How to Modernise Your Home, Without Losing its Charm

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The charm of an older house is a lovely thing to live in, though it often lacks the convenience of a modern home. This is a problem facing many owners of older homes, the lack of things like television wall plugs, modern wiring looms, or reliable hot water systems. These can all be fixed, of course, but at what point does your home stop being old fashioned and charming and start being updated and modern? How do you get the benefits of a modern home without losing it’s antiquated charm? In this article, we aim to explore that very idea, and give some tips for bringing the comforts of the 21st century to your 20th century house.

Solar Power

One of the key things that the 21st century does well is renewable energy, and even though we might not be great at cutting down on our usage of fossil fuels and coal powered electricity, the availability of green energy is more prominent than ever before. Finding a way to install solar panels onto the roof of your old fashioned cottage might seem like an exercise in futility, but really it’s very possible that you could have them installed in no time at all. Call an electrician to have them check your roof for anchor points and your wiring system for access points, and before you know it you could be paying next to nothing for your power bills.

Renovating

Sometimes the modern comfort we want is just to have more space. Another bedroom, ensuite bathroom, functional garage doors, and a breakfast bar are all things that can add character or functionality to a place, and they’re all doable with renovations. Interior renovations aren’t hard to do with the help of a builder, and the exterior of your house should be unaffected by any wall-moving you might be doing inside.

Updating

Updating many features of your home can be challenging, but rewarding in the long run. You might like your light switches remaining original to help preserve the look of your home, but you’d want the actual functional side of things a little more reliable.

You can have new wirings done and keep the old switches to reinstall once the wiring has been completed, and it won’t cost you any more than it would to get new ones installed. Similarly, you can have the glass in your windows replaced with double paned glass to help keep your home a little warmer in winter, and your guests will be none the wiser.

Preserving

Finally, you can preserve the enduring beauty of your home by decor alone if you want, or more direct means if it suits your lifestyle. For instance, buying furniture that was made around the same time as your house might be tricky, but many furniture makers can age their works to make them look older or more rustic than they really are.

Alternatively, if you’re looking to go more authentic in your preservation, you could have an era-appropriate wood fireplace installed as the main heating for your home, so that you can not only have roaring fires throughout the colder months, but you can enhance the look of your home.

With these tips, your home can be comfier and easier to live in than it’s ever been, while still keeping the visage of aged beauty that has endured for so many years.