Historic homes are filled with charm, detail, and sometimes… unpleasant surprises. Many older homes contend with a list of overdue or deferred maintenance issues as well as outdated functionality which makes updates necessary. Whether your home has an official historic status or is simply 100+ years old, Normandy is well versed in the unique experience of navigating a historic home remodel or addition.

Successfully remodeling a historic home comes down to several key issues: historic design sensitivity, municipal requirements, and managing unforeseen issues.

Design Consistency

Normandy Remodeling is a collection of trained and skilled professionals who simply love old homes. We love the detail, the history, and the challenges they present. One of the most consistent challenges we face in remodeling is bringing an old home up to modern day standards, while maintaining the character of its vintage roots. Whether this means small details like matching windows or baseboard profiles, or large issues like creating an addition that’s consistent in scale and style with the rest of the home, we understand that design details are what give historic homes their character, and we are fierce protectors of maintaining those unique features that make older homes so special.

Municipal Requirements

Some historic homes have formal designations such as landmark status or historic status, which can impact your options when remodeling. Our depth of experience working with homes 100 – 150 years old and older, means we know how to work with design review boards and historic review committees to ensure that your vision for how your home’s remodel will function, will also meet the requirements that your historic home demands. Normandy has remodeled Victorian homes, Prairie style homes and homes that were originally created by well-respected architects from bygone eras. Our team’s architectural sensitivity means your home addition, new kitchen, or updated primary suite, will look original to the home, both inside and out.

Unforeseen Issues

Perhaps the biggest remodeling fear for people who live in historic homes, is finding out once construction begins that their home has problems they did not budget for or anticipate. While nobody can ever know exactly what we will uncover when we open the walls, our experience with old and historic homes has helped us become pretty good detectives, finding clues to many of the common issues. If you are preparing to remodel your historic home and have concerns about costs that may balloon out of control due to surprises behind your walls, talk with your designer about the ways we can research potential issues before your remodel begins, and ways to build in contingency plans for budgets or design alternatives if you do encounter some unforeseen challenges.

There are so many wonderful aspects of living in and remodeling a historic home, and with the right approach and preparation, you can update your home to meet today’s standards of living – as well as today’s safety standards – while still staying true to the integrity of your home’s original design intention.