Living,Historical,Buildings,Wa homerepair how to Living in Historical Buildings: 4 Ways to Stay Ahead of the

This year when you go up into the attic to get the Christmas decorations take a look around the attic to see if there is any frost on the roof ceiling or rafters. If there is then you have a moisture problem that should be taken care of. Moi Elegance and style are mostly the factors why timber flooring is well-liked to home builders. Aside from that, timber flooring is one of the most gorgeous and long-lasting flooring options that any homeowner could make. It's going to add val

Living in Historical BuildingsLiving in Historical Buildings: 4 Ways to Stay Ahead of The ProblemWhen it comes to contrasts, Europe has seen it all. Wars, plagues, dictatorships, revolutions.. and finally, peace and democracy. But we might not be such great examples of up-standing citizens.I mean, come on, is arresting men for wearing skirts in Italy STILL a thing? Decisions, decisions. People want to move forward, and they want to make sure tradition doesn't get left out. A world-known phenomenon known as 'to eat the cake and have it too'. This is not just about plain ideology. The problem becomes transparent in many practical areas as well. Architecture and city infrastructure in Europe has been a game of Mixed Pickles for decades (that game where you just put random words together to make sentences and being random is the actual rule of the game). What's the deal? There are plenty of historical old buildings, many of them dysfunctional or abandoned. At the same time lots of profit to be made out of the real estate business, more and more newly built glass giants. Then there is the question about aesthetics. Cities like Warsaw and Berlin, that were destroyed in WWII, therefore consist mostly of post-modernistic buildings, are constantly being labelled as 'ugly'. The post-war reality didn't give much room for makeovers, and the communist blocks didn't help either. I mean, unless you were going for one of those 'Which one was mine?' sensations. Aside from the google-image-for-the-tourists side of the problem, someone has to live in those cities too. For instance, in the UK we've got old buildings by the dozen, the ones after the brilliant thought that using wood as your primary construction material may result in a (predictable) fire. These heritage houses, when considering cost and efficiency, are starting to remind more and more about the process of packing your bags when you're moving away. You want to bring all the things you are attached to and nostalgic about, but you are not sure if it's worth the weight. Where the city's noble effort stops, and it always does, the people's collective care should take over.Several issues should be considered with a historical building:DampnessUnless you're a fan of the hug of death, you probably don't want your home to struggle with dampness. Even though it might seem inevitable when it comes to aged constructions, there is a way to deal with this problem and it usually doesn't involve the help of 'damp removal specialists'. Specialists somehow always manage mess things up, and these don't make an exception. Educate yourself first!This is THE golden rule when it comes to old buildings. A close second is to avoid all films concerning ghosts and haunted houses.But really, know your stuff. Take into consideration that the walls need to breathe and study the material. If the building is being renovated, NEVER use cement, tar, cement render, modern acrylic or silicone caulking on a timber frame (it will rot very fast). Do not use modern acrylic or emulsion paints either, they are plastic and they trap moisture, which, guess what, causes dampness. You'd be surprised how often 'specialists' make these mistakes. Then again, if you have any experience with the world's new high known as experts, maybe you won't be. Pest Control Depending on how much someone has been taking care of the building over the years, there is a big chance of pest infestation between those walls. Insects are attracted to dampness, and rodents seem to be anywhere that they can contribute to the 'haunted house' element. To get rid of silverfish, which are the most common pest in older buildings. you might usually require the help of professionals (note, those are different from 'experts'). The problem here is the process is most effective if all the habitants contribute and have their flats treated as well. Otherwise there's a solid chance a percentage of your lovely silverfish population will hide out in those areas and eventually come back and eat your face off. Or, you know, just creep you out. RenovationTruth be told, it's best not to try and get fancy with your old building. They are simple, practical and reluctant to change, much like an actual elderly human. On that note, when it comes to installing any sort of modern services such as satellite dishes, air-conditioning, wires and telephone cables, go about it as discreetly and with respect to the design as possible.Whenever you think something might need replacing, think again. Always consider that the original components are possibly of better quality and suit the construction overall. Repair should always be your number one choice when possible. This is of importance specifically when it comes to windows. New plastic ones do not sit to the layout of historical buildings and when it comes to timber windows, the ones your buildings alreday has are most probably better. It can be especially risky to remove chimney breasts, walls and the low ties of a roof truss. Be very attentive when making structural changes to the construction, as the whole thing might collapse, or what's worse- look tacky. MaintenanceInhabiting a building like this requires care, constantly. Imagine that you are married to the thing, and if you don't perform a simple task when you're supposed to, you are going to end up sleeping on someone else's couch later on. In fact, perhaps your spouse already hassled you about performing similar tasks, cleaning the gutters of leaves in the autumn, for example. Any potential source of water such as pipes, washing machines, shower trays must be checked for leaks. Air bricks and vents need to be kept clear of weeds to prevent condensation. Are you writing this down?The responsibility of carrying out these jobs usually falls to the owner of the building, but if you have found that people with deep pockets aren't always the ones who save the day, you might want to start your own initiative on these matters. If you look around, waiting around for leaders to do things for us hasn't really gotten the world that far. Big picture thinking is needed if you want your building to survive the test of time. Do not sit around and complain, get proactive about the problems and most of all, get educated.In fact, you could adopt this principle in anything you have going on in your life.In conclusion, a summery of the most important tips in the article:- Do not place your trust in experts - Ghosts are not real - Silverfish aren't as cute as their name makes them out to beFor more information, you should check out the UK Energy Efficiency in Historical Buildings from 2010