If you bought your home a long time ago, there are chances that with time it will look out of place alongside the new home in your neighborhood. The best way to deal with such a situation is to modernize your home. Let’s look at how to modernize an old house while keeping its charm.
Replace the Roof
When it comes to how to modernize an old house, roofing is probably one thing that comes to mind. Roofing is expensive, but there is no way to get around it. It’s the most important aspect of your home and it needs to be kept in tip-top shape. When you improve your roof, you can stay worry-free from leaks and more serious disasters like your roof collapsing.
Another good thing about replacing your roof is that it’s a good return on investment. That’s the reason most people consider selling their homes when they replace their roofs. Real estate experts place the ROI of a quality roof at about 70% of the total cost of roofing. Also, most appraisers agree that a high-quality roof is more likely to spike up your home value than anything else.
Roofs have long lifespans, and a new roof can stay for up to 20 or more years. This makes them a fantastic investment. Apart from the investment side of things, a new roof will also help you save energy. The modern roofs available come with heat deflecting mechanisms. This will help keep your house cool during the hotter seasons and you won’t have to use too much energy powering your HVAC.
This also applies during the winter months. A bad roof might let warm air escape, allowing cold air into your home. That means you will have to use a lot more power to keep your home warm, especially on the upper floors.
There is a lot of truth to the cliche, “having a roof over your head”. If you have experienced a leaky roof, you probably understand why having a solid roof is important. The roof might be an exterior feature, but they are very important for your interior as well. Most people only get to appreciate that when the roof malfunctions. A bad roof will ruin your peace inside the home.
Besides the discomfort brought about by leaks and temperature escape, an old roof can present as a serious hazard. For instance, it can lead to mold or mildew. This can be quite harmful to your family’s health. Then there is the risk of the roof collapsing over your head during a thunderstorm, windy conditions, or heavy snowfall. It’s difficult to maintain peace of mind when you have an old roof. There is just so much that can go wrong, and the risk is not worth it. Do yourself a favor, call roofing services.
Install HVAC Equipment
There are many reasons installing HVAC equipment should be at the top of your list when you are thinking about how to modernize an old house. The new HVAC will modernize the look and feel of your home. With a new HVAC, your energy bills will also be lowered significantly. Newer systems are more efficient and therefore they do not use too much power to generate heat or keep your home cool.
When you install new equipment, it will be under warranty for a few years. The upfront costs are high, but you will save money in the long run. It will be a while before you need to make any repairs to your new system.
Manufacturers build newer HVAC systems in such a way that they are perfect in terms of how to modernize an old house. They evenly produce heating, which will maintain a constant temperature in your home. With a newer system, you can also control the humidity levels, which will enable you to have a better climate in the home. This together with better airflow will improve your comfort levels.
The motors that come with modern HVAC are designed to operate at peak efficiency, hence they can deliver better results without negatively affecting your energy bills.
If you have an old house and your HVAC is several years old, chances are it’s quite noisy and distracting. Prolonged, continued use can make the unit shaky and some components will become loose. If you get a new system, you will quickly eliminate the noise issues. Newer HVAC equipment absorbs sound, making the environment in your home a lot quieter. If your budget allows, contact HVAC services and have them bring in new equipment as soon as possible.
Replace Old Fencing
Many homes are surrounded by fences, and people install them for various reasons. You may want to keep pets from escaping, add some privacy, boost security or just decorate your home. Regardless of the purpose, wood fences are a great factor when it comes to how to modernize an old house. They can make an enormous difference to your yard.
If you have a wooden fence that is made from untreated planks, you can expect it to last a maximum of 12 years. If the lumber is treated, it might just make it to about 30 years. As you near the end of your fence’s expected lifespan, it’s important to look into repairing it or replacing it altogether. Proper maintenance will improve the longevity of the fence, but with time the fence will just give in.
Fences need regular maintenance because of the problems caused by the weather. Heavy rainfall, storms, snow, and harsh winds can cause significant damage to your fence. Sometimes sections of your fence will break entirely, leaving your home exposed. It is important to stay in a place where you feel safe and enclosed. The idea of having a home where people and animals have unrestricted access is not appealing.
One way to modernize your home and keep it secure is to maintain your fence regularly or replace it altogether if it’s too far gone. Below are some of the regular maintenance you may need to carry out on your fence.
- If your fence suffers from rot, cut out the affected areas and replace them with new lumber. It is best to use treated wood when replacing the cutout areas. This will help prevent the rot from spreading.
- If you notice rusted nails or popped nails sticking out from your fence, replace them to avoid people getting injured or having their clothes torn.
- It is possible that your fence can start sagging because of dampness. When you experience this, you can fix the fence using braces or tension rods.
