Last Updated on 15 July 2025 by Maelle
Restoring a historic home is no easy feat. Not only do you need to take special precautions when dealing with old structures and building materials, but old houses are full of surprises, and costs can add up quickly. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that a well-done renovation can turn a nightmare into a dream home. That’s why tout-reparer.fr offers you its guide: How to Restore a House for Resale?
Before Restoring Your Old Home:
We’ve all seen those old historic houses that look like they came straight out of a horror movie, but have you ever considered living in them? These homes are often in poor condition and have been vacant for a long time, but they’re usually offered at a remarkably low price. By purchasing an old house, you can renovate and restore it to make it the home of your dreams. You’ll find plenty of information on the website jamelioremamaison.fr ! Be aware of the following points, however:
1. Living in an old house is a commitment
Do you rely on features like radiant floors—or even just a room that’s evenly heated or cooled—as a must? Then living in an old house, with its irregularities, may not be for you.
If you’re buying a historic home because you love the old-fashioned rippled glass windows and the feel of the floors, you need to understand that you won’t be able to enjoy some of the comforts that come with 21st-century living. If you’re willing to live with a few drafts and wear a sweater, then old houses are for you!
2. Finding the Right Property
The first challenge is finding an old house to renovate. Check all the property listing sites and talk to real estate agents to find a property within your price range. It can be difficult to see the potential, but you need to be imaginative and look beyond dilapidation and disrepair. Consider aspects that will add value, such as proximity to schools and amenities, off-road parking, and lot size. Review several potential candidates and note any serious problems. Most of these are repairable, but serious damage to the property’s structure is a major red flag to avoid. Water damage and subsidence are the two main things to look for. Learn more about apartment renovations! 3. Develop a plan Now that you’ve found and purchased your property, it’s time to create your vision. Systematically walk around the house, assessing each room as you go. What will it look like once the work is completed? Draw sketches of the finished product or use 3D home design software to bring your plan to life. You can also create an inventory and budget for your restoration, detailing what you’ll need to complete the job and how much you can afford to spend. This will help you stay focused throughout the apartment renovation and prevent you from stretching your finances too thin.
4. Deconstruct
When you begin the restoration work, you need to determine which elements of the house you want to restore and which you want to get rid of. Strip back wallpaper, remove unsightly light fixtures, and remove old carpets to create a blank canvas on which you can paint your creative vision. 5. Repair the infrastructure Your most important task is to prevent the condition of your new home from deteriorating. This means repairing the roof, walls, and windows to make your home weatherproof and repairing any structural damage. You can add extra glass to doors and windows and install insulation to retain heat.
6. Repair the electrical and plumbing
Older homes are notorious for having unreliable electrical and plumbing systems, so you may have to start from scratch. Now is the time to address these important aspects before undertaking major renovations. How you update the heating and electrical systems will depend on how much energy you plan to use, but any improvement will add significant value to the home. Consider adding more modern features, such as underfloor heating. Renovating an old bathroom is one of the most effective ways to add value to a home. Replace all fixtures and appliances with newer models. You can find bathtubs, sinks, and toilets for sale at relatively affordable prices at any home improvement store.
Where to start with your renovations?
When you’re looking for a new property, it’s not always easy to make the right choice. You want a beautiful home in the perfect location, while staying within your price range. But it’s rare that you can get everything you want from a property, and inevitably you have to compromise on one aspect or another. When we first bought our house, I couldn’t see the potential. Fortunately, with a little imagination, it’s possible to transform an old house into the home of your dreams. 1. Water damage is the enemy Water damage is serious, significant, and needs to be addressed. Water damage has long-term effects like dry rot. Insects also love damp environments. Keep an eye out—especially around ceilings, floors, and windows—for signs of water damage. These could be signs of serious structural problems.
The sill plate is an element that requires special attention. The sill plate is the lowest horizontal member of the structure that surrounds the entire foundation. All vertical structural supports for the house are attached to the sill plate.
The sill plate is the most vulnerable to water because it sits close to the damp ground. If the floors are crooked, it could be due to a warped sill plate, as this is the entire structure on which the house rests. 2. Assemble a team to help you A contractor and an inspector can help you estimate the amount of work needed and its cost. But it might be helpful to seek out people with experience in historic preservation. You’ll need a local historian or a contractor who restores historic homes. They can provide the most help and explain the restoration process.
And, above all, anyone you bring in should understand your ultimate goal of restoring the property. Many people don’t understand the difference between preservation and ripping something out and starting from scratch. You need talented people who can help you with the process of restoring an old home.
3. On a budget? Start small
While older homes—regardless of size—will likely all need updating and renovations, if you don’t have unlimited funds, look for a smaller home, which will be easier to manage.
Buy quality materials and renovate less—I’ll always advocate for this, double-paned mahogany windows, custom-designed brass hardware, and reclaimed marble mantels. I’d rather live in a tiny, perfectly restored 18th-century colonial saltbox than a crumbling mansion with bad tile.
4. Invest Smartly
Even if you don’t plan on selling, it’s smart to consider resale value when budgeting. It typically costs the same amount of money to renovate a home in several different locations, regardless of what the local real estate market can bear. You don’t want to overinvest in a home that won’t earn you as much. To this end, research the selling prices of fully renovated homes in the area and let them guide your budget. An easy way to stay within budget is to choose which fireplaces to restore. Often, in homes that need renovation, chimneys need to be relined or their masonry repaired, which can cost upwards of €12,000 per fireplace. If you find a place with multiple fireplaces—and chimneys—it may be a good idea to choose which ones to repair.
5. Start with the roof, windows, and masonry
It may be tempting to choose kitchen cabinets and paint swatches right away, but the first steps of a renovation should be practical rather than aesthetic. It’s like managing a crisis—first fix the things that will prevent future damage.
to occur. Make the house watertight. Repair the roof, windows, and masonry.
Sometimes, the location of the house is directly related to the strength and quality of the building materials. A serious problem you’ll find in some areas is that there is sometimes sand in the mortar. This negatively affects its integrity. Because there can be sand in the soil near the coast, many 18th-century fireplaces were made with this weaker mortar, so the masonry will be weaker and require more attention.
Fireplaces and chimneys are a good place to check if the mortar needs repair, a process called repointing. Simply use your hands to perform a preliminary test before calling in specialists: If you don’t see any missing mortar [between the bricks/stones of a house], use your fingers to feel and tap the mortar to see if it’s loose. 6. Technology is your friend
Updating a home’s heating, cooling, and electrical systems is easily the most expensive part of any renovation. Don’t worry that making the updates requires tearing out all the period details you came to love in the first place.
Technology has been extremely preservation-friendly: you can break down a mechanical system into smaller units, powering the upper floors from the attic and the lower floors from the basement. This is called a split system, and it’s a great way to avoid damaging the home’s historic fabric as much.
7. Embrace non-threatening quirks
Leveling uneven floors in an old house can be a long and expensive process. Why not accommodate them within the design scheme? In Nantes, I have a house that was built in 1827. It’s crooked! So I left it crooked. I designed all the joinery, like the baseboards, to accommodate the crooked floors. The baseboard might be 6 inches high in one place and 8 inches high in another.
Similarly, if you’re figuring out where to add bathrooms and closets, try to think of the problem as an opportunity. It’s about knowing what to sacrifice to preserve the rest. I’d rather maintain the integrity of three compelling rooms and compromise the fourth than remove all four and end up with four average spaces. You have to turn it into a creative opportunity. That’s where the beauty, charm, and quirkiness of a renovation lie. The entire tout-reparer.fr team remains at your disposal in the blog’s comments section.
