Have you fantasized about purchasing a run-down Colonial and transforming it into a home worthy of gracing the pages of Country Living? For many, restoring an old house is a life-long dream: the ultimate do-it-yourself project. Yet, without the proper education and assistance, such a dream could easily turn into a nightmare.

Defining the Terms

Before rushing out in search of the perfect fix-it-upper, you need to define the following three terms: old, restore and do-it-yourselfer.

Old

When you talk about restoring an old house, are you referring to a home built in the 1800s or one that is semi-new, built in the 1970s? The age of a home certainly has an impact on the expense; the necessity of renovating such systems as heating, ventilating and plumbing; and such details as interior décor.

Experts note that the real challenges when restoring an old home are not lead or asbestos, but rather structural, insulation and wiring problems.

Nancy Fitz-Rapalje from Alstead, N.H., is a woman with a great deal of experience in restoring homes. She has restored a Connecticut house built in 1710 and a 1840s house that had not been lived in since 1960. Most recently, she built a copy of a 1814 shop modeled on one she saw in the Deerfield Museum in Massachusetts.

Restoring homes from these periods, says Fitz-Rapalje, differs drastically from working on a newer home. “On the newer ones, you probably won’t have to do much, maybe fix the windows.”

Nick Kanakis, a foreman at Trumbull-Nelson with 27 years experience in remodeling says, “Building techniques from the early 1960s on really haven’t changed much. We’re still using western platform framing across the United States.” Platform framing involves building one story independently, then another story on top of it. In older forms of framing, such as balloon framing, long continuous “studs” that run the length of the two floors were used. Very old homes often relied on timber frame construction in which wooden pegs held together interlocking joints joining huge timbers.

Because building techniques have not varied much in the past 40 years, restoring a newer home may not hold many surprises. You may want to correct some problems in the original design, but most of the renovations you choose to make may simply be a matter of taste. “If a house was built in the 1960s or 1970s, it probably has a terrible kitchen and bathroom,” says Fitz-Rapalje. Renovations might include replacing an avocado refrigerator or orange shag rug.

Restore

You’ve purchased an old home and want to restore it, but what exactly do you mean by restore? Do you want to return the house to its original glory using authentic materials, or do you merely want to capture the ambience of the period?

Most people do not have the resources necessary to undertake historic preservation using authentic materials. “It’s incredibly expensive,” says Fitz-Rapalje. “They don’t make moldings today that are anything like the old moldings. You have to have them all milled. If you do this everywhere on everything, it starts to add up.”

Kanakis agrees. “Unless you have deep pockets, historic restoration for a homeowner is nearly impossible.” Yet, if restoring an old house to you means achieving the essence of the period using modern materials, then it’s possible that your dream is within your budget.

If you are thinking of replicating rather than restoring an old house, you might want to reconsider. The characteristics that define older homes — high ceilings, wooden floors, period moldings — frequently require extra labor and expensive materials, adding to the overall cost. Even if hidden expenses make a restoration more costly than expected, some people, like Fitz-Rapalje, would choose nothing else. “I love old things,” she says, “I think they are much more beautiful than new things. The proportions tend to be right; the window placement is excellent.”

One thing you should not do, Fitz-Rapalje cautions, is take an old house and completely modernize it. “If you go too far and put in modern windows, change their size and placement, put in granite counters and all that stuff, you should have built a new house,” she says.

Do-It-Yourselfer

You say restoring an old home on your own is something you’ve always imagined, but does this mean you’d forego the help of an expert? If so, you may want to reconsider. Undertaking a project of this size entirely on your own could be a mistake. Enlisting the help of an architect or contractor does not mean you are giving up on your dream nor does it mean you can't be involved. In the end, expert help could prove invaluable.

For example, an architect or contractor may have more experience with building codes in your area. Building codes vary from town to town throughout the country. “I did a house in Norwich, Vt., with nine fireplaces, probably $250,000 worth of work. It required no permit,” Kanakis says. “In Newport, N.H., if you’re doing more than $200 worth of work you need a building permit. You can see the disparity.”

If hiring a professional interferes with your sense of independence, then consider Fitz-Rapalje’s suggestion: “Find someone who will do what you tell them and who has a love of old houses.” If you choose the right person, she maintains, it can be “a real collaboration.”

Biggest Fears

Although it is possible to make your dream of restoring an old house a reality, don’t expect it to come off without a few hitches.

Lead and asbestos have received a lot of press in recent years, and while the old house you purchase may indeed contain lead paint or asbestos in the ceiling, this may not be as alarming as it first seems. “Although certain precautions must be taken, I go right over the paint with new stuff and pretty much seal it in,” Fitz-Rapalje says.

This process, called encapsulation, is an effective solution. Careful cleaning of windowsills and stairwells can also help cut down on lead dust and keep your family safe. In severe cases, you may need to call a professional to eliminate your home of these dangers.

Actual Worries

Experts note that the real challenges when restoring an old home are not lead or asbestos, but rather structural, insulation and wiring problems.

For example, taking out a partition in an old house to make a room larger is quite common, yet may result in removing the primary support for the ceiling above. The wiring in old houses often is not up to today’s codes and may be insufficient in accommodating modern appliances.

“The other thing that is difficult about old houses is insulation,” says Fitz-Rapalje. “In order to insulate them, you either have to take down the inside wall, which is often plaster, or you have to take off the outside wall. Then you can run into problems, like vapor barrier on the inside.”

If these obstacles do not daunt you, then perhaps you, like Fitz-Rapalje, may one day be able to say of your restored home: “It’s not a new house; it still has problems. But it has a charm that a new house will never have.”