How to Restore a Period Home - A Renovation Guide
Our house was built in 1901, spanning across the Victorian period and the Edwardian era. We bought it in 2015 and spent over three years on the renovation work, winning Period Living magazine's Best Interior Style award. Since then I've worked with many clients in Georgian homes, Victorian properties and Edwardian houses, helping to transform their homes so that they're practical for modern life while still retaining the period details that make them so special.
The most important thing to do when undertaking a renovation project in a period home is to work with it and be sympathetic to the original era and style of house – that’s what will give it wow factor. Removing period features is a bit like tearing out its soul. Give it a more modern look through furniture and accessories – most styles will work in a period house (Arts & Crafts, Scandi, Mid-century) - but if you’re lucky enough to live in an old house with original features and you’re tempted to rip them out because it will be easier/cheaper/warmer please DON’T DO IT!!! I can't tell you how sad I get when I see people ripping out original Victorian windows or Edwardian front doors, especially if they’re in a conservation area. Grrrr.
Floors
Wood floors
Most Georgian, Edwardian and Victorian homes had wooden floorboards in most of the rooms. Restoring the original floors is a great way of adding character without breaking the bank. Often, they're in good condition and only need sanding and finishing with lacquer or varnish. It’s time consuming but if you’re willing to put the hours in and do the work yourself, it’s cheaper than buying carpet and paying someone to fit it. Read my blog on restoring original floorboards, including my recommendations on the best finishes, here.
Original floorboards painted in Farrow and Ball’s Borrowed Light, Lulworth Blue and Cook’s Blue.
Encaustic Tiles
Encaustic tiled floors were especially popular in the Victorian era. If you’re lucky enough to uncover some in your hallway as part of a Victorian renovation, the chances are that they won’t need much doing to them unless they’ve been mistreated by workmen.
The floor in this 19th century house was covered in all manner of things including patches of cement and a latex type of material when the owners (aka. my mum and dad) moved in. It had been converted from a large, single dwelling to four separate houses and the naughty builders hadn’t taken very good care of the floor so there were also lots of tiles missing. This obviously caused me great distress so my dad scraped off the excess cement and then used LTP Grout and Cement Stain Remover on the rest.
We sourced some replacement tiles from Original Style and they blended in perfectly - it looks amazing! Because the hallway is the first thing you see, restoring this floor has completely transformed the feel of the house.
If you don’t have encaustic tiles but want to create the look of a Victorian style tiled floor, Olde English Tiles have some beautiful traditional designs. We used their Barton tiles in our downstairs toilet.
Fireplaces
The fireplace is usually the focal point of the room in a period home. Quite often, period fireplaces have been replaced with ones that look completely out of place.
eBay and Facebook Marketplace are great places to source original fireplaces. I recently found a surround, insert, hearth and gas fire tray all for £100 on eBay! Reclamation yards are another good place to try. Always make sure that the fireplace you choose is in keeping with the age of the property and that the scale is in proportion with the size of the room. There should be about an 8 - 15cm gap between the edge of the fireplace shelf and the edge of the chimney breast.
It’s possible to use a gas fire with original cast iron inserts, but always check that the ones you’ve chosen are compatible. The gas fire you choose will depend on the type/size of flue you have. Whether you choose to have an open or a gas fire, the flue will need to be lined so always speak to a gas, flue and chimney specialist before you buy. If your budget is stretched, a cheaper solution is to install an original insert and surround (or combination cast iron fireplace) and add pillar candles to create a cosy feel.
In the master bedroom of our Edwardian Terrace project, we sourced a restored cast iron fireplace.
Doors
We’ve a lot to thank the 1960s for, but what they did to period houses isn’t one of them. A lot of original doors were panelled over with flat fibre boards in the ‘60s to create a simpler, streamlined look.
If you’re lucky, the beading will still be intact underneath but sometimes it was removed before the panelling was added.
If your beading is intact and you want to paint the doors, a good sand might be all that’s needed to prep them before priming. They’ll normally need to be sent for dipping and stripping though. We sent ours to local company, Falcon Pine. They added some beading back on while they were there but a keen DIY-er could easily re-bead themselves. You can then decide whether to wax or paint them.
