When looking to buy an existing home in Melbourne, there is a good chance you will come to different types of architectural designs depending on where you look. Majority of the time, when people come across heritage homes, they think of knocking it down and building a house with a modern look, but why not be different and maximise its beauty by restoring the special charm that period homes possess. Before getting carried away with planning, it is important to understand that restoring a heritage home is different from most renovation projects, which is why we have compiled a list of a few important things to consider.
Do not destroy the architectural history
Renovating a heritage home is not as simple as renovating a normal suburban home. Renovators must be sensitive in their approach as mistakes to do this can lead the architectural history of the home being demolished. It is disappointing to see when well maintained and structurally sound buildings are knocked down simply because they are no longer considered fashionable or with the times. Just giving a period building a facelift and maybe adding components which serve new purposes is a far better alternative than destroying major historic parts of the home.
Research your home
Restoration projects are not an easy job and so one way to ensure that you are restoring your home the right way is by researching the property. A way to do this is by checking if your property is heritage listed. Heritage-listed homes often attract a premium price, but they also come with a set of limitations in terms of what can and cannot be changed. A lot of times people assume this means that they cannot make any changes to their property at all but that isn’t necessarily the case. A good reason to research your property just so you know the context behind why certain things were built the way they are. An example would be that some homes in the 1960s were built to let in natural light, but to a small scale. Knowing such information will ensure that you don’t make an unnecessary change that tampers with one of the home’s greatest features.
Don’t over do it
While you are restoring parts of your heritage home, it is so important not to add to/extend your home to copy or mimic the original ageing beauty. Replicating old designs can be extremely difficult to pull off and adding things like fake plaster ceiling roses can just be disrespectful to the original dwelling. The key is to find a happy medium in which both the old and the new can be blended to make one beautiful timeless heritage home.
Find the right team of tradespeople
One of the most important components of any construction/renovation project is to find the right people to turn your dream into a reality. Especially when dealing with a heritage home, experience in the field is so crucial. There are a plethora of tradesmen out there and not all will provide you with exceptional service and that also for a fair price, which is why get in touch with our team.
