Central Keystone Living - Spring 2018 - 21

hether you are a first time homebuyer, a full house Gen 'X'-er, or
looking-to-retire Boomer, remodeling at any stage of life is possible.
Older housing stock is more readily available and believe it or not, there is
tremendous potential for improvement if you decide to stay in your 'forever' home.

Which style of home offers the most remodeling potential?
Photo courtesy of Allison Ong Shreffler, Architecture + Design

| PRE-WAR
Pre-war homes usually have
beautiful architectural details
and character. Think "Bed and
Breakfast." High first floor
ceilings and rich crown moldings and baseboards would be
throughout. Such homes will
Before
also have old utilities such as
knob and tube electrical wiring, no insulation, single pane windows,
and possibly lead paint and asbestos insulation, and flooring. The
basements are typically shallow in height with stone foundations.
This may be a deal killer if you have hopes of converting your
basement into a man cave down the road. The age of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems also makes these homes more
expensive to upgrade.

After

Photos courtesy of Allison Ong Shreffler, Architecture + Design and
Haley Harned Photography

A Pre-War Dutch Colonial was given a side addition and external update to unleash its modern-living potential.

| POST WAR/1950S MID-CENTURY HOMES
These home styles are very
popular today, with their
bright colors and unfussy,
streamlined designs.
Ranch style homes were
designed with open floor
plans and are sought after by today's young families.

Before

Cape cod style homes of this era were typically conventionally
framed which makes them ideal for retrofitting. The minimal
exterior architectural details also make this home style the perfect
palette to build upon. The foundations of the homes of this
era are typically concrete block. Insulation compared to today's
standards is minimal but easily resolved with blown in insulation.
Higher quality homes will have steel columns and girders.

After

A Post-War Cape Cod style home was remodeled into a two-story colonial.
HarrisburgBuilders.com

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Central Keystone Living - Spring 2018