Resale properties are more likely to need an upgrade renovation sooner or later in order to cater the needs of the family. Bring an older house up to date might be costly and time consuming but you can always find several economic solutions. There are two ways to upgrade your house. One is to renovate everything and finish all te changes before you move in and the other is to upgrade consecutively one room after another.
If you are considering to do major renovation first you have to thing if you want to keep the floor plan of the house as is or if you would prefer to through down a wall, move some rooms into others or build new walls to separate rooms. I that situation keep in mind that you can not take down a column or a beam, so be careful as columns and beams can be hidden in walls. Proffesional advice should be necessary before proceeding to such actions. The right order to get started is from the inside to the surfaces. Therefore the electrical and the plumbing systems are priority as they will need channels to be opened on the walls.
Some older houses have older electrical systems which are not approved by several insurance companies as the chance for fire is increased. The electrical service must be sized to cater for the lifestyle of the occupants, and is usually between 100 amps and 200 amps. The elecricity system shoud be carefully installed to ensure the safety of your family. The most important safety measures are the circuit breakers that prevent fires by cutting off the electricity supply to a certain area if the wires short out. Keep in mind that ground fault circuit interrupters should be used in high-moisture areas such as the kitchen, the bathroom, the garage and the pool in order to protect residents from electric shock by cutting off power to the circuit.
Smoke alarms should be installed in each bedroom, in the kitchen and living room on each floor. The technician will wire them to the electrical system and interconnect between each other to alert occupants of a fire. A battery backup for the alarms can be also installed. At this stage you can also choose to install a security alarm system. However what is a must nowdays in a home is an airconditioning system and cables for telephone and internet. As far as the television signal is concerned Cyprus has entered the digital signal system where cables and antennas are not needed any more.
A big number of older resale properties comfront plumbing problems. This is due to the materials used in the older times for pipes. It is common that the pipes in an older house, aging around fourty years, can be rusty or corroded from inside out a defecthat is responsible for reducing the pressure or the flow of the water or even for leakage causing immense problems in a house. Upgrading the pipes in the kitchen and bathrooms is a must given the high risk for leakage and the damage it could cause to the whole property. If you intent to install a central heating system at your house this is the right time to do it.
In case you would want to install thermal insulation inside the walls and enjoy all the benefits it provides this is the right time for it. A team of profesionals will install the materials and cover them with plasterboard. After finishing with the plumbing and insulation upgrade you can start upgrading the finishes and surfaces in your house.
Not all resale houses share the same problems with electical and plumbing system, described above. It is more likely that previous owners have already upgraded the house at some certain point. Again in the property market you can find lots of houses on resale that are relatively new and have installed contemporary electical and plubing system.
What you have to do now is to choose the fimishes and colors matching your taste and start replacing them. However starting the upgrade procedure from the basic rooms of the house will help you organise the whole process especially if you plan to do it your self.
The kitchen is the heart of the house!
The old tiles can be replaced with new modern ones and the walls and ceilings can be recouloured within a day. Τhe kitchen cabinets can be replaced with a new ready or custom made kitchen of your choice. An even more economic solution is to take the existing cabinets, paint them and restore them back. If the surfaces are not rotten a professional polisher can make your kitchen look like new or if you prefer you can do it on your own. If you want you can also replace the wooden worktops with granite tops.
Next to the kitchen the bathroom needs to be updated.
According to the condition of the tiles you can choose to replace them or not. If they look relatively new you can replace only the floor which is always in worse condition, the toilet seat and the sink your bathroom will look like new with less money. It is certain you can always have your bathroom fully renovated or even extended if there is some available space. Only remember that you can change everything but the position of the drains.
The rest of the rooms can be easily upgraded according to their condition.
Doors and windows can be either painted or even replaced with modern door and windows with resistance to weather conditions and security systems. Internal doors could be also replaced in order to give your rooms a stylish touch. Wardrobes can be repainted or replaced with modern closets with up to date storage mechanisms and stylish surfaces. You can even build a walk-in closet if you have enough room. Finally fresh paint on the walls and colorful wallpapers can add up to the ambiance of each room.
After finishing with the interior upgrading of your resale home you can start upgrading the exterior.
Your first move should be to see if there are any cracks or other problems with your roof and call a professional to resolve them. It is highly important to apply insulation to roof in order to avoid dump and a dripping ceiling. If you have tiles on the roof you must check if some of them where removed and therefore need to be replaced. Then you have to refresh the paint on the exterior walls selecting the color that suits your taste. If you can afford it you can choose exterior finishes with various types of stone, and other materials that are resistant to weather conditions and do not need any maintenance. In this way you can save money on a long-term basis.
There are various options to make your exterior look great. Refresh the primer and the paint on the railings or the wooden fence. A garage door automation system could be installed in order to make your access to your home more advanced. Build up a pergola over the veranda or install awnings or other shading systems to provide shade. After all the major tasks are done you can start taking care of your garden.
All of the above are only some of the things you can do to upgrade an old property. Nevertheless not every resale house has the same needs. You can always upgrade your home according to your budget and individual needs. As long as you have patience you can transform an old deserted property to the most luxurious and up to date home just as you have dreamed of. As far as the expenses are concerned the renovation cost is equivalent to the extra money you would have paid if you had bought a new build property!
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