Buying an older property can be a fantastic opportunity. Whether you’re creating your forever home, taking on a renovation project or preparing a property to rent, older homes often come with character, space and plenty of potential.
However, it’s easy to get carried away thinking about new kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and decorating before checking what’s happening behind the scenes.
Before spending money on the finishing touches, there are several areas worth investigating first. Finding problems early can help you plan your renovation properly and avoid having to undo newly completed work later.
1. Look for Signs of Damp
Damp is one of the first things we’d recommend looking for in an older property.
Watch for signs such as:
- Discoloured or stained walls
- Peeling or bubbling paint
- Crumbling plaster
- Mould growth
- Musty smells
- Damp around chimney breasts
Most importantly, don’t simply cover the affected area. Damp can originate from leaking gutters, damaged render, defective pointing, chimneys, plumbing or other external defects.
Find the source first, then repair the damage.
2. Check the Roof & Chimneys
You don’t necessarily need to see water pouring through the ceiling for a roof to require attention.
Older properties may have slipped or damaged tiles, deteriorating flashing, failing flat roofs or chimney stacks requiring maintenance.
Water staining in loft spaces can also provide clues that there’s been previous water ingress.
Addressing roof defects before starting internal refurbishment could save you from repairing a newly decorated ceiling later.
3. Inspect Gutters, Downpipes & Drainage
Guttering might not be the most exciting part of a renovation, but it’s extremely important.
Blocked, cracked or poorly positioned guttering can allow rainwater to repeatedly run down external walls. Over time, this can contribute to penetrating damp, damaged render and deterioration of the building fabric.
Check that gutters are clear, downpipes aren’t blocked and rainwater is being directed away from the property correctly.
4. Investigate Cracks & Damaged Plaster
Cracks are common in older properties and many are simply cosmetic. However, cracks that are particularly wide, repeatedly return or appear alongside other signs of movement deserve further investigation.
You should also look for blown, loose or crumbling plaster.
Rather than simply filling everything and decorating over it, determine whether there’s an underlying problem first.
5. Understand the Plumbing & Electrics
Before installing a beautiful new kitchen or bathroom, it’s worth understanding the condition of the services behind them.
Older properties may have plumbing or electrical installations that have been altered numerous times over the years.
Where necessary, have the systems professionally assessed before refurbishment begins. It’s far easier to make improvements while walls, floors and ceilings are already being worked on than after everything has been decorated.
6. Check Insulation & Ventilation
An older home may look fantastic after renovation but still be uncomfortable and expensive to heat if insulation and ventilation haven’t been considered.
Check areas such as the loft and roof space and consider whether insulation needs upgrading.
Ventilation is equally important, particularly in bathrooms, kitchens and other moisture-producing areas. The objective is a home that’s not only warmer but also able to manage moisture effectively.
7. Look Closely at Previous Repairs & DIY Work
One of the biggest surprises when renovating an older property can be discovering what’s underneath previous work.
We’ve seen plenty of examples where something looks perfectly acceptable on the surface, but removing it reveals inappropriate materials, poorly completed repairs or problems that have simply been covered up.
Previous DIY work isn’t automatically bad, but don’t assume that because something looks finished, it was necessarily done correctly.
Get the Basics Right Before the Finishing Touches
It’s understandable to want to start with the exciting parts of a renovation, but we’d recommend getting the property dry, safe, structurally sound and properly prepared first.
A sensible order is generally:
Investigate → Repair → Prepare → Improve → Decorate
Spending money on beautiful finishes before resolving underlying defects can mean paying twice when those finishes eventually need removing to access the original problem.
Final Thoughts
Older properties can make fantastic homes, but successful renovations are about much more than choosing colours, kitchens and flooring.
Take the time to understand the building first.
Identifying damp, roof defects, drainage problems, damaged surfaces and outdated services at the beginning gives you a much clearer picture of what needs doing and allows you to prioritise your budget accordingly.
And once the fundamentals are right, you can concentrate on transforming the property knowing that the work underneath is just as good as the finish you can see.
Planning to renovate an older property? One Solution can help with repairs, maintenance and refurbishment works, managing everything from those essential first repairs through to the final finishing touches.
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