Founded in the mid-1840s, Kokomo, IN, is home to many historic properties, which is fitting for a town known as the “City of Firsts.” While older homes are beautiful and show the evolution of Indiana’s vibrant culture, they also come with a lot of upkeep, which can be difficult for those who seek to protect their property’s authenticity.
There’s no need to completely renovate a home and thus take away its originality; instead, consider some smaller projects that will honor your house’s past while ensuring it remains long into the future.
Kitchen Renovation
A kitchen renovation is a great way to bring an older home back up to speed without changing its floorplan or overall aesthetic. Thoughtful touches like new appliances, new lighting, and a backsplash can help maintain its feel while offering new functionality, all without breaking the bank.
Focus on those things that you use most often, such as the fridge, sink, and oven, but take care not to remove the original architectural flourishes. If your cabinets are damaged, you may find it helpful to find a craftsman in the area familiar with cabinets of that style who can replace them with near-identical versions, ensuring that your home is safe but still stylish.
New Entry Door
One of the most beautiful elements of many older Midwestern homes, particularly those in the interwar period, is their ornate and fantastical front doors. These often come in unique shapes or sizes that simply are not made anymore. However, like every other home element, these begin to break down over time, sometimes leaving the entryway non-functional due to the door sticking.
You can bring up the home’s value and functionality by searching “entry door near me” and finding a door company with a catalog of styles that represent the feeling you’re looking for. These custom door installers will work with you to get the exact right fit, using energy-efficient materials and strong weather sealing that will lower your heating bill, too. Familiar with all types of door options, the professionals at these companies can advise you on what will look best while still offering the most seamless entry experience.
Hardwood Floor Refinishing
You may be surprised to find out that under your decade-old carpet, a hardwood floor could be lurking, just waiting to be discovered. In other cases, your hardwood floors have seen better days, making your property look worn down and tired. While hardwood flooring is an incredibly robust building element, it also sees heavy use; years of spills, stains, and scuffs can really do a number on your floors.
Hardwood floor refinishing can add a brand-new sparkle to your home while still respecting its original elements. A skilled hardwood flooring expert can identify panels that will need to be replaced and find exact matches so that it appears as if everything is of the same vintage; they’ll all strip the varnish and repair it with a new protective covering that will last for decades.
Wallpaper Removal
Wallpaper used to be a sign of luxury; it was so expensive that people could only afford to wallpaper the inside of cabinets or cupboards, though changing technology made it a more widespread luxury. However, peeling wallpaper now makes a home look dated rather than dashing, and it’s often easier to simply remove it. Thankfully, you can use stencils and spray paint to recreate a beautiful wallpaper pattern on top of a simple coat of paint, helping to add a touch of old-world charm to your Kokomo home.
Power Washing
Sometimes, all your home needs is a nice deep clean, particularly the exterior. Old siding or brick builds up moss and dirt over the years, especially thanks to Kokomo’s hard winters, and this can make even the nicest homes seem dingier than they really are.
Thankfully, a good power wash can take care of this. You would be truly amazed at the difference that a good wash can make on brick, siding, decks, and railing; it can take years of detritus off in just a few hours.
You can perform this yourself, but it’s often best to leave it to the professionals, who will be able to take care of this with the utmost professionalism. As a power washer uses extremely high-pressure water, it can be dangerous if you do not know how to handle the nozzle and accidentally spray yourself or someone else. There’s also the fact that different materials need different settings; for example, brick cannot handle pressure above 800 PSI because otherwise it will crack. Wood can take a much higher PSI, as can siding.
Balance Functionality With Historicity
Working with a historic home in Kokomo or elsewhere can be difficult, as you want to retain its charm while still ensuring that it is safe and functional. However, thoughtful inclusions of new materials can make a huge difference in your comfort, and they can also keep the home’s property value high. With care and research, you’ll help pull an older Kokomo home into the 21st century without taking away any of its beauty.
