A Few Words on Restoring Historic Homes in Ely

In many parts of the world there are very few historic or heritage homes. Much of the construction is newer and restoration of these homes doesn’t take a specialist service to give that home what amounts to a face lift. In the UK, however, many homes are centuries old and the process for restoring them to their former glory takes an extra level of expertise rooted in tradition.

Many of the historic homes throughout Cambridgeshire were built in an age when architecture and construction was as much an art as it was a science. In fact, not all homes from past eras were country estates. Many were smaller homes in cities like Ely that are now in need of proper restoration. As a homeowner, you shouldn’t take this lightly.

Be Selective in Contractors

Many of today’s builders and contractors have limited knowledge of construction dating back any further than the previous century. Although they are licenced and have all the credentials necessary to do business within their field, it doesn’t mean they have a knowledge of how homes were constructed in days gone by. For this reason, and often this reason alone, it may take a bit of searching to find a contractor or builder who has the knowledge and expertise to do a proper job. For a historic or heritage house, nothing less is acceptable. For example, if your home has timber sash windows, check out this link to see exactly what this window expert has to offer: https://www.timbawood.co.uk/our-windows/sash-windows/.

A Word About Permissions

Some restoration and/or renovation projects will require special planning permissions prior to the onset of any work contracted. A good contractor can help you apply for those permissions at the time of agreeing on a contract. However, as a property owner, it will fall on you to ensure you have applied for and received the required permissions prior to the commencement of work. For historic homes in Ely, for example, those permissions are even more important because of the great pride the County Council takes in a long history of architecturally beautiful homes and estates.

When Cost Is a Factor

One of the reasons so many homeowners opt for using workmen and contractors who aren’t experts in heritage restoration is cost. In a case like this, the old saying holds true: you get what you pay for. It is understandable that there may be times when the economy is on a downturn and money is tight. Here, you have two choices. If the restoration is necessary to preserve the structure of the home, you might qualify for a home improvement loan. On the other hand, if it is something that is merely cosmetic, perhaps you could wait a bit until you have a suitable down payment and only finance the rest.

The point in all this is that historic and listed homes need to be treated with higher levels of care. Unless the integrity of the home is in peril, it is better to wait until you can contract the appropriate tradesmen. In fact, you might even find that planning permissions on listed homes might be withheld unless you can authenticate the proficiency of the contractor. Keep all this in mind as you begin planning that restoration.