It's easy to see why you fell in love with that older home that you purchased. From the beautiful moulding to the old world architecture it's a gem of a home that was warm and inviting as if it were the living embodiment of a100 years of family memories. but now that home just doesn't seem to be as warm. It's grown cramped and it feels like you're outgrowing it. When this happens it may be time for a little home improvement to open those arms back up.
Older homes can have pretty cramped floor plans that feel comfortable at first but once you settle they can grow to be inconvenient - especially when you need to bring in modern furniture that's large. Likewise, as your family grows a tightly-planned home can make maneuvering around one another a bit difficult. You're not stuck with that floor plan. Some homeowners think it's difficult to renovate an old home to improve the layout but it's actually affordable and easy to do. It's certainly a sound investment in the home.
With this sort of home improvement project you may have to tear down a wall or two. If this is the case you may want to skip doing the work on your own and instead work with a general contractor. They can give you an idea of the cost of the project as well as whether or not it's a good to alter the structure of your home (and where it's safe to do so). In some cases you may not be able to alter certain areas because of load bearing walls.
Above all else the load bearing walls can create the biggest problem when it comes to older home improvement. Thankfully they're not impassable walls and with a little creativity and the help of a general contractor you can find creative ways to work around these required structural pieces. Some alternatives include partial walls (opening up doorways), adding large French doors or taking walls down to simple large decorative pillars in more open rooms.
Once the load bearing walls are dealt with, the other walls in the home can be modified and adjusted to give you a new look and feel in your home. Often these homes had dining rooms that were closed off on their own, connected to a great room and entry way that led to the other rooms and halls. Some older homes had a large central foyer that connected to a number of adjacent rooms. In these cases you can create half-walls interior "window" space to open rooms up without actually removing walls.
In some cases though it's better to remove sections of wall to enhance space, such as linking a great room to a dining room area that's not used in order to create more breathing room and maneuverability in your room. Having a more open floorplan can also give you additional choices for flooring as some materials simply don't do well in a confined space. With a larger and more open floor plan however you can invest in some quality hardwood flooring - another home improvement project that will add a great deal more value to your home.
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