Tips for Renovating your 1970s Home

If you're thinking about renovating your seventies style house, this is the article for you. In it, you will find ideas that you can try out yourself.
Tips for Renovating your 1970s Home

Last update: 14 January, 2019

In this article, we want to give you some ideas on how you can renovate your 1970s home.

Although there are obviously some exceptions, houses built in the 1970s usually have bad layouts, as well as outdated appliances, and other old-fashioned elements.

However, with a good renovation, you can create a whole different home. To do this, you’ll first need to consider your budget. The size of your budget will dictate whether you do a total or partial renovation.

Obviously, a quick paint job is not the same as a complete renovation. It also depends on whether you’re going to be living in the house or renting it out.

Next, we’ll give you a few different options to keep in mind when it comes to renovating your 1970s home.

Updating the electrics

No matter how good a condition they are in, we would recommend updating your electrics, especially in older houses. Plus, you have to think about household electrical equipment safety regulations. These regulations will set standards regarding the electrical connections, the fuse box, wiring and the size of the appliances.

Cord twine

We would also like to draw your attention to the switches and sockets, which are closely related to these last elements. In modern houses, there are usually lots of sockets in the bedrooms, as well as one or two switches.

However, in 1970s houses, there are very few sockets in the bedrooms. Sometimes there is only one, often located far away from the bed or desk. As a result, you often find yourself obliged to buy power strips and extension cables, filling your bedroom up with cables. So, when it comes to renovating your house, you should strategically change the location of your plug sockets.

Another point to keep in mind is the heating. Nowadays, there are lots of new heating systems which help you save energy and promote the use of renewable energy sources. One example is underfloor heating.

Improve the insulation

Furthermore, 1970s houses usually don’t have great insulation. With good insulation, you’ll greatly improve the energy efficiency of your home.

In fact, in 2013, energy performance certification was introduced, stating that all houses for sale or rent that were built before 1980 must undergo an inspection to obtain a certificate, which will remain valid for 10 years. The materials used for the facade of your house will also have an impact on this. However, this isn’t something you can change so easily, so you can’t necessarily have an impact on the energy efficiency of your home.

Heating 1

What you can do, however, is make other improvements, by updating the doors, windows, and floors. This can mean a big financial expense, but it’s important to remember that it is a long term investment, as it will help you save energy.

If you want to change your heating system as well as replacing your flooring, make the most of it and install underfloor heating. This system consists of a network of pipes, through which flows warm or cool water. In this way, the heat can be evenly distributed throughout the entire house, although it’s usually warmer at ground level.

Changing the 1970s layout will help create a more practical home.

Change the 1970s layout

Generally, 1970s houses have a poorly designed layout, regardless of their size. Normally, they have several rooms, but these are small and don’t get much natural light. Some don’t even have windows.

As a result, you might want to consider taking down partition walls to combine rooms. This will allow you to create larger, more comfortable rooms. Alternatively, you can combine bedrooms with study or office areas. And you don’t have to stop at the bedrooms: you can also do this with open plan kitchens or dining rooms.

Sometimes, it’s best to have fewer rooms and create a more spacious home. Remember: less is more.

Maximize the natural light

This is closely related to this last point. Because they have lots of (generally small) rooms, they often don’t have direct access onto the street. As a result, they don’t receive any natural light.

It’s common to make mistakes when it comes to lighting our homes, so it’s important to pay particular attention to this aspect. You might want to consider adding structural glass walls. This is an expensive option, but it does give a great result. Your room will get plenty of light, but it will create a space that contrasts greatly with the rest of your house.

By taking down partition walls and combining rooms, you will create brighter, more spacious rooms. Plus, you can also play around with artificial lighting. By this, we mean lamps, but also fairy lights, lighted garlands, lanterns…

As you can see, there are lots of different ways to renovate 1970s houses, whether it be a total or partial renovation. You simply need to keep your budget in mind and try to make sure that your renovation covers as much of the house as possible.