Complete guide to renovating a house

From authentic timber sash windows to decorative plaster details, Richard Webber outlines the key features you should look to reinstate to enhance your home’s heritage appeal

It’s easy to fall in love with a period property, especially one that’s in tip-top condition with its characteristic features intact. Maintaining such old houses, though, requires much effort. But it’s nothing compared to the hard graft involved if you’re contemplating the complete refurbishment of a neglected heritage home.

The level of satisfaction would-be renovators will experience once the project is complete should not be underestimated. Whether it’s Victorian, Georgian or Tudor, any period house deserves to be looked after. “If you own a period property, it’s important to make sure that your little piece of history remains in excellent condition,” says Tom Barfield, joinery sales manager at Scotts of Thrapston.

Each architectural era has its own individual features, from the pillared doorways and stucco-fronted buildings of the Georgian period to the bay windows and tiled hallways of the Victorian. So, for any renovation the goal must be to retain the property’s authenticity wherever possible.

WILL PRYCE

Dominic McKenzie Architects have renovated this 1830s home and added an extension that blends sympathetically with the existing building. The painted timberwork inside the house was stripped back and repainted, and a new Carrara marble fireplace was introduced

Whatever your intentions, it’s also worth remembering that some period dwellings are listed. If this is the case, additional consent will be required. You’ll need to consult the local authority before any works begin, to ensure you comply with the regulations. Over the next few pages I’m looking at a selection of original period features that are worth the time and effort to restore to their former glory.