Restoring a building after it suffers structural damage can be difficult, even under the best circumstances. Historic building restoration brings even more challenges. If you’re passionate about saving your historic home or business following a destructive fire or flood, use these tips to help ensure a successful project.
Preserve the Building’s Character
Your historic home or business may have a significant impact on the surrounding community. Perhaps it’s part of a historic district, or it offers a unique heritage that you don’t want to be lost in the restoration process. The building likely has rich architectural features and design details that are no longer used in modern construction.
No matter what restoring the building entails, you should do everything possible to maintain its original character. In addition to your personal preferences in this matter, it may be required by historic building regulations not to make drastic changes to the building’s appearance. This is true whether you’re renovating a historic building to provide modern amenities or restoring it from fire, water, or mold damage.
To help you adhere to all applicable historic building regulations, involve designers, facility managers, and code officials early in the process. This will give you more time to determine the potential complications of restoring the property and pull any necessary permits.
Retain the Original Structure
Because modern building materials and techniques tend to differ so drastically, preserving a historic building’s character often means retaining as much of the original structure as possible. This can be tricky when fire, water, or mold damage is at work.
Preservation may require altered techniques, such as using gentler cleaning and deodorizing methods that won’t harm exposed brick and other delicate surfaces. Then, any replacement materials that are brought in should be sympathetic to the original architecture.
Be Mindful of OSHA Regulations & Building Codes
As you work to restore your historic building, safety is of the utmost importance, both for the construction crew performing the work and anyone who occupies the building once the job is complete. Adhere to OSHA regulations and local building codes to ensure the restoration project is safe for everyone involved.
Seek Expert Advice & Construction Services
You may want to work with local historians, community leaders, and past building owners to acquire as much information about the property as possible. In addition to seeking advice about how to restore the structure, you also need a company that is familiar with historic building restoration to perform the work.
At DKI, we can help restore your building, no matter what it’s been through. We are North America’s largest disaster restoration contracting organization, offering a variety of services to get you back on track. Turn to us for fire and smoke damage repair, water damage repair, mold remediation, and more. We have worked on historic building restoration projects in the past, including a bakery in Pensacola, FL and a farmhouse in Avon, CT.
To request building restoration with DKI, please contact us today at (844) 354-2255.