-ins, hardwood, and design features unique to your home’s style. Perhaps your home even has some sort of historic significance or great stories that have been passed down for years, making it even more attractive. But taking what’s old and making it new again isn’t always easy. Here are 5 things commonly found when restoring an historic home: Old Plumbing & Electrical Systems Your old home may have been cosmetically updated over the years, but many historic homes still…
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