If the original doors have been removed by previous owners, eBay is a great place to find new (old) ones. You need to make sure you’re getting the right size for your door opening although small alterations can be made by a joiner. Otherwise, a company specialising in original doors will have a large stock of different sizes – just expect to pay more than you would on eBay.
Once they’ve been restored, choose doorknobs from the right era. We found Edwardian ones on eBay and we also had rimlocks fitted in the bathrooms.
At my Edwardian Terrace hallway project, we had an original stained glass front door installed and I can’t stress enough what a difference it’s made! We sourced it from Falcon Pine and it had come from a nearby house.
Houses built in Edwardian and Victorian times often have a front porch and it's a good idea to paint it in a colour that coordinates with the front door.
We had some rotten parts of our porch repaired and then we painted the door in Green Smoke, with the porch in Off-White and the decorative parts at the top in Mouse's Back by Farrow and Ball to tie in with the gable. The colours highlight the original architecture of our house beautifully.
Keep the windows!
We’re so lucky that our house still has its original windows - they make such a difference to a period home. A joiner once casually said to me, “When you eventually replace all the windows, it will be a lot warmer.” Well, I spat my tea out in shock and told him in no uncertain terms that I’d rather freeze. Yes, they take a lot of maintenance and yes, the house takes longer to heat up but I grew up in a single-glazed Edwardian house and Oliver lived in a 17th century cottage which was as cold as an igloo. We’re used to it.
Our living room is south-facing and still has its original bay windows so we get so much lovely natural light in here.
If you’re lucky enough to have original wooden casement or sash windows but they’re in a bit of a bad way, rather than replacing them all, it’s cheaper to remove any rotten bits and get new pieces of wood spliced in by a carpenter. Just make sure you keep on top of the painting. Farrow and Ball Exterior Eggshell paint lasts for up to six years and other brands, such as Dulux Weathershield, can last up to 8 years.
If you have single glazing, getting double glazed units added to the original windows could be an option. It’s not cheap though – expect to pay around £5,000 for a bay window. If you don’t have that kind of money to spare, draft-proof strips that blend with the paintwork can be added around the window openings.
Otherwise, buy a thick cardy and slippers.
Cornices, skirtings and picture rails
Original details are so important. Skirting boards in period homes are much deeper than in the average new build. This is because they have high ceilings and the best skirting board size for a room is determined by its ceiling height. The skirtings on our ground floor are a massive 35cm high! They're not usually as high as this in Victorian terraces but still much higher than in a new build.
The window architrave and a section of picture rail in my Victorian terrace living room project had been removed so we got a joiner to add them back.
Little changes make a big difference! Also note that the woodwork is the same colour as the walls here. One of the most common mistakes I see is people automatically painting the woodwork white but painting it the same colour as the walls makes the space feel much bigger.
Quite often, cornices and plaster ceiling roses are damaged during house renovations. If you just need to patch up a section, hire a specialist to take a mould from one of the bits that’s left. If the whole cornice has been damaged/removed, you can either get a mould made from one of the other ones in your house or get a ready-made one in a traditional style.
Radiators
We invested in original cast iron radiators for most of the downstairs rooms plus the bedroom and landing upstairs. We sourced them all from a fantastic local company, Vintage Cast Iron Radiators. They’ve got a massive warehouse full of old radiators and you can choose one for them to restore!
They also supply brand new cast iron ones made from moulds of original radiators. Generally, if it’s bigger, it’s cheaper to buy an old one. The price of the new ones depends on the number of sections so if you’re after a small one, you’re better buying new. The one in our bathroom is brand new and cost around £250.
The great thing about these radiators is that they whack out a lot of heat (great if you’ve got single glazing 😊).
Reuse everything!
Reuse original elements wherever you can to help your home retain its unique character. When we did our kitchen and basement renovations, we had to remove some original cupboards and doors so instead of selling them, we used them to make a utility room bench, peg rail and storage cupboards.
I could harp on about this all day, perhaps even all year. I hope you've found it useful - let me know in the comments.
I’m a Halifax based interior designer and I cover surrounding areas, including Leeds and Manchester. I also provide an online interior design service. If you’re starting work on your own Edwardian, Georgian or Victorian house renovation, I'd love to help! Please get in touch.
