Common Repairs Needed When Renovating An Older Home

Whether you are buying older homes to renovate and flip, or have found a great deal on a home for your family, there may be a few repairs needed sooner rather than later. Don’t despair, however, these are common repairs that need to be made when renovating most old homes so there’s bound to be a fix! Let’s look at some of the most common repairs you might be tasked with.

Leaks in the Roofing System

Perhaps the most common repair needed when renovating an older home is dealing with roof leaks. This usually involves bringing in roof leak detection services and getting those leaks fixed to ensure the roofing system is in good shape. Sometimes it’s only a matter of replacing broken gutters or rotten fascias, while other times it’s the tiles that have become worn, lifted, or torn off. Those are the common things to look for when getting to the bottom of leaks in the roofing system.

However, many older homes have pitched roofs and those windows may have become cracked or broken. That is a sure sign that moisture is infiltrating the loft. This is another relatively easy fix with award-winning Keylite products. In fact, Keylite pitched roof windows have been designed to deal with issues such as these. Once installed, there will be no more danger of water getting into your loft through outdated windows.

Weatherising Exterior Doors and Windows

Speaking of cracked windows on a pitched roof, sometimes there are windows and doors on the exterior of the home that need to be weatherised again. Over time, the caulking and sealants have become cracked and rendered literally useless in keeping out cold draughts in the winter. This is another repair you will want to make as soon as possible if you want to keep climate controlled in your home. Alternatively, if your windows and doors have seen better days, then it would be a good idea to look into window and exterior door replacement to ensure that your home remains tough against the elements.

Cracked Interior Doors and Doorframes

Sometimes the first thing you think of when you see rotted or cracked interior doorframes is termites, but that isn’t always the case. A professional termite inspection can quickly diagnose that and if it comes back clean, then it’s just age that is causing the problem.

Bear in mind that most older homes have wood doors, not metal or synthetic doors commonly used today. If you want to keep the ambiance of the home while restoring it to its former beauty, it is suggested that you find wood doors at sites like the Online Door Store. That’s where you’ll be able to find just about any style of interior wood doors imaginable.

Chimney Cleaning and Repair

Altogether too often homeowners let chimneys fall by the wayside when it comes to annually servicing them. While those that lead out from an electric HVAC system aren’t as likely to form a fire hazard, older homes with fireplaces have chimneys that need to be inspected and/or cleaned every year. Creosote can quickly gum up the chimney, potentially leading to a devastating house fire.

However, if the interior is cleaned, the one thing you may want to do is contract a brick mason if the exterior on the rooftop has cracked or lost a few bricks over the years. Those chimneys serve a very real purpose, so it is imperative that you don’t allow any debris from a cracked exterior to fall down, trapping toxic carbon monoxide in your home.

Plumbing Issues

There could be a wide range of plumbing issues that need to be seen to before causing more damage to an older home. Leaky fittings are a common concern and these can easily be replaced.

In such cases, it’s best to call a company that offers emergency plumbing kent, or elsewhere, to prevent the situation from worsening. However, sometimes drains can become clogged over time causing a backflow into the home. If you find that this is a problem, be aware that floors and/or walls may need to be opened up to access the pipes in question.

Some older homes are built such that there are crawl spaces under the home, but even that doesn’t give plumbers easy access to those pipes under your kitchen or bathroom, so tearing out part of the flooring or walls may be a necessary evil. However, once the repairs are complete you can look forward to totally new and lovely floors and/or walls. How nice would that be?

Little By Little

If you’ve bought a home to fix up for your personal use, take it little by little. Most of the time homebuyers seek older homes to keep the cost down. If this is the case, then just take those repairs and renovations little by little. Start with those that can cause the biggest problems immediately like roof and plumbing repairs and deal with others as your finances permit.

Always start with what can cause the most serious problems in the immediate future and work your way from there. Remodelling a kitchen, for example, may not be as important as keeping the roofing system intact. Once you’ve itemised what needs doing, prioritize your repairs. That’s the most logical approach.