Preserving the history of a city is no simple task. The culture and energy of a time period will always stay in the memories of those who lived it. However, we have been able to keep parts of these times in history alive through art, literature, and architecture.
Unfortunately, the history of Florida construction is not as expansive as other cities and states across the world. Some cities like Miami, St. Augustine and St. Petersburg contain some antiquated architecture here and there. This makes it that much more important to understand, appreciate, and preserve the history that Florida has left us.
Smaller, but a city nonetheless, West Palm is home to its fair share of historic buildings. Its growth, however, has prompted firms to steer away from history and focus on modern architecture. With higher buildings and expanding neighborhoods, there is no need for firms that specialize in antique architecture to be based in West Palm.
This makes Palm Beach Construction firms that understand the importance of historic renovation that much more valuable to the market. They are rare, and if found, they will do an amazing job keeping the structure and integrity of the building intact.
As beautiful as historic buildings can be, their age can also cause some considerable issues. Standards and regulations have changed drastically over the last few years. Buildings are now tested to a different code of regulations and need to be updated to meet these specifications. As a result, the vast majority will be pulled towards the idea of a new and improved building over an old obsolete one.
This causes many beautiful historic buildings to be destroyed simply due to their loss of functionality and or aesthetics.
So how can we preserve history while continuing the process of modernizing our cities’ architecture? Here is where finding the right South Florida contractors will make the difference. Properly preserving a building is not an easy task, but in this case, it only makes the architecture look that much better.
Built-in 1924, the 22,348-square-foot, three-story structure formerly operated as the Hotel Halsey. Now with old paint, a damaged structure, and deteriorating exteriors, this building faced its final years. After an interior renovation project in 2015, there were very few things left to complete. Miller Construction, a Palm Beach construction firm was tasked with the project.
As it was a three-story building, renovating the inside meant that some parts still had to be operational.
One of the most dreaded tasks in interior renovation for multi-story buildings is temporarily moving the activities somewhere else. In this case, while they remodeled the second and third floors, the first floor stayed operational. This is no easy task.
It is important to understand the challenges that come from old buildings. To be able to restore a historic look with today’s materials is quite difficult. The Florida Construction company would have to monitor and remove lead paint from all the exterior, this can be time-consuming, and very difficult not to ruin.
Some challenges will include extreme water damage. This is a serious subject that a lot of times is overlooked since we are so used to a working water supply system. Water damage will cause long-term damage to ceilings, floors, and windows. Dry rot, mold, and wet environments attract bugs and problems of all kinds.
Something to pay special attention to is the sill plate. The sill plate is the bottom horizontal component of the structure that runs around the entire house. All of the vertical structural supports for the house are attached to the sill plate. This can easily be damaged without anybody noticing, and when remodeling a house or building, this should be one of the first things to be checked out.
If you do not have the funds, a full remodel by a Florida construction company may be out of your budget. Nevertheless, a small team of contractors and an inspector could be helpful in estimating the amount of work needed. It is always the best bet to research people with experience in historic preservation.
Start with small changes, buy quality materials, and renovate less. Be smart about your investment. Whether this is a house or building you would like to keep to yourself, rent out, or sell, it is smart to consider the resale value of your space when budgeting.
It is tempting to be remodeling your stairs, waiting room, or elevators but those are not the first things you should fix. Try to focus on roof, windows, and masonry since those are the things that will stop any future damage from happening.
Managing a crisis does not get fixed by delegating your funds elsewhere, it gets fixed by targeting the main issues and addressing them. Do not get sidetracked with unnecessary modulations, get to the issue, fix it, and then expand.
As stated previously, the age of these structures means these issues are more pressing than initially thought and failure to correct could result in significant damages.
Finding the right company will allow you to most efficiently correct these issues, and renovate projects like this. The right team will take care of it for you. South Florida Contractors like Miller construction have prior experience with historic buildings, others may not. It is essential to do your research and find the best fit. Once you have found the few firms that have experience in historic buildings, now you can narrow it down to the ones that best fit the time of building you are remodeling.
Similarly, consider your budget before acquiring one of these firms. A restoration project can be quite costly. Ensure the costs to correct and update some of the prevalent issues adheres to your budget. You don’t want to run out of money while the project is underway, leaving you unable to effectively finish the project. Creating a budget will help in selecting the right firm. Again, some of these restoration techniques and strategies can be costly, therefore, a consultation is important. During the consultation, the contractor will walk through the building and identify the most prevalent issues that need to be corrected. Without a consultation, you’ll be going into the project blind. Similarly, the consultation will reveal the initial pricing of the project as a whole.
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