When to Consider Restoration in an Older Home
You may be considering restoration if a key feature of your home has been lost or damaged, or if an addition or alteration is causing problems and needs to be removed or changed.
Going back in time
Restoration is defined as returning a building or part of a building to the way it looked at a previous point in its life.
If your home's design is of a single coherent period and some known key building element is missing or damaged, restoring it could enhance its significance.
However, restoration itself isn’t always the right step to take. Older buildings often undergo centuries of change and adaptation and this can be what makes them so special. Returning a building to some earlier single period may lose some of its character.
Reinstating lost features
While some elements that are important to a building’s design, such as windows or balustrades, may have been lost in the past, you shouldn't recreate these features simply because houses like yours often had them, or just because they were common of the period.
Restoration needs to be based on strong evidence that your home did indeed look like that in an earlier period. This may require some research into the history of your house.
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Trace Your Home's Architectural History
Find out how to trace the architectural history of your house.
Get the help, advice and permissions you need
In the case of listed buildings, listed building consent is very likely to be required for restoration work.
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Check what permissions you may need
If you want to restore a former feature of your home you may need permission and should seek advice, especially if your home is listed or in a conservation area.
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Listed Building Consent - Historic England Advice Note 16
Find out how to judge whether your planned works are likely to need consent and, if they are, how to make a successful application.
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Who do I contact?
This page describes the key points of contact and sources of advice if you are thinking of making changes to your home.
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Where to find specialist help
If you are employing a contractor or a professional adviser, they will need the expertise and experience of working with old buildings. This page will help you find and choose professionals with the skills you need.
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