Doing routine maintenance on your historic home is extremely important as it can determine how long the structure will be standing for, as well as its value. 

This article will walk you through some vital tips for keeping your old home in great condition so you can truly enjoy your house while also respecting it in all of its historic glory. 

Tips for Interior Care

To keep the interior of your historic house in the best condition possible, you should focus on a few different features of the home. This includes the windows, exterior-facing doors, insulation, and the fireplace.

Windows

Windows in historic homes are typically far less efficient at keeping out heat and cold from the outside world. This is mainly due to the fact that over time, the wood has transformed in shape.

Thus, you should properly seal up any gaps that exist around the windows. During the winter months, consider covering them with plastic.

Doors

Similarly to windows in an old home, doors are not sealed as well as they are in new houses due to time warping the wood. You can easily put a weather strip in front of the exterior-facing doors of your house to keep the elements from getting inside.

Insulation

The insulation of the past was not as well-made as the current type utilized. Thus, you can greatly improve how well your home keeps the heat inside by replacing the existing insulation.

Fireplace

In any house, for safety reasons alone, maintaining the fireplace is absolutely necessary. If your chimney has too much soot and creosote buildup in it, it can result in a deadly chimney fire.

This can be even more of an issue in older homes, since the fireplace has had more fires in it than newer homes, which makes more chances for buildup.

Tips for Exterior Care

Use the tips below to help you maintain the exterior of your historic home. Keeping everything in good condition can greatly reduce future repair costs.

Foundation

You should make it a habit to routinely check your historic home’s foundation for cracks. If you do find a crack, make sure you monitor it to see if it is getting larger.

You can use something to mark the current position of the crack, such as a piece of chalk. This way, you can easily check whether it is growing.

Siding

Examining your siding for damage is a good idea so you can correct issues soon after they appear. You can also repaint and seal your siding every couple of years to prevent any issues from popping up down the road.

Roof

You should examine your old house’s roof at least annually, especially after the harsh winter months as ice can really wreak havoc on the shingles. If you find any damaged shingles, get them replaced as soon as possible.

Make sure to also check out your chimney while you are on the roof.

Lawn Care

Keeping your lawn maintained is important for preventing water from reaching your house. Also, having plants growing out of control right next to the foundation, especially ones with long roots such as trees, can result in damage to your house.