You have found the perfect house, near work, and your kid’s school, a great neighborhood, and just the right size for you and your family! The catch is, that it’s old. Not just 20 or 30 years old, but well over 50, which actually might be considered vintage. So, it’s a little rough around the edges, and needs some work!
The question is, how much work do you really want to do? Do the advantages this house offers outweigh the trouble and cost of putting some work into it? A few flaws are fine, and we will discuss some ways to improve things without spending an arm and a leg, but the first thing you should do is to have it inspected.
The main things you want to look for are the quality of the roofing, the foundation’s stability, the walls and flooring, and the wiring and the plumbing. It’s to be expected that an older home is going to have some issues, but quite often there are simple, inexpensive solutions!
For example, say that the water pressure is quite low, but otherwise, the plumbing seems solid. In this case, just engage the expert services of pipe relining in North Shore who will flush out the old gunk and make your pipes as good as new without having to dig anything up at all!
Once you have established that the house is basically sound and your heart is set on it, go ahead and buy it, then you can do some simple, not too much fuss home improvements to make it as good, or even better than new!
The Floors
If they are hardwood you are in luck, all you need to do is sand down any rough patches and then apply a stain that suits your artistic tastes.
Your shiny ‘new’ hardwood floors will be a real conversation piece, and will last you another 50 years if properly cared for! In the event of carpeting, if you like it as is and it’s in decent shape, having it cleaned will give it new life. If it’s really bad, just have it replaced with new, durable carpeting that goes with your style!
The Walls – There is nothing like a fresh coat of paint to make the old look new again. This is a great chance to unify your home’s decor by choosing colors that complement and accentuate the floors and carpets, giving the home a pleasing, cohesive feel.
There is a good chance that everything is going to be sterile white when you buy your home, it’s the go-to color that real estate salespeople think will make the place attractive, but does it really? Follow your heart on this one and go with colors that suit your fancy!
Don’t be afraid to try warm reds and golds, or cool blues and greens, the worst thing that will happen if the color isn’t working for you is that you just slap on something else over it!
The Australia Government’s Your Home website has some good ideas about home renovation you should check out. Now that you have spruced up your older home you can sit back and enjoy your work! Home sweet home!
