Restoring a Ridgewood and Upper Saddle River, NJ areas historic home can take time and require careful choices to ensure that the integrity of the house stays intact while modernizing the parts that would make it a much more wonderful place to live. This is not a project for just any contractor but one with extensive experience in home restorations. In your search for “general contractors near me,” these tips can help you find the one that can expertly combine historic authenticity with modern living.
Related: What to Look For When Searching for General Contractors Near Me in Mountain Lakes & Ridgewood, NJ
What Is Historic Home Restoration?
Restoring a historic home can often take the path of keeping the unique character and details of the house while updating essential systems like electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. The goal is usually to make the house habitable and comfortable for the owners while retaining the integrity of the time period.
Some of the essential decisions can center around when you need an addition or expansion. Since the original materials are likely not available anymore, a general contractor must source doors and trim that reflect the originals. This can mean finding salvage doors, moldings, and other features that can be repurposed in your historic home.
A skilled general contractor will pay close attention to the mass and scale of the interior and exterior features of this home, replicating and repurposing similar materials from a salvage supplier. The dimensions and scale can ensure a pleasing restoration.
Tips for Home Restorations
Tip #1: Many historic homes have had additions over time that don’t fit the time period or aesthetics of the house. These need to be carefully removed to make room for expansions in keeping with the character of the house.
Tip #2: Since most historic homes need room divisions to be removed to create an open living plan and expansions that allow for large master suites with properly sized bathrooms, the charm and beauty of the original structure needs to be replicated in the new areas. This can include custom glass to match the original windows, millwork, and tile that blend with the original parts of the house that are staying intact. What you don’t want is a clear demarcation between the old and the new.
Tip #3: Historic restoration seeks to repair when possible and replace when inevitable. This can be crucial to the outcome of the restoration process. Reusing trim, molding, and other materials that are no longer made can merge the entire house into a cohesive whole. When materials cannot be salvaged from the existing house, a general contractor may look for similar materials from other buildings and homes if available. This can apply to brick, windows, glass, and other elements that you want to retain in a historic restoration.
Tip #4: Most historic homes have special building codes they should adhere to. An expert general contractor will know the codes to ensure that your home is meeting the standards of the municipality. Incorporating the new features with the old can take special skills that not every contractor possesses.
Finding a general contractor with a passion for old homes that have high-end interiors for luxurious living can be the key to a successful renovation.