We love old stuff here at Architectural Classics. We may have told you that once or twice! We also think, though, that new stuff can be just as exciting … especially if that new stuff is old stuff. Confused? Well, I’m actually talking about doing period  style renovations. Ah, it all makes sense now!!

This will be the first of a series of articles on renovating your period style home – some random information gems, tips and hints, and guidelines. This week, as is often the case in life, we look at why sometimes to get something, you have to go back to nothing. Or, as a wise old Muppet in ‘The Labyrinth’ once said, “My dear, the way forward is sometimes the way back” … followed immediately by the reply from his hat “Would you listen to that rubbish!”.

The reason that they way forward is sometimes the way back, is that you’ll most likely have to strip out your period style home to some degree before you can start on the decorating. Boring, I know, but necessary. And no matter how boring, it is definitely a task deserving of attention and care! Today we are looking at taking out walls and windows.

If you have bought a home built in a period style, or if you’ve been lucky enough to find a home built in an actual period (!), you may have to take out some architectural elements, or add some, for consistency of style. The first thing you’ll need to do is determine either what style your house is, or what style you want it to be. One of our previous sites of the month - has a very comprehensive guide to period styles, giving you information on just about everything, from structural elements like floors, walls and mouldings, to decorative elements like colour schemes, fabrics and furnishings. Highly recommended, and if you don’t get anything useful or in-depth enough out of here, it is at least a good starting point for a Wikipedia search!

Go through your house with the style guidelines in mind, and note what is different in your case to usual. If a feature belongs to a later period style (for example, your Georgian house might have some decidedly Victorian doors, or have had its sash windows replaced with a different or newer type of window), add it to the ‘out with the old’ list.

Before you even lay hand on a tool though, get out a pencil and paper (and a hardhat if you like, to make yourself feel very architect-ish and important!). Create a site plan that notes the position of every important feature of a room – length and breadth, any odd shapes, ceiling height, window height and dimensions, power points, paneling height, architrave dimensions, skirt height, heating or cooling vents, fixed furniture and plumbing points. Note the direction the door swings, also. You’ll be surprised how often you’ll need this …

We have several articles on removing and re-hanging doors – here is a start.  You should be covered for information there!

If it’s walls you want to get rid of, then lucky you :-) Bashing your house up is one of the more fun parts of renovating! However, do consider whether open-plan living is really in keeping with your period style – it may or may not be.

Then, to knock out walls:

• First check that it is not supporting your home. If it is, then it will be too bad – it’s staying! Outside edge walls are a pointer here, and you can check inside your roof to see if any beams are using walls as supports. Check the blueprints for a double-checking measure.
• Hang sheets over the walls and the doors, to help keep the dust relatively contained.
• Remove any decorative skirting or architraves etc – use a screwdriver or similar tool to pry these off.
• Remember to use your safety gear – especially goggles and dust masks. If your house is old, there may be asbestos in the walls – not your lungs’ best friend!
• Then turn the power off before you start hacking.
• Brace the celing using large posts on either side of the wall, and mark the position of your studs.
• Woo hoo! Time to start smashing! If you are having a hard time (or you just can’t muster the anger necessary today), use a saw to make vertical cuts in the wall. Start in between the studs.
• Knock out the blocks between studs, and then cut the studs. Leave a few inches sticking up from the floor on the bottom ones.
• Wiggle out the top studs and any other studs – apart from the end ones. Remove these last.
• Then ensure the top plate is flush with that wall’s top plate. Cut across it diagonally, and take both halves out. If the bottom plate also goes through a connecting wall, repeat the process at the bottom.

Windows are another structural item that you may want to change to make your period style home more consistent – each different style typically had very distinctive windows. Personally, glass and hammers make me a little nervous, so I’ll be recommending that you have your new window professionally installed. Either a builder or glass supplier should be able to do this for you. However, you can start the job off  (and keep your pocket money in your own wallet, rather than a tradesman’s!) by taking out the existing window for them. What you’ve got can be sold – a pocket money bonus payment!

To remove a window:

• Run a razor blade or a Stanley knife around the edge of the window so that you don’t rip the wallpaper (or ‘stretch’ the paint) when you remove the window.
• Use a crow bar or a very big chisel to prise off the edging.
• In older houses, you’ll often find that the jambs are nailed directly into your studs. It’s better not to remove them (and safer!). Drive the nails into the studs using a nail-setter, or you can cut the nails off using a hacksaw. In newer houses, the nails will be driven into the outside casing – you can either drive them through or remove them from the outside. In this case you’ll need to go outside to remove the window unit.
• Once the nails are cut or driven through, you should be able to lift your window out.

Happy hammering!

Photo credits: Old Window by hismith83, In the middle of knocking down a wall… by Peter Schofield, Old Window by Leo Chimaera.

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