What You Need to Know about Restoring a Victorian Home

Restoring a Victorian home can be a seemingly endless undertaking, both physically and financially. However, once your project is complete, you’ll not only have a beautiful home, but you’ll also have contributed to a historic preservation project in New England. While it’s best to hire a licensed architect to help plan your restoration, there are some tips you can follow if you prefer to do the work yourself.

While historic preservation in New England is quite common, Victorian homes can be found in most of the older areas near towns and cities in the U.S. Before you begin your restoration project it’s best to determine what permits are required, if any, as well as guidelines from the National Park Service if you want your home to be included in the National Register of Historic Places.

Your initial restoration plan should focus on any items that are in need of immediate repair. Some of these items may include plumbing or electrical issues, replacing loose roofing materials or replacing windows. Essentially, the idea is to mitigate further problems by tackling items that may lead to larger issues if not taken care of immediately.

Once you’ve solved immediate maintenance issues, you can move your focus to the overall design and appeal of your Victorian home. You should define budgets for both the exterior and interior improvements. Working within those budgets, listing what you wish to accomplish and working on your projects one at a time is very important. Bear in mind that historic homes can have many unseen cost factors when making major changes. If you require an addition to increase square footage, you should consult with an experienced firm, such as TMS Architects.

Finally, have fun with researching design styles to find unique materials and suggestions for your restoration project. Whether you’re choosing tiles or light fixtures, finding period pieces for your Victorian home can add intrinsic value and be combined with modern elements for a unique design style.

TMS Architects are experienced in historic preservation in New England. We invite you to browse our portfolio and contact us about your restoration today.