Century Home Renovations | Greater Toronto Area

Toronto has no shortage of older homes that create beautiful streetscapes, but no longer meet the needs of their occupants.  And many are unsafe and lacking in energy inefficiency.

With a full renovation of your older home, century home or historic home, you can enjoy the old-world charm of an older home along with modern conveniences.

Creating A New Floor Plan

Most older homes have smaller, closed in rooms, small kitchens, and often narrow doors and staircases.  All these are incompatible with the desires of today’s homeowners, as most homeowners are looking for some type of open-concept space.  And bedroom have tiny closets that were adequate for blue-collar workers, but have insufficient space for professionals with more extensive wardrobe needs.

Renovating older homes usually involves re-creating the floor plan into one that works for today’s homeowners.  This can be done while maintaining a historic look, or it can be with more contemporary or modern finishes.

Creating More Space

If can be tough to make rooms larger, increase closet space, and still maintain the same number of rooms.  If this case, an addition to the home should be considered.  Whether building up, or adding to the back or side of the house, there are way to increase space while respecting the history of the home.

Budgeting For Renovations

When considering a renovation of a century home, it is wise to budget more than for a similar renovation in a newer home, as well as to budget for the unexpected.  Common issues we have found over the years are hazardous substances such as asbestos, structural issues, and outdated mechanical systems.

Common mechanical system issues are: electrical panels that are undersized or incompatible with newer devices, knob and tube wiring, plumbing pipes that are galvanized or leaky, and a lack of air conditioning.

Structural issues we commonly find are sagging beams and floor joists, and structural issues due to poorly completed prior renovations.

Some of these items can be identified prior to starting the renovation project, while others only become apparent after the project has started.

The good news is that even the toughest issues can have a solution.

Century Home Experts

Our belief is that older homes should be retained and maintained where the home has architectural character or cultural significance.  While other contractors may suggest a tear down and re-build, we take a more pragmatic approach.

We start by listening to you, to understand your needs and lifestyle.

We identify what can and should be saved.

We create a plan that meets your needs while respecting the historic elements of the home.

Our core beliefs:

1. Create a functional space that works for the homeowner.

2. Look at opportunities to improve energy efficiency, through improved insulation, windows & mechanical systems.

3. Retain historical elements and features that are integral to the character of the home.

From design to constructions, the Inspire Homes team has the knowledge and skills to tackle even the toughest historic restorations. We work with you every step of the way, making sure the reality lives up to your expectations.

Inspire Homes renovates older homes, century homes, historic homes in Toronto, Etobicoke, Richmond Hill, Aurora, Newmarket, Mississauga, Brampton and surrounding areas.