Historic Home Renovation Ideas to Maintain Your Coastal Charm

If you’re the new owner of a historic coastal home, congratulations! Your property could be perfect for entertaining guests, spending time on vacation, or enjoying your golden years post-retirement.

Historic homes have a lot of pluses, like their old-fashioned architecture and lived-in feel, but they might also come with minuses. Drafty windows, uninspiring interior décor, and other issues could lead you to start thinking of renovations that preserve the appeal and character of your historic coastal property. Here are some historic home renovation ideas to help you get started.

Start home renovation with a new coat of coastal paint

Any historic home with a few years (or decades) under its belt will probably require some home maintenance to be done. For example, it may have a less-than-stellar paint job. You can renovate your historic home and keep its original color theme by repainting it in popular coastal shades. If you don't want to exactly match its original paint color, there are lots of coastal-themed paint hues to choose from, such as:

• Soft blue
• Coastal white
• Cool gray
• Peach
• Navy blue
• Sandy beige
• Pale green
• Watery blue-green
• Coastal green

Generally, the best coastal paint colors emulate the natural shades in the environment. Stick with those, and your historic home will look as good as new and won’t negatively stick out in the neighborhood.

Bring the landscape inside

When you live on the coast, you’re surrounded by beautiful natural plants, animals, and neat-looking stones. You can bring some of the natural landscape inside, choosing items to contribute to your home’s interior décor.

For instance, if you like to take strolls on the beach outside your Port City property, you might occasionally find decorative seashells you can use as dining room table centerpieces or bathroom counter baubles. Let your imagination run wild, and pick landscape objects to incorporate into your décor that reflect your personality!

Maintain panel walls

Some older historic coastal homes might have panel walls made of shiplap. This durable and scriptable wall material is an excellent option since it holds up well in coastal weather.

You might think the shiplap looks a little rough or too rustic, but that’s the point! For your historic home renovation, our advice is to keep those panel walls intact by painting over them or refinishing them to rejuvenate their appearance. The wood texture of paneled walls adds a lot of charm to coastal homes, so don’t get rid of it.

Lean into natural fibers

Natural fibers, like seagrass, sisal, and jute, are good picks to combine with your interior décor. Imagine a natural fiber rug for the living room or dining room, for example, or throw pillows made of local natural fibers and grasses.

Not only do natural fibers typically complement coastal homes’ best color palettes, but they’re also usually eco-friendly!

Build a “sleeping porch”

There’s something about a coastal home that invites relaxation and afternoon snoozing. You can lean into this by building a sleeper porch onto your historic home. Unlike many other renovations, this won’t detract from its coastal look or historic appeal, but it will add plenty of curb appeal and practical value.

A sleeper porch is an open, broad porch filled with comfortable furniture like sofas or curved chairs, all stuffed with padded cushions. If you really want to go overboard, add a daybed, and don’t be surprised when you get in the habit of afternoon siestas.

Replace worn-down windows when renovating

Salt, wind, and stormy weather can collectively do a number on a coastal home’s windows. When you move into your historic home, don’t hesitate to replace any drafty or cracked windows in your historic Port City home; you’re better off installing energy-efficient windows, anyway.

The odds are good that you can get replacement energy-efficient windows in the same style and shape as the home's original windows. But energy-efficient models will keep your utility bill down and help moderate the house's temperature throughout the year. Think about adding view-boosting windows like bay or bow windows so you can enjoy your property’s natural beauty.

Add shutters for style and protection

Stylish shutters are the go-to choice for home renovations all around the country, improving curb appeal and providing a little extra protection for windows depending on the style you choose. You might find that shutters go perfectly with your historic coastal home. Plantation or colonial-style shutters might be excellent choices.

Our recommendation is to choose functional storm protection shutters that can fully close over your windows so you can “batten down the hatches” the next time a coastal storm comes through town.

Invest in a storm door during your historic home renovation

Storm doors can offer similar benefits as shutters. They physically guard your entry door, contribute to overall home insulation, and can improve curb appeal if you pick the right option.

Even better, storm doors go well with the architecture of many historic coastal homes. In fact, your coastal home might already have a storm or ventilation door installed. Check it out thoroughly as it might be time to replace it, depending on its age!

Interior home maintenance checklist

Renovating and updating your historic home means taking care of basic chores, too! When you first move in, it’s a good idea to run through a quick home maintenance checklist and tackle tasks like:

• Examine the furnace filter, air vents, dryer vent, and the rest of the HVAC system in the home.
• Check the water heater and make sure it can still produce hot water.
• Inspect the walls and roof for water damage. If you notice the early signs of damage, get it repaired ASAP.
• Check the gutters and downspouts – they’ll need to work perfectly to protect your new home.
• Check the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, too, since you never know when they were last inspected or had their batteries replaced.

Taking care of your home maintenance chores sooner rather than later will give you peace of mind and allow you to enjoy your historic coastal home faster. Once they’re done, you can fully devote your attention to other historic home renovation projects.

As those home renovations progress, remember to get in touch with knowledgeable contractors who can help you with some of the more intensive work. Window World of the Port City is the ideal team to contact for window replacements, roof and gutter inspections, and much more. If you have some renovations in mind for your historic coastal home, request a free quote online or check out our showroom to find even more inspiration and learn how we can assist.