The charms of an older house make many people unwilling to move to a newer house. However, with this charm comes older components that can break down and cause homeowners problems. If you live in an older home, you need to make upgrades occasionally to bring the house into the 21st century. That way, you can enjoy living in a modernized house that still retains the charm and distinction that its age gives it. If you are looking to upgrade your home, here is a look at seven ways to modernize an older house.
- Upgrade the Lighting
One of the most dated parts of many older houses is the lighting. Lighting technology has made tremendous strides in the last few decades. One of the best way to modernize an older house is to install new lighting fixtures with LED bulbs. Not only will this make your home look better, but you will save tons of money on your electric bills when you use LED bulbs to light your home.
- Change the Flooring
Flooring is another aspect of most older homes that could use an upgrade. Floors suffer more abuse than any other component of a home over the years. If your carpet is worn, get some plush new carpet installed. Alternatively, you may want to consider installing laminate flooring, which is beautiful and inexpensive.
- Install New Doors
Older homes often come with boring doors. There is no need to look at these boring doors anymore when there are so many wonderful new styles of doors you can install. Think about getting glass front doors to make the entrance of your home come alive. Sliding doors are another good option.
- Upgrade the Bathroom
The bathrooms in older homes are often hopelessly outdated. If your older home has a boring tub and ancient sinks, you should change these out for modern updates as soon as possible. Dual sinks are a great option for couples. A steam shower is a wonderful addition to any bathroom. It lets you shower in comfort, and it will save you loads of money on your water bills as well.
- Open up the Kitchen
One of the major complaints homeowners have about older homes is that they have such cramped kitchens. The comfort of housewives was not a concern for architects in the past. Fortunately, it is easy to open up space in a kitchen. You can widen doorways and remove a wall to modernize your kitchen so it looks like it belongs in the 21st century.
- Install a Tankless Water Heater
Lots of older homes have water heaters that do not provide enough hot water for modern families. If you are constantly running out of hot water in your household, then you should install a tankless water heater. Tankless water heaters heat the hot water on-demand. This means that you will never run out of hot water, and it also means you won’t waste energy heating water when it is not needed.
- Upgrade the Walls
One of the least attractive components of many older houses is the hideous wallpaper that seemed to be all the rage throughout much of the 20th century. If you are sick of looking at ugly wallpaper, rip it off the walls. You can replace it with a modern pattern or repaint the walls instead. Check with a wall decal factory for new and updated styles of wall papers. You may even discover that there is beautiful brickwork lying behind that ugly old wallpaper on your walls.
There really is no end to the ways that you can upgrade your old house. The only limit is your imagination. These seven tips are a great place to start. However, you don’t have to do all these upgrades at once. Simply start with the most urgent upgrade that is needed in your home. You can make changes gradually over the span of a few years to turn your old house into a modernized place you can be proud to call home.