10 Important Tips for Revamping an Antique Home

Tony 02/27/2024
10 Important Tips for Revamping an Antique Home

You may not have the experience the guys from This Old House have but renovating an old home doesn’t need to cost a fortune or put too much stress on your life. In fact, revamping an antique home can be quite fun and bring a fresh new start and perspective to the home. Gone are the dingy carpets and dark lighting fixtures, in are the light bamboo floors, fresh eco-friendly paints, and sleek designs.

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered on the different steps to take to get your home to the standard you want it to be at. Below, you’ll find our tips for revamping an antique home. Of course, we keep it eco-friendly and give you sustainable options that will keep your home healthy and beautiful. Read on to see all the wonderful ways you can transform your old home.

10 Tips for Revamping an Antique Home

1.      Have the Home Inspected

Before you start renovating any home, you should have the house inspected. It’s easier to start with the bigger, yet more intricate, details right from the get-go. For example, an inspector will look at how the mechanical aspects of the home are running, they’ll investigate the structural support of the house, and determine whether there are walls you need to be cautious of. They’ll investigate potential issues with the roof, water damage and mold growth, and so much more. Before you work on your home, have an inspector tell you what to watch out for—you won’t regret it.

2.      Don’t Forget About the Roof and Masonry

You may be tempted to start with cabinet details and paint colors, but you can’t forget about the roof and masonry. Before you even go to the store to pick out anything, check and see whether you need to update the roofing, and whether the building materials are holding up. Think of it this way, starting with the roofing and masonry is like managing a crisis before it begins. You should start with these aspects to hopefully stop any future damage from happening.

3.      Watch Out for Water Damage

Another big thing to watch out for before you start getting into your renovations is water damage. Water damage is a serious issue that needs to be addressed immediately. There are various long-term effects, like dry rot, and bugs love wet environments. Don’t ruin all your creative ideas; check for and solve water damage before slapping on that coat of paint.

4.      Deconstruct, Don’t Demolish

One of our most important tips is that you should deconstruct the antique home, don’t demolish it. This will keep the character of the home, yet still leave you room to make the home into how you want it. We understand that some old homes have multiple rooms connected only by a doorway, meaning numerous shared walls can really take away from the fluidity of the home. Look around and see what you can salvage and reuse before you start taking things apart.

5.      Open Floor Plans

Going off the above tip, open floor plans are all the rage in modern homes. To make your antique home stay a bit more with the times, think about taking down a few non-load bearing walls (if you got the house inspected first, you should know which walls are necessary to the structure of the home). To create more of an eco-friendly renovation, see what ways you can reuse that material to incorporate into the rest of your home. Open floor plans add a much-need fluidity and openness to a home and give you a lot of room to think creatively about how to use those spaces.

6.      More Windows

A great way to bring natural light into your home is with windows. As you think about redesigns, bring more sunlight into your home with more, or larger, window spaces. They can help you lower heating and cooling costs and positively impact air quality. Not to mention, they’re a lovely option for playing with interior and exterior design.

7.      Get Rid of the Carpet

Chances are your old home has a lot of carpet in it, and a lot of that carpet is probably not in the best condition any more. When revamping an old home, we highly recommend tearing out that carpet and adding updated flooring. Bamboo flooring is all the rage right now, and for good reason. It adds a lightness to your home that you can make fit your personal aesthetic. Not to mention, bamboo flooring is much better for the environment than other flooring options and makes for a healthier home. You can get the color to match the tone of the room with various interior wood stains.

8.      Reface Cabinets Don’t Replace

Though new kitchen appliances are necessary for an updated antique home, one of the biggest expenses of a kitchen remodel can be from the cabinets. Instead of replacing the old cabinets altogether, think about just refacing the cabinet fronts. New doors and drawers can give tired old cabinets new life. Think about complementing the color of the cabinets with the color of the new appliances.

9.      Wallpaper No More

Just like the carpet in your old home, get rid of the wallpaper in the home. The chances are high that the wallpaper is masking underlying issues of the walls like water damage. Get rid of that issue by taking down wallpaper and painting the walls with low odor, low-VOC paints. Before you start painting, though, make sure to thoroughly clean, sand, and prime the walls. You want to ensure you’re giving the old home the cleanest and best renovations—take the time to do each step carefully and to the best of your ability.

10.  Strive for Energy Efficiency

Though you don’t need everything in your home to be the newest and shiniest there is, you should strive to have energy-efficient appliances. These may be a bit more expensive, but the reward is ten-fold in the long-run. Focus on purchasing appliances that save both the environment and energy. This may be a huge step-up for the old home and will give it more of a modern and eco-friendly feel.

As you update your antique home, whether it’s been passed down through generations or just bought in the hopes to flip it, there are many things you can do to make the home more up-to-date. Keep our antique home revamping tips in mind, and also take a look through our tips for creating an eco-friendly home, so you can live in the greenest old house there is. 


CATEGORIES Design Inspiration Healthy Home

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