When it comes to home renovations and remodeling, historic preservation takes an entirely different type of knowledge, skills, and talent. In a standard remodel and renovation, a contractor is guided by the limitations of space and existing structures. But with historical renovation, there can be issues such as historical preservation society approvals, trying to find rare materials, or having specialty milled woodwork. If you are in the process of finding a historical restoration company in Charleston, these are four musts to look for!
Experience
The top factor that you want to look for in a historical renovation company is experience. The longer that someone has been in the industry, the more knowledge they have about rules, regulations, rare materials, and the process to get things approved. Historical renovations take a good bit of training and skill, but above all, they take a lot of trial and error to learn to navigate.
Attention to Detail
When it comes to historical renovations, it is all in the fine details. Often it is much cheaper and easier to tear out things and start new with remodeling, but that is not what you want with a historical renovation. The little details mean the most in a historic home. Where most contractors see headaches and overhead is where historical renovators see the uniqueness and a reason to preserve. A historical renovation company will look at every situation with the intent to save, especially the little things that often get overlooked or thrown away.
Construction Knowledge
A home restoration does take a good bit of experience, but it also takes a lot of knowledge. Learning how to retrofit things to make old things new again takes skill and training in the building industry. You have to really understand both current training and skill, as well as an understanding of how previous generations built things. The two are very different, and the only way to make them fit together is to know how it all works.
A Willingness to Go Above and Beyond
It is much simpler to find new products to replace the old ones, but that is not what you want in a historic renovation company. You want to find a company that will go above and beyond to maintain the integrity of a home. That might mean doing the legwork to find a specialty millwork company or going to a salvage yard to find materials that are no longer made. It also means a lot more time and attention paid throughout the entire renovation process. Find someone who is as enthusiastic about your historical home as you are to ensure that they will do what they can to make it as wonderful as it can be.
Historic renovations differ greatly from standard remodels and renovations. Before you hire a contractor to bring your treasure back to life, make sure that they have the experience, skills, training, and respect for old homes that it takes to meld old construction with modern-day to make a home that you will cherish forever. At O’Connor Homes, we are the leading historic renovation company in Charleston because we not only love what we do; we are the best at it. Contact us to talk about your historic renovation project and let’s get started today!