- You may also notice your posts sagging due to rot. Sometimes the holes where the fencing posts are placed will become big, and this can cause sagging as well. Once you notice this, either replace the posts or fill in the holes with concrete or stones to make the fence strong.
Fence maintenance and replacement are some of the best ways to address the question of how to modernize an old house. If your fence is in tip-top shape, your yard will look more beautiful and secure. Another thing to do is ensure that your sprinkler doesn’t hit the fence. This will keep the fence damp and encourage rot.
Invest in Custom Shutters
Installing shutters is a brilliant move when you are thinking about how to modernize an old house. While curtains and blinds have been around for a very long time, custom window shutters are rapidly gaining popularity. There are a lot of practical and aesthetic benefits that come with custom shutters.
Most old homes probably still have curtains. While there is nothing particularly wrong with curtains, you want your home to keep up with modern decor trends. It makes sense to jump on the custom window shutter wagon to improve the look of your home.
Modern custom window shutters are made from hard-wearing materials like aluminum and wood, therefore they do not crack or peel easily. As such, it will take a long time before you need to replace them. When you replace them, you might even keep the outer frames and replace the slats only.
Apart from being durable, shutters are one of the best ways to keep windows looking clean and smart. All you need to do is occasionally wipe them with a damp cloth.
Have the Current Furniture Appraised and Restored
Wondering how to modernize an old house? Most of the space in your home is occupied by furniture. It, therefore, makes sense that the best way to modernize your home is to modernize your furniture.
Different furniture designs establish different home themes. Depending on the look you want to achieve, you can get someone to contact an antique appraiser and fix your retro furniture pieces. That way, you can keep your furniture while getting a more modern look at the same time. You can use your old couches and have them reupholstered to match your newer appliances. Living spaces always look a lot better with furniture that matches the entire home tone.
Revitalize the Gardens
Gardening goes hand in hand with how to modernize an old house. A home garden is an important way to boost your home’s appeal and make your property look more modern. Experts suggest that landscaping your garden can raise the value of a property by about 77%.
If your garden isn’t up to standard, you can research some easy garden maintenance tips and get to work making things greener in your yard. There are a lot of cheap and easy garden hacks like using bark dust as mulch when growing your loan.
A green, well-maintained garden is quite appealing, and it is a brilliant answer to how to modernize an old house. It will make you want to spend more time outdoors enjoying the beautiful scenery. You might even notice each time you look at pictures of homes for sale, the first thing you will notice is the garden. If the garden is beautiful, the entire home gets a good first impression. When you fix your own garden, you bring to life the dream of a perfect little oasis in your own yard.
Restore Damaged Exteriors
Many people focus their home maintenance efforts on the interior of their homes. When it comes to how to modernize an old house, it is important to note that the exterior is just as important as the indoors. When you totally neglect the outside of your home, your home’s value decreases, no matter how beautiful the inside is. First impressions matter, and it is the exterior of your home that people will notice first.
Maintaining the exterior of your home and performing regular building restoration is vital to the protection of your entire house. You have to regularly inspect and fix the roof, storm damaged siding, gutters, and walls. The outside of your home is exposed to harsh weather all the time, hence it suffers more than indoors.
The durability and condition of your home’s exterior components determine whether your interior will remain shielded from the weather elements. For instance, if the roof gets damaged, water will leak into your home, which can sometimes cause untold damage. Even if the water stays out, there is also the wind to worry about. Some factors might not threaten your health directly, but you will suffer financially with your energy bills skyrocketing. You should never forget exterior maintenance when thinking about how to modernize an old house.
Invest in Great Outdoor Design
For many people nowadays, outdoor living is almost as important as indoor living. It is therefore an integral part of how to modernize an old house. This means that you have to put in some proper work on the outdoors to make your home have that modern outdoor appeal. There are common outdoor staples that you may want to focus on, like great patio design and landscaping.
If you have the budget, you can also add a more modern swimming pool. There are a lot of new swimming pool designs that have popped up over the years. All you need to do is pick one that matches your home design and get the swimming pool companies to build it for you.
Create Excellent Outdoor Lighting
When you are wondering how to modernize an old house, lighting is probably one thing that comes to mind. Choosing the best outdoor lighting fixtures can give your home the best modern look at night. When choosing outdoor lighting, you need to consider the purpose that you want it to serve. It can be strictly functional, or it can serve decorative purposes as well. It is probably best to have it serve both purposes. That way you’d be killing two birds with one stone.
Outdoor lighting is a great way to create an inviting atmosphere around your home. An outdoor lighting contractor will assist you in creating the best lighting plan that matches your budget, needs, and preferences.
There are several things you can do to modernize your old house and have it looking cozy in no time at all. While the points in this text are not exhaustive, they can be a great place to start when you want to bring your home up to speed with modern designs and trends.
