By Jesse Skulmoski · Operandi Design Build
An older home can have qualities that are difficult to replace: the proportions of a living room, timber that has aged well, or a kitchen window overlooking a garden you have tended for years. It may also have a bathroom that feels cramped, uneven temperatures or rooms that no longer suit your household.
A good renovation gives those concerns equal attention. Begin with what you value about the house, then understand its condition and the work needed to make it more useful. That gives the design and the budget a sound starting point.
Decide what you want to keep
Walk through the house before collecting ideas for new finishes. Notice the things that make it feel like home: a staircase, original doors, built-in cabinetry, a familiar view or the way daylight moves through a room.
Discuss what is worth repairing, adapting or carefully removing for reuse. A room does not have to be preserved exactly as it is to retain its character. Sometimes a better doorway, more useful storage or a modest layout change can make existing features more enjoyable.
Give the same attention to what has become awkward. Is the problem a lack of space, or the route through it? Would reorganizing the kitchen help more than making it larger? Our home extensions guide explores when a combination of added space and a better existing layout may be useful.
Learn what has already changed
Gather the records you have: plans, permit information, inspection reports, repair invoices and photographs taken during earlier work. Share any history of leaks, drainage problems, electrical changes or rooms that have been converted to a different use.
The City of Victoria offers permit history and plan searches. Available records vary, and older plans may not contain the structural or mechanical information needed for a new project. Ask the relevant municipality what can be retrieved for your property.
Compare the records with the house as it stands. An enclosed porch, moved wall or previous addition may affect how the next renovation should be approached. Missing information is a reason to investigate; it does not establish, by itself, what work is sound or what has been approved.
Investigate before taking rooms apart
Start with a review of the proposed work and the areas it will disturb. Structural changes, existing wiring, plumbing and heating should be assessed by the appropriate professionals and trades. Removing a wall can affect more than the opening you see: support, services and the work above and below all need consideration.
Saanich’s renovation checklist illustrates how drawings and structural information relate to the proposed changes. Confirm the requirements for your project rather than assuming a previous renovation provides a suitable design for the next one.
Arrange the required asbestos assessment before renovation or demolition. WorkSafeBC’s current homeowner guidance calls for a licensed asbestos surveyor and, where containment or removal is needed, a licensed asbestos abatement contractor. Newer construction can also contain older materials; the year on a property record is not an assurance that materials are free of asbestos. Have the assessment address other hazardous materials relevant to the work as well.
Trace moisture back to its cause
A stain beside a window, a musty cupboard or dampness after heavy rain deserves attention before new paint, insulation or cabinetry conceals it. Tell the project team when the problem occurs and what repairs have already been attempted.
BC Housing’s window and door maintenance guidance explains that moisture near a window may come from the connection to the wall, condensation, a roof problem or another building element. Replacing the visible component may leave the cause unresolved.
Where the source is unclear or damage is persistent, involve an appropriate building enclosure specialist, who can assess the roof, exterior walls, windows and moisture protection. Establish the repair and drying requirements before choosing the finished wall or floor assembly. A useful renovation plan makes room for those repairs and identifies how they affect the work that follows.
Check heritage and property requirements early
An older house is not automatically a legally protected heritage property. Check its actual status before changing windows, exterior finishes or other features that may be protected.
In Victoria, heritage designation, listing on the Heritage Register and location within a Heritage Conservation Area have different implications. The proposed work and the form of protection determine which approvals are needed. Ask City staff about your plans early; neighbouring municipalities have their own processes.
Changes outside the house can introduce further questions. Review title restrictions, services and protected trees where the work may affect them. If excavation or other ground disturbance is proposed, check archaeological requirements as part of the property review. These considerations are easier to accommodate while the plan is still flexible.
Coordinate services and comfort with the renovation
Use the design stage to discuss cold rooms, draughts, noisy fans and the way the house feels in summer. Review insulation, windows, heating, cooling and ventilation together rather than treating each purchase as a separate answer.
Changes to cabinets, ceilings or floor levels can affect space for ducts, pipes and wiring. Agree where those services will go before the details of the rooms are fixed. Our home comfort and energy upgrades guide explains how to approach that coordination.
Consider future use too. A more convenient bathroom, lighting or laundry location may be easier to incorporate while the relevant rooms are being renovated. The Aging in Place guide offers a way to think through those everyday needs.
Allow for the work around the work
A new opening may lead to floor repairs in the next room. New plumbing may require access through a ceiling below. A repaired wall may need more extensive finishing to sit comfortably beside the original work.
Discuss where each part of the renovation begins and ends. Include investigations, design and engineering, approvals, remediation, protection, building work, services and making good in the estimate. Identify unresolved conditions and allow a contingency appropriate to what is still unknown. Our estimate and agreement guide explains those conversations in more detail.
If you plan to stay, agree which rooms will remain usable, how belongings and retained features will be protected, and when essential services may be interrupted. Establish whether a stage of the work will require temporary accommodation. Keep time in the schedule for required inspections before work is concealed.
How Operandi can help
We begin with a conversation and a site visit, looking at what you enjoy about the house and what you would like to improve. Bring the records you have and the history you know, including repairs that have not fully resolved a problem.
Where investigation is needed, we agree on a paid feasibility stage, its fee and what you will receive. We can compare options, coordinate the appropriate specialists and develop a preliminary budget. Drawings, selections, approvals and construction arrangements become more detailed as the plan develops.
Focused improvements to sound existing finishes and millwork may suit Renew. More substantial changes can be planned through Renovate. Under a separate construction agreement, Jesse leads site coordination, communication and agreed changes through to the final walk-through and handover.
The starting point is what you want the next chapter of the house to offer. Book a site visit to talk it through.