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How to renovate an old house: 6 things to consider when choosing to renovate an existing building
Recovering and renovating an old house is a project that many people have experienced at least once. Whether it was your grandmother’s old house or that old mansion in your home town, the idea of renovating an old house and turning it into your idealistic retreat is certainly an exciting idea.
6 things you should consider when deciding whether (or not) to renovate an old house
Renovating an old house means respecting the environment and choosing to live in buildings that are often full of charm and history. In fact, renovating an older home allows you to minimize land consumption and to recover properties that can often present small jewels. If you opt to renovate an old house, the first thing to consider is respecting its history and essence. The first piece of advice that 99% of professional designers will give you is DO NOT distort or alter the building’s architectural balance.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t give the building your own personal touch. On the contrary, to renovate an old house means re-inventing the space (while respecting its existing charm). A textbook example is the second life that thousands of industrial and commercial properties get when they are re-designed as industrial-style apartments. The references to the working past are evident In these buildings. In fact, stained glass windows and work counters often make a fine statement piece in these renovated apartments.
Search for new architectural designs. Old houses, especially the old Italian buildings that are so full of charm, allow you to blend and unite different architectural elements. Experimenting and creating new designs is an experience that will fascinate you and prevent you from getting bored of your home. A trivial example? The contrast between a stone wall and a transparent window, typical of the conservative restoration, is a choice with a great scenographic impact.
Recourse to crowdsourcing. Have you fallen in love with that old house, but don’t know how to finance the renovations? Don’t worry, today it’s possible to access many different solutions that were completely unthinkable just a few years ago. The recovery of old houses can be carried out thanks to crowdsourcing initiatives. Thanks to an initiative of this type, it’s possible to complete interesting projects (often fueled by public and private initiatives ) of the recovery of abandoned buildings aimed at surveying and reusing for cultural purposes, as well as housing, the large real estate assets preserved in historic centers and in the Italian countryside.
Possibility to take advantage of tax incentives and bonuses.
A great motivator for renovating an old house are the tax incentives and bonuses. In recent years there have been several restructuring sites that have been opened thanks to the use of incentives and bonuses. These can be structured as national initiatives, of which the Superbonus is only the latest and most important, or local ones. If the Superbonus in fact occupies the front pages of the newspapers, there are dozens of small municipalities that, without large advertisements, have chosen to reduce urbanization costs or grant volumetric bonuses in the event of building renovations.
Renovate an old house according to modern anti-seismic criteria. The recent earthquakes that have shaken the boot in the last 15 years have brought the debate on the seismic safety of public and private buildings back to the center of attention. Recovering and renovating an old house means intervening on buildings that require modernization and adaptation to the new anti-seismic disciplines.
