When remodeling pre-war homes in Washington DC, pay attention to exteriors and potential challenges to layout changes
Remodeling pre-war homes in the Washington, D.C. area presents a rewarding challenge. It’s an opportunity to take a piece of the city’s history and both preserve and improve it. You can create a home with more mojo—a home with historic style and contemporary functionality. Sweeten offers an outline on what to know before starting older home renovations in Washington, D.C. (plus, which rooms get the most bang for the buck!) Sweeten matches home renovation projects with vetted general contractors, offering advice, support, and up to $50,000 in renovation financial protection—for free. Where do you start when renovating an old house?Start with your vision for the result. Consider all that you want and prioritize those features with your budget. Talk with a contractor as early in the process as possible. Go over the mandatory elements, such as electrical and plumbing, that will have to meet current code requirements. Older homes typically need complete upgrades of: ● Electrical: Older homes need more outlets, plain and simple. Adding plenty of USB outlets makes sense, too, as they allow you to dispense with the extra adapter. Many older homes still suffer from antiquated lighting, with just a solitary ceiling fixture, if that. Energy-efficient puck lights and sconces should be part of any renovation. In addition, an updated home should have a 200-amp service, which you’ll learn about through an electrical audit. If you want photovoltaic panels and are allowed to install them, discuss whether the system should be part of your planning with your contractor.
Improved performance is laudable, but cost can balloon for small gains in performance. Your choice of windows is a judgment call, so go over this carefully with your general contractor. You should also do research on the window manufacturers and products so you can learn and ask questions. Windows are a major expense (and are not easily changed,) so take the time to get it right. Commonly renovated elements in old homes
Fortunately, this is a relatively easy fix—getting the right plaster pro on the job. Your contractor will make sure new and old blends perfectly, make repairs properly, and leave you feeling great about this subtle yet important element. Kitchen upgrades in old homesBecause of the intensity of use as the hub of most homes, your kitchen deserves more focus and more of the budget. Not surprisingly, you’ll make more materials and features choices for the kitchen, as well. Do you really want a six-burner range, or should that money go elsewhere? One feature we strongly recommend is the best cabinets you can afford. Here, you have options. “Off-the-rack” cabinets have improved tremendously in the last few years as manufacturers have stepped up to meet the demand for both style and functionality. By their nature, off-the-rack or in-stock cabinets will offer fewer choices, but that may be fine if you’re happy with the finishes and sizes offered. Semi-custom and custom cabinets can provide nearly anything you want, such as finishes, specialized hardware, and sizes to fit any space. You can usually expect upgraded cabinets to show better fit and finish, but you might have to wait for them to be built. This shouldn’t be a problem, as you’ll have many renovation tasks to complete before cabinets go in. Another upgrade that might fly under your radar is a heavier sink, either of stainless steel or synthetic material. This is a subjective thing, but heavier sinks just feel solid and have a better, quieter tone with water running on them. Exterior elements have endured a lotOutside, the humid climate in Washington, D.C. is no friend to structures. The mortar in historic brick buildings, for example, needs maintenance periodically. Old bricks were much softer than current bricks, and older lime mortars were more flexible than modern mortars. These older materials worked well together. Today, however, modern mortar costs about half of the traditional lime mortar, so many repairs over the last couple of decades have used the newer, less pliable mortar, leading to bricks cracking and crumbling, instead of the mortar. Typically, you’ll find lime mortar in cream or black tones, while the modern mortar is gray. Check this out and talk with your contractor about how much work needs to be done. Challenges for layout changes and additionsWhile these renovation decisions are happening, consider the layout of your home. Does it work for your family, or does it need help? The need for a more functional design may in fact be the driving force behind the entire renovation. Do you need more square footage or just a refinement of the layout? Whether or not you’re able—either physically or legally—to add more square feet is a major factor. Row homes, for example, may be impossible to add on to. For other homes, setbacks and/or various associations may prohibit changing the home’s footprint, even if the lot has room. If your contractor has worked on other projects in your neighborhood, he or she may already know what’s possible. Nonetheless, it doesn’t hurt to double-check with your historic district. Allowing for surprisesIt’s inevitable to have a few surprises while remodeling pre-war homes. But budgeting for them and preparing mentally, plus going through the house thoroughly with your contractor, will minimize the chances of a major surprise. You’ll also have permits to pay for, and for this, you’ll want to coordinate with your contractor. -- Sweeten handpicks the best general contractors to match each project’s location, budget, scope, and style. Follow the blog, Sweeten Stories, for renovation ideas and inspiration and when you’re ready to renovate, start your renovation with Sweeten. Via https://civilco.construction/remodeling-pre-war-homes-in-the-washington-dc-area/
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
ABOUT USCIVILCO Construction and Interior is a quality-oriented construction company that was founded in 2004 by its Chief Executive, Engineer Mujeeb Ur Rehman. He continues the construction family tradition while maintaining its outstanding reputation with an uncompromising commitment to quality and safety. With a strong reputation as an industry leader in Design-Build construction, CIVILCO construction provides excellence in a full spectrum of pre-construction, program management, construction, interior management, inspection, and quality control services. ArchivesNo Archives Categories |