Guaranteed Ways to Wreck Your Vintage Pub

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Renovation or restoration projects can add much value to a historic building but come with many risks. You could easily wreck the very aspect of your pub that makes it so valuable – its vintage appeal. Read on to discover a few pitfalls and how to easily avoid them.

Guaranteed Ways to Wreck Your Vintage Pub

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1. Use Contractors Who Don’t Specialise in Historic Building Projects

Historic buildings are usually more individual, built in a time before mass production with hand-made components and a rich tapestry of texture, colour and form. As a result, such buildings require unique treatment, including the use of special construction techniques and materials.

When renovating or restoring your vintage pub, the easiest way to destroy the character and appeal of it is to employ contractors who aren’t familiar with the special attention required for a unique and historic building. It is estimated that around one fifth of the buildings in the UK were constructed before WWI, so finding a knowledgeable specialist should be easy.

2. Change the Style of the Pub

The real threat to historic buildings comes from gradual changes, often done with good intentions, that over time eventually erase the character of the building. Changing the interior to remove the original room layout can seem like a good idea, but you may find afterwards that the original irreplaceable charm is lost for good.

Likewise, poorly planned extensions can end up dominating the entire building if the style or size of the extension doesn’t ‘fit’ with the original building. And if your pub is a listed building, it would be illegal to carry out building work that ‘changes the character’ of the structure without getting permission from the authorities. Consult a specialised architect or do personal research to avoid this.

3. Damage Original Features

If you must replace original fittings and features, try to acquire new ones that fit or even enhance the character of your pub. Furniture makers such as Victor Hall can provide antique bar furniture in London and beyond to ensure that your pub retains its vintage appeal.

Removing features like fireplaces and furniture strips your vintage pub of its indescribable charm. Chemical cleaning agents in particular can cause terrible damage to vintage features. There are many specialist antique furniture restorers who can lovingly repair your fittings with the requisite attention to detail.

Written by suNCh8

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