How to restore the ancestral family house through modern styling?
Photo by Chris Erdman on Unsplash
An ancestral house is an essential asset for the family, as it has been home to families from generation to generation. Some might even consider it their most prized possession, which is justifiable as most ancestral houses are built with the families’ riches and achievements.
As magnificent as these ancestral houses are, all of them were built many years ago. Some traditional houses are even as old as your living grandmothers or grandfathers. No matter how these houses were constructed with world-class materials from years before, everything withers away with time. It’s a fact that none of us can do anything about it, so as time passes by, we learn to adapt.
Some ancestral houses are already abandoned. Maybe because the families who once owned these houses are not on earth anymore, although another reason could be is because since it has been passed down to so many generations already, the living family doesn’t have any of the legal requirements needed to claim the house, or simply they don’t want anything to do with the property since it is beyond saving, unless they are willing to spend millions for it.
As seldom as those who would want to spend millions on a family ‘leftover’, some are still willing to salvage the property so the family can make use of it for personal or business uses. Sometimes those who want to save the property wish to maintain the structure of the house but remodel it in a way that will adapt to the taste of the current generation. For instance, modern-style homes are trendy nowadays because they exude features that never go out of style because of their minimalistic designs.
If you are one of them, who is looking into remodeling the ancestral house with modern styling, then you’ve come to the right place! Here are ways you can redo the property with modern styling:
Strengthen the foundation
It would help if you made sure that the house’s foundation is still strong before you start remodeling the property. Some of the worn-out foundation signs are uneven floors inside the house, exterior cracks, window and door frame separation from the bricks, cracked tiles, rotten wood, and crooked or damaged walls. When more than one of these signs is visible with the house, then it most likely means you need to strengthen the foundation and fix whatever there is to improve with it. Having an excavator is helpful for foundation remodeling.
Excavators are incredible equipment that can be used for many purposes, such as drilling, digging, and trenching, which are processes that can help in repairing and strengthening a damaged foundation.
Retouch the exterior and interior painting
Repainting is one of the most effective ways to change the overall look, regardless of what type of house it is. It’s apparent that most ancestral homes have old, chipped paints all over. You can start remodeling it by repainting the exterior and interior.
Here are some tips for choosing the right paint color:
Popular exterior house colors today
Classic gray, farmhouse white and brown combinations, dark blue shades, and dark colors with black combinations. These neutral colors are versatile and will give your ancestral house timeless beauty.
Living room
If you want not loud colors, you can go with charcoal, crisp white, beige, sage green, pale blue-gray, cream, and light gray palettes. If you want to see some splashes of colors in your living room, you can go with lime yellow, mint green, white, and ocean blue combinations, marigold, and pastel colors.
Kitchen
Complementary colors like mint green and brown, cream and brown, and cream and black are some of the color combinations you can choose from for your kitchen.
Repair and update switches and light fixtures
Most old houses have broken, old switches, especially the lights. You can upgrade the switches and light fixtures by changing old switches to smart switches.
If you have a house as big as an ancestral house, having smart appliances can help you live conveniently. Most smart light fixtures also offer security features ideal for homes with larger spaces, like a smart light with motion sensors and alarms.
Change wooden doors and windows to glass
Most ancestral houses have large wooden doors and windows. One way to change the exterior and interior at the same time is by switching to glass doors and windows to complete the modern look. A significant advantage of having glass doors and windows is they will let in as much natural light as they can inside the house, brightening the whole home in the process.
Replace outdated furniture
If you are going to use an old house, you might as well get new furniture.
Replacing outdated furniture will immediately change the ambiance of the house’s interior. A neutral-colored sofa with bright color accents will give a refreshing vibe inside the house.
Conclusion
There are more ways you can restore an ancestral house with modern styling. We have provided the basics so you will know where to start with the restoration.
Restoring an ancestral house that has existed for years can be pricey, so you have to be smart with your decisions to avoid wasting money on something not worth the investment.
Before you decide to restore an old ancestral house, consult experts first to know if it will be worth the investment or if you will throw away money for something that’s not worth saving anymore. Of course, who wouldn’t want to keep the family gem passed down to generations after generations? If you’re going to continue the legacy no matter how risky and pricey it is, make sure there are people with you who can guide you with the restoration process.