There is a certain appeal to older homes that makes homeowners prefer them to new construction or stick with them even through the years. Great neighborhood, accessibility to essential facilities, closeness to loved ones, great weather and the reasons go on and on, but one thing in common is the love developed between you and your old home in New York. However, change is inevitable, and often a familiar sign is feeling like your home doesn’t offer enough space, functionality, and appeal. To add a dose of modern beauty and efficiency to older homes, here are the best tips ideal whether you’re in Staten Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Long Island, or Queens.

outdated electrical system

An outdated electrical system not only leads to unnecessarily wasting much-needed energy due to inefficiency resulting in wasting money, it can even cause serious consequences costing you your home and even your life. To stop waste and prevent accidents from happening, here are several things to do:

• The best first step to take is to hire a qualified electrician to assess your older homes and learn which areas and parts need to be repaired or replaced with modern, more efficient electrical products.
• Install higher voltage circuits to power more or larger appliances.
• Most older homes have a 30-amp box or 60-amp service panel, which are not enough to power everyday life today. Have these upgraded to a 100 amp service panel.
• To prevent electrical shock and damage to appliances, have polarized outlets.

Small and gloomy bathrooms

Bathroom uses have evolved considerably over the years. What the old houses used to be has changed and now they are used for something more than toilet, bathroom and comfort zone. Modern bathrooms can be considered a personal retreat for many homeowners now housing not only state-of-the-art and efficient fixtures such as low-flow toilets, waterproof televisions and sound systems, as well as home saunas. And to accommodate all these items for extreme pampering and luxury, space is vital. A common solution to this is to knock down walls and extend the bathroom space into the next room. But if this isn’t an option, there are many design techniques that can be implemented to maximize space and make small bathrooms look and feel bigger.

outdated kitchens

From a dining room to being the busiest room in the house where just about everything happens, kitchens in older homes have become under-equipped to meet the daily needs of a modern family. This makes kitchen remodeling a popular upgrade. Some of the more common changes include:

• Add kitchen island for more storage
• Replacement of obsolete and insufficient appliances
• Replacement of sinks, countertops and kitchen furniture.
• Creating a more water and energy efficient kitchen

But whatever tasks you plan to include in your old home kitchen remodel to efficiently address your family’s modern needs, keep the essentials in mind. Create different workstations for more productive food preparation and cooking.