Custom Residential, Historic & Traditional

The Perils and Joys of Remodeling Older Homes

Remodeling older homes can be a challenge, but it's definitely worth it when you do it right, and when you go in prepared for some of the challenges. So, what are the perils and joys? Jeff, who has remodeled plenty of old homes (including his own) lays it all out for you.

Jeff Pelletier

September 20, 2012

If you’re the owner of an older home and considering remodeling you’ve probably thought good and hard about what can go wrong with remodeling older homes. You’ve probably done some research and are probably confused by all the conflicting information out there. Is it worth it? Will costs spiral out of control? Will I be able to find the design that gets me what I want but also keeps the integrity of the house intact?

As an architect who spends a good portion of every day working on designing remodels for older homes and a homeowner who is wrapping up a remodel of a 1902 house myself I can give you the following answers:

Most definitely. Not if you’re careful. If you spend the time and are realistic you’ll figure out the design.

Here’s the good, the bad, the ugly, and the freaking awesome when it comes time to remodel your older home:

Embrace the unknown. Understand that your house should have been constructed a certain way. It was probably not. A colleague opened up a 20’ long bearing wall in a house to discover that not a single stud remained full height. It was either chopped off at the top to route plumbing or at the bottom for some ridiculous reason. The entire wall was being held up by the exterior sheathing. (note to those unfamiliar with those terms: that means a good sneeze and a push would have collapsed the roof on him). So go into it knowing you’re going to have to fix stuff you didn’t want or plan to.

The chance of there being no unknowns once you rip into a wall is about zero. Don't be scared, just plunge ahead.
You need a contingency. Period. Unknowns come up and having a contingency of 10% (I recommend 15% in an older home) in your budget is smart. And if you don’t spend it you’ll end up with extra money for cool furniture. Or you can buy me some LEGO to thank me for reminding you to include that in your budget.
Your electrical system was most likely installed by semi-trained monkeys. I’m convinced that electricity was akin to voodoo back in the day as it seems the people who installed it truly didn’t understand what the hell they were doing. Knob and tube is one thing (and is often OK to just leave as-is, contrary to popular opinion), but you will find horrifying nightmares in your walls. If you’re doing enough demolition then be sure to replace everything you can. But if it doesn’t make sense, then just leave things be if they are working and pronounced safe.

You can be sure that this wire will go somewhere and be properly installed but you can be equally certain that whatever was there prior was certainly not done to code.
You’re giving new life to your house. My house was built in 1902 and lived through countless families and conglomerations of people. They had all loved the house and done what they could to keep it going, but at some point, (i.e. now) the house needed a new infusion of life to keep it going for another 100+ years. You are a steward of a wonderful place. To me, there aren’t many greater honors. The fireplace hearth you restore or build now could be enjoyed by a young child on Christmas morning in 2112. That’s pretty awesome.
Your first ideas for floor plans probably won’t be what you build. Plain and simple. Moving in we probably all see an immediate “Ah-ha!” idea about tearing a wall down and enlarging the kitchen or adding a bathroom. While they’re often partially valid, the reality is that as you start peeling back the layers of the house like an onion you’re going to find some truly incredible ideas on how to live in the space better. Older homes are often filled with funky smaller spaces and taking advantage of them and carefully reconfiguring them takes time. Remember that design is iterative.

For this project, the client came to me thinking we could only fit 2 bedrooms and one bath on the desired second floor. Instead, we managed to get in 2 wonderful kids rooms, a generous bathroom, and a master suite with a huge walk-in closet, large master bedroom, and a great master bathroom with a walk-in shower.
Be true to what you need and what you want. Setting up a program list of what you want in the house (number of bathrooms, bedrooms, an eat-in kitchen, etc.) is key to the initial design process. Your architect will take that and help carve up the space and see if it all fits. There may be compromises and figuring out how to navigate them will be fun, frustrating, and rewarding. Just be sure to not skimp on what you need. If you can’t get it you may be better suited to moving.
Stay warm. I have never liked the term “green.” It was a brilliant marketing term and got the masses to really embrace smart and sustainable building practices but it seemed a bit desperate. When looking at remodeling your older home you’re going to want to bring it not just up to modern energy code standards but carefully think about how it will function in the future. Insulate your walls and upgrade your windows (“stay warm”), but carefully consider if you want (or even can depending on the circumstances) look into integrating passive house techniques to keep your house warm and tight, and your energy costs down low. Call it green if you want, I just call it standard practice.
Go bold where it’s wet. That perhaps isn’t the catchiest of phrases but the intent is this: bathrooms and kitchens are expected to be updated. Always. Other rooms, probably not so much. To keep a design timeless I’d recommend focusing on keeping the integrity of the non-wet rooms (living, dining, bedrooms, etc.) and making them line up with the style and architecture of the house. If you want to go modern, furniture and art is a great way to do that. But in the bathrooms and kitchens, go to town. It is your house. You certainly can go for a period kitchen but the reality is that no kitchen done today is going to fool anyone that it was built 100 years ago. Unless you go for a cramped room with a lot of doors, zero counter space, and a wood stove, the game is up and we’ve caught on. And unless your toilet is sitting in the back of your house next to the chickens the same thing goes with your bathrooms. Remodel them and make them what you want them to be. Architect approved.

Here I am standing in my kitchen under construction. The cabinets are a take on period appropriate cabinets but the modern blackened steel ladder certainly is a more modern twist. It is a kitchen. Do what works for you.
Think small. Even in the large homes I’m working on I don’t want to waste a single square foot. Part of the charm of older homes, even the monster ones, are in the appreciation of the details. Every square foot should be thought of carefully. Bedrooms don’t necessarily need to be enormous. Bathrooms don’t have to be concert halls. A plane doesn’t to be able to land on your kitchen island. Use size strategically.
Embrace the quirky. You’re remodeling an old house and the walls are wonky, the rooms are strange sizes, and there are things that you can’t move that literally make no sense. Own ‘em! Think of the strange parts of your house as wonderful opportunities and come up with some strange, amazing, and, yes, quirky solutions. They’ll be a wonderful conversation piece.

I've written about this before in a post about custom dog furniture and spaces (click the picture for the link) but here's the dog cave under construction. Quirky wins the day.

There’s a million more things to discover when remodeling an older home but they’re best left discovered during construction for your own enjoyment. Or at least the enjoyment of a rowdy group at a dinner party that’s gone on far past the point of reason. Just make sure there’s wine first as the best stories are a wonderful mixture of horror and delight. Whether you toast to the story or drink because of it, I can guarantee you that it will be unforgettable.

Cheers!