Many new homeowners who have never owned an old house before ask the same question we did after moving into our bungalow several years ago. Now what? How do I do this and how do I do that? Sometimes it can seem overwhelming when you first move into a house over fifty years old. We wanted to share what we have learned since that time.

The first thing you should do is nothing. This is the most important point we have to make: Leave it alone. Follow the sage advice that the medical field uses when treating patients: “First do no harm.” You have probably heard this before.

Live in your house for at least one year before you do anything. Get to know the house. You will be amazed by how much will be revealed to you through everyday living and how many times you will change your mind. So, go ahead, write down some notes about your initial plans and put them at the back of your calendar. My guess is that you will do most projects in a substantially different way than what you initially planned.

One of the ideas that we eliminated before our first year, involved painting the battered columns of my California Craftsman three different colors. We resisted the urge and instead decided to repair the rope pulleys in our double hung windows, one of the safe repairs that can be done early on. Similarly, roof, foundation, and sewer repair are ideal candidates for first year repair work. What is to be avoided is the temptation to make aesthetic decisions to change original fabric that has been in place since the very early days of the house’s life.

Three are excellent resources on-line and you need to find the trusted sources but in most cases it is always preferred to repair than to replace. Once the original (fill in the blank) is gone, it is usually irreplaceable. That is because the old growth wood is rare now or the craftsmanship used to craft it may not even be available as readily any longer. So don’t be hasty or rash with the unique features that give your house its character.

Here are some Seven suggestions and some resources for that first year that you can contemplate and research:

1.Respect the craftsmanship of your home Don’t remove any original detail, these details are what make up the homes character and have stood the test of time. If you are unsure as to what is original, talk to friends and neighbors who are knowledgeable and who may have similar homes; do a little research and look at as many books and articles about the style of your house as you can. Check the National Parks Service on line, they have briefing papers and on line source materials that can really help if you are unsure about how to treat your old house.

2. Don’t paint unpainted woodwork. Most pre-WWII homes, and some mid-century homes originally had finished, unpainted woodwork. Leave it alone for at least a year, and preferably forever. If you find the woodwork is too dark for your tastes, it makes more sense to move into a style of home that embraces painted woodwork than to reduce the value and damage the historic fabric by painting the woodwork. It is really a painful process to take it off, if it is unpainted it is indeed very rare and in itself almost qualifies as a miracle.

3.Don’t alter the exterior siding of your home. Many older homes have suffered from being stuccoed over the original wood siding, or re-stuccoed using the wrong finish. Until you are sure whether your house had stucco leave it alone. Many Victorian and Craftsman houses were sided with asbestos siding in the 1940’s and 1950’s, this is easily removed at a reasonable cost, and in fact can be done legally by the homeowner (the San Diego Department of Environmental Services has guidelines). The original wood siding underneath is almost always intact because, back in the day, these companies were able to convince homeowners to invest in their product by promising the siding could go up in a day or two directly over the now underlying material! In summary, do not make changes to the exterior without being certain what the correct steps are. If some pieces of siding must be replaced, don’t be talked into taking it all down. Have the replacement boards re-milled. It will take some time to have the work done, but be well worth it overall.

4. If you have some knowledge of the type of home you have, and decide to change your exterior paint scheme, consider researching and using historic paint colors. There are books on the subject, and at least two paint companies (Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams) have historic color charts geared to homes from different periods. While color is important, the correct placement of the color is imperative. Using the right colors on the wrong areas will not provide the classic look you are trying to achieve. Just a little research can go a long way.

5. Don’t consider replacing your wood windows with vinyl. Ever! There are excellent reference materials available detailing the reasons why repairing and rehabbing your wood windows is superior to replacing them. Replacing wood windows with vinyl will result in your home losing its eligibility for historic designation, as well as looking completely out of place because the dimensions and profiles of vinyl window frames differ substantially from older wood windows. The vinyl can’t be painted and end up looking like those cheap plastic porch chairs when exposed to dirt and dust in the air after not too long. Old wood windows are made to last about 200 years and even a new wood window will last about 50 years. The older windows are made from old growth wood. There are a lot of sales people who want you to buy new windows but they are not looking out for you or the long term interests of your house. If you buy vinyl windows, store your old ones so you don’t end up losing the better product or so when you move the new owner can put them back in.

6. Don’t believe home remodeling salespeople when they say that they can’t repair something. And when choosing someone to work on your home, from architect to designer to repairman the ones you want to work with will have respect your house and your needs and know how to work on it. Find the ones who will preserve the integrity of the house they are probably in demand in your area but probably worth it.

7. If your house or some of its rooms are too small for your needs, consider moving to a larger house or getting rid of some items instead of altering your house. The house was proportioned to the lot size when it was built. Overbuilding on the lot can ruin the grounds of your house and street scape as well. Your home was designed as a whole and when you begin making significant changes, you may find the house will lose the charm, which was why you chose it in the first place. If after careful consideration you decide to remodel or build an addition, be sensitive to your neighbors, to the proportions on the lot so it harmonizes and does not interfere with the existing street scape.

The Mission Hills historic district guidelines and other historic district materials can assist you with examples of what is generally acceptable-specifically with consideration to the proportions, set backs and fenestration of neighboring structures. And then, there is just plain old courtesy to your neighbors. When designing an addition consider your neighbors views, sunlight, and privacy as well as your own. An architect who works with historic buildings or design consultant can help you with plans and on design decisions.

We worked with our neighbors in Mission Hills (a San Diego subdivision) and submitted the first residents completed historic district to the City of San Diego. We researched guidelines used by cities across the state and nation before we came up with a final draft that was accepted by the neighbors in the district. The guidelines that we produced provide examples on how one could exist and maintain the appearance of an older home within a historic district but are relevant to almost anywhere. You can review these guidelines and the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation guidelines (which are the national guidelines that professionals use on-line).

So we’re all set to take immediate action? I hope you are going to hold off from doing something radical. Take the time to live in your house first and you will be glad that you did!