Can you make a new custom home look like an older home?
A:
Yes you can make a new custom home look like an older home, what you have to do is take the time to design and plan your new home so that every aspect of the home resembles an older home but is built to the standard of a new home. When you are deciding to do this you don’t have to make the inside of the home look like an older home, it can actually be any look or design that you want, the key is to make the outside of the home look like it has been there for a long time like the rest of the homes in the neighborhood.
We built a home just like that in the village of Creemore.
www.villagebuilders.ca/creemore-victorian/
The home was built in the Village of Creemore in an area of the Village that has a lot of older historic homes that were built in the early part of the century.
There was an older existing brick Victorian home on the site that was left by the previous owners to fall into disrepair and decay. The home had sustained so much damage from lack of maintenance and was in such a state of disrepair that it was decided by the homeowners that it would be more expensive to attempt to repair, replace, modify and add to the footprint of the home then it was to knock it down and build a completely new home from scratch.
Even though the decision was made to remove the old home for a new custom home it was also decided that the home that was to be built onsite would be larger than the original home, it would have a walkout basement (something the old home did not have) taking advantage of the natural hill that was in the middle of the lot and every effort would be made so that the design would resemble the older home that was to be removed.
The home is 2500 sqft with 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms; it is an open concept layout inside with the living room, dining room and kitchen all on the main floor allowing easy flow from one space to the next.
The exterior of the home is brick in the theme of the original home; the bricks are a rare antique looking brick that looks like the other century homes that exist on the street.
The basement of the home is constructed out of ICF (insulated concrete forms), it holds a bedroom, bathroom, mechanical room and a large workshop for the homeowners woodworking hobby. The basement has a walkout to the backyard allowing easy access.
The second floor of the home has two spare bedrooms and a guest bathroom. It also has the Victorian style windows that the original home had as its main feature facing on to the main street of Creemore.
The brick on the exterior of the home was sourced from out of the country because it was the closest product we could find to the original brick (the brick didn't survive the demolition of the home).The new brick resembled the older brick so much so that when driving down the main street of Creemore you are hard pressed to tell the difference between the new homes brick and the older existing homes brick that populate the street.
The home looks so much like the original home from the outside that we as the builders of the home received compliments from people that came to tour the home (during an open house that we had) about how wonderful a renovation we had done to the old home, they were shocked when we explained to them that this was a completely new home. They had no idea that it was a brand new home and not the original older home completely renovated.
This was all achieved by taking a lot of time to locate the appropriate materials for the outside of the home and also because the homeowners were committed to making the home look like the original Victorian home that had to be removed. They took the time to agonize over the architectural drawings so that they as closely as possible resembled the original home.
If you want your new custom home to look like an older one all you have to is take the time to do your research and make a point not to compromise on the exterior materials. Then make sure that you work with a contractor that is as committed as you are to making the project look like an older home.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
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