Lessons learned remodeling an entire house built in 1918

We bought this 107 year old house that was built in 1918 for $80k before it was torn down.

We took off 3 layers of wall and 3 layers of ceiling to get all the way down to the original framing - and we rebuilt every single component back to new again including electrical, plumbing, hvac, insulation and everything else. Here are 5 home renovation pro tips we learned during this renovation that you absolutely must know.

1.  Insulation: spray foam is worth it!

I’m a huge spray foam fanatic after studying its benefits for thousands of hours. Spray foam often costs around 50% more than fiberglass cost depending on installation costs in your area, but in my opinion it is totally worth it.

Air sealing is one of the biggest benefits of spray foam which is where traditional forms of insulation fall short. Especially in an older home with lots of odd crevices, spray foam air seals where fiberglass cant.

Spray foam also allows you to potentially size down your hvac needs - talk to your hvac contractor and inform them of your intentions of installing spray foam and they will likely be pleased and may even size down your hvac units.

You can put spray foam in your attic, your crawlspace and even your walls - we got a whopping 8 inches of open cell spray foam in the attic of this house and let me tell you it is absolutely changes the feel of the entire house. In the middle of winter or the heat of the summer the attic is totally comfortable and that benefits the feel of the entire home.

2. Butcher block countertops the most affordable solution

Countertops can be one of the most shockingly expensive parts of a remodel project but this pro tip will save you thousands of dollars. 

Price ranges for Granite/Marble: $40 to $100 per square foot.

Quartz countertop prices range from $50-$200.

Butcher  block countertops $20-30 per square foot and you can cut and customize them yourself with basic woodworking tools.Most butcher block countertops are made of a hardwood like walnut so they are incredibly durable. 

Butcher block countertops are beautiful, you can cut food directly on them as a cutting board, they can be conditioned occasionally to bring them right back to that stunning fresh wood look. People comment on our butcher block countertops every time a new guest comes over. 

3. Look for ways to reuse old materials during the renovation process

Disposal costs can be in the thousands especially for heavy materials like brick since most landfills charge by weight. We came up with some really creative ways to save money on disposal and create some really cool features.

Old houses often have a lot of chimneys. In our case the 107 year old house we renovated had 4 chimneys for 4 different fireplaces that were once spread throughout the house. We tore them down and used the old bricks to create this stunning kitchen island surround complete with a dishwasher, double sink with a pendant light over it and even went the extra mile and installed phillips hue downlighting under the countertop.

In old houses the wood is old growth wood which means its harder and has better looking grain than wood you buy today. Old wood torn out of renovations is great for making mantles or floating shelves throughout the house instead of throwing it away. 

4.  Use expansion pex plumbing and create a manifold with a shutoff for each section of the house

Traditional plumbing pipe like copper or pvc pipe is prone to all kinds of issues, especially if you live in a cold climate like me. 

Pex piping is one of the best ways to upgrade your plumbing system to a near freeze proof system.

Make sure to use Pex A aka expansion pex and not Pex B which uses clamping rings to fasten fittings.

I built a simple manifold based off a plumbing system I designed. Looks a little scary but honestly its pretty simple. If you would like me to send you my plumbing design diagram template, just drop a comment below and let me know - I’m happy to send it over for you to use.

5. Craftsman style headers for door and window trim

Instead of trimming your interior doors and windows with standard 1x4 or 1x6 trim, you should get these craftsman style headers that give a super classy, victorian vibe to your interior trim.

You can get craftsman style headers preassembled from your local lumber or building supplier and they will give you a price per foot for the style of craftsman header that you want. Then all you have to do is cut, install and paint the headers over your windows and doors.

This saves you lots of money, time and effort because you dont have to buy a bunch of different trim pieces and then assemble them on your own using glue and nails. Our craftsman style headers get tons of comments from guests that come to visit.