In some ways, there’s nothing more rewarding than restoring a historic home. There’s something immensely satisfying about preserving and updating a piece of history. However, significant restoration projects aren’t for the faint of heart or clients on a tight budget. A quality restoration requires money, time and flexibility from clients and skill, experience and creativity from the contractor. However, as our clients confirm, the rewards of owning a unique and singularly beautiful historic home outweigh the challenges.
What Are The Challenges Of Restoring A Historic Home?
As seasoned historic home experts, we describe historic restoration projects as putting a puzzle together when several pieces are missing. It takes extra time and out-of-the-box thinking, translating to higher costs and (often) an extended timeframe.
Materials are one reason costs tend to be high. A restoration project means tons of special orders and custom designs. For the precise, detail-oriented work involved, picking up materials off the rack at a big box store is impossible. Labor costs are also higher as restoration jobs require an experienced team with special skills, from masonry to custom carpentry.
Another requirement is that both the client and contractor are ready and able to adapt to issues that arise during the process. As any restoration specialist will tell you, there are always surprises that require creative solutions. This includes fixing previous “remuddlings,” where past owners have taken shortcuts and made changes that don’t align with the home’s integrity—finding appropriate workarounds and solutions that can increase the length and cost of your project. Clients should also come into the project willing to pivot and be in regular contact with their contractors when surprises come up. We always recommend thorough pre-inspection before starting a project, but clients should understand that surprises will always come up. Restoration projects are rarely straightforward.
What Are The Skills Required For A Historic Restoration Project?
As restoration specialists, we rely on our team of experienced craftspeople who know how to find elegant solutions. Unlike a new house, your team routinely encounters situations where elements are not plumb, straight or level. A seasoned craftsman has developed various methods to navigate the idiosyncrasies in a historic building. Attention to detail is one of the most vital assets for a restoration specialist. It takes years to develop the sophisticated eye required to bring harmony to a historic home and recreate a period feel while adding 21st-century conveniences like contemporary kitchens and bathrooms. Our team members bring it all to the table, from masons who create specific mortar mixes to carpenters who recreate period trim, window sashes and beyond. We also know how to make creative yet historically appropriate changes, like replacing an aging cedar shake roof with standing seam metal for a beautiful, durable solution.
What Are The Rewards Of Restoring a Historic Home?
When done right, a restoration can create a gorgeous and unique living space while preserving a piece of history. Our clients can attest that there’s an element of stewardship in protecting and revitalizing historic homes and a sense of honoring the structure as it was built. In most cases, the client’s goal is to gently move their home into the 21st Century without destroying the fabric of the old building. There’s also usually a fair amount of correcting past mistakes like inappropriate additions and other failed “renovation” efforts.
At Carpenter Beach Construction, we know that restoring a historic home isn’t for everyone. It requires passion, flexibility and–yes–the budget to achieve your goals. It also requires a sense of openness to new ideas and a willingness to communicate with your contractor. Our team is ready to bring out decades of experience to help you find elegant solutions and achieve
a truly unique home with a level of craftsmanship that’s hard to match in new construction.
