Renovating a heritage home in Adelaide is not for the faint-hearted, but when done well it can transform the property and give such a rewarding result
Adelaide is a city renowned for its heritage homes, many of which have been extended and renovated to enhance historic character with the seamless inclusion of modern spaces and functionality.
Take a stroll around suburbs such as North Adelaide, Prospect, Collinswood, St Peters and Sefton Park, and you’ll see plenty of Victorian, Edwardian or Queen Anne architecture, some expertly preserved and luxuriously renovated and others ready to be.
If you are thinking of buying a heritage home in Adelaide to renovate, it pays to thoroughly plan the process to ensure the result is legally compliant, historically accurate and done with respect for the home’s original character. Things to consider include:
Local Regulations and Restrictions
Before you start, speak to your local council about potential laws and regulations that restrict what changes can be made to heritage homes. There might be preservation and conservation guidelines and/or strict regulations that govern what you can and can’t do, so get clarity around that from the outset.
Professional Building Inspection
Also a crucial first step, be sure to obtain a thorough building inspection from a professional who is experienced in heritage home construction. From the foundations to things like original chimneys, ceilings and floorboards, you need to know the extent of any repairs and maintenance that need to be done early in the piece.
Tradespeople
When renovating a heritage home, you need tradespeople who understand the unique characteristics (and challenges) that accompany historic architecture and construction. Be sure to engage consultants and tradespeople who have experience working with heritage homes.
Preservation
The exquisite features of yesteryear are what make heritage homes so special. The decorative ceilings and cornices, solid timber floors and doors, intricate fretwork, stained glass and leadlight windows and those utterly romantic fireplaces are the features which give heritage homes their historic charm, so you want to restore, preserve or replace them not just with care but with historical accuracy.
Materials
When renovating heritage homes, the materials you source need to reflect the materials used in the era that the home was built. That might be solid timbers such as oak, teak, rosewood or Baltic pine, and stone such as bluestone, sandstone or limestone. In bygone eras interior walls were made of solid plaster not plasterboard, so you may need an experienced plasterer in your tradie team.
Modern Updates
Where the laws and regulations allow the inclusion of modern updates, they should be done in a way that is respectful of the home’s original character with a transition between old and new that is seamless and sympathetic. For example, an open plan extension might feature doors and windows with the same architectural style as the rest of the house but be double glazed for energy efficiency and comfort.
While renovating a heritage home in Adelaide can be slow, challenging and painstaking, it can also be a remarkably rewarding project. When it’s done well, a renovated heritage home is a truly unique and special place to call home.
At Boffo, our real estate agents in North Adelaide, St Peters, Sefton Park and many other Adelaide suburbs are selling heritage homes ready to reno. If you’re looking for an older home to renovate, let our enthusiastic team help you find it!
Give us a call or pop in and say hi… we just might have the perfect reno-ready heritage home waiting in the wings or listed as an off-market sale.
