If you have or looking to buy an old house, you must be wondering, is it worth remodeling an old home? After all, you don’t want to waste money on a dodo.

According to home remodeling architects, remodeling an older house can be worth it, when done right. To help you out, here are the tips to consider:

Know the house’s history

If you are looking to buy the house, don’t go at it blindly—ensure that you know its history. After all, you don’t want to buy a house, then find out it’s constructed on riparian land. Since nature never forgets, this can be catastrophic.

A good way to understand the house better is to look at the old maps from your local historical society. You can also look back at the real estate listings of the older properties in the area.

If there are older occupants in the neighborhood, ask them about the house.

Even if the house is selling dirt-cheap and you are sure that you can turn it around, don’t make the purchase if you don’t know its back story.

Avoid adding another room.

It can be tempting when you are renovating the house to add another room. While it can be a good move, it often interferes with the look of the main house.

The reason for this is you will be building a new house next to an old one. While you might ensure that the details and finishes match the rest of the house, it will always stick out, and if it doesn’t look good, it will always be a bother to you.

You should always avoid adding another room to the house unless it’s necessary. Always prioritize working with what you already have, then look outside if the space isn’t enough for you.

Don’t renovate the house by yourself.

With everyone recommending DIY projects and with the never-ending supply of YouTube tutorials, it’s easy to try and handle the house renovation project yourself.

While you will learn a thing or two from the project, chances are you will make mistakes that will be costlier than hiring a contractor.

Obviously, when you are handling a complex project such as bringing down a wall, it’s recommended that you hire a professional, but when you are dealing with older houses, even the simple projects can end up being catastrophic.

For example, it’s easy to replace a faulty faucet in a new, modern house but a completely different game when dealing with an older house.

With an older house, the faucet and knob cutouts are of different dimensions from the modern faucet assemblies, so you would have to find salvage pieces or custom make the faucets. And you can’t do all of these as a DIY, can you?

Even a simple task such as removing the old paint can be an issue as the paint can be containing lead, which increases your chances of suffering from cancer.

To be on the safe side, regardless of how minor the task looks, let it be handled by experienced architect builders Washington DC.

When hiring professionals, don’t simply look at their experience—ensure that the experience is relevant. This means that they should have renovated a similar older house.

If you have a large house, chances are the project will go on for weeks or even months. The last thing you want is to be stuck with a contractor with a horrible personality.

During the interview stages, don’t only focus on the contractor’s capabilities to pull off a great project. Also, consider the contractor’s personality.