Victorian houses are historical icons and require a specific degree of maintenance to preserve the home's period style and function. Like any other home, regular maintenance will help increase the value of the house. Renovating and maintaining a Victorian home to preserve its original character can be time-consuming and may very quickly eat away at your budget. Since finding and replacing traditional accessories can be a hassle, keeping original accessories in good condition is imperative. Beyond cosmetic repairs, however, Victorian homes often require a good deal of maintenance for safety reasons. An old, historic home is subject to many structural and internal problems that may require sustained attention. Below are the easy tips for identifying problem areas and properly maintaining a Victorian house.
The key areas that need maintenance in a Victorian house are as follows.
ROOFING
As one of the essential parts of your home, the roof of your Victorian may be a serious concern and may require maintenance or complete replacement. Original slate roofing was popular during the late 1800s and early 1900s. These roofs combined slate and tiles with iron nails. This can be a problem over time when the iron nails corrode and split the slates and tiles. Slate is weather-resistant; however, if the slate or tiles split and become loose, they can detach and require significant maintenance.
PIPES
The service pipes that brought water into the home were initially made out of lead to resist corrosion. Nowadays, of course, this is well known to be hazardous to health and should be addressed. Lead pipes can also quickly develop leaks from abrasion and age. You should know what kind of lines are running beneath and into your home and replace any lead pipes. Depending on the extent of piping, this can be an expensive maintenance job.
FOUNDATION
Many Victorian homes were built very low to the ground and used beach sand in the cement. A low foundation combined with the salt from the sand within the concrete can cause numerous problems, from erosion of the concrete to termites and water damage in the foundation. Depending on how well the home was built and preserved, the foundation may require little to no maintenance. Having the structure assessed professionally will be the best way to determine the safety and level of keeping the house needs.
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