Renovating a Farmhouse With the Surrounding Environment in Mind

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If you’ve had your eye on a few farmhouse properties over the years, you’re not the only one. Farmhouse style has grown in popularity throughout the last several years, largely due to home renovation shows and “flippers” who can restore old-fashioned properties while keeping their original charm.

Farm living can absolutely be the life for you if you purchase an old farmhouse on a large plot of land. Unfortunately, there’s a common drawback to many of these old properties — they often need a lot of upgrades and renovations.

However, it can be a lot of fun and extremely rewarding to renovate a farmhouse. You can restore it to its original glory while adding personal touches and upgrades that fit your needs. As you’re renovating your farmhouse, it’s important to do so with the surrounding environment in mind. Living in the country can present its own set of challenges, and preparing yourself and your home will make a world of difference. 

Keeping Things Safe From Pests and People

Living in the country has many advantages. It’s quiet, it’s beautiful, and it can help to reduce your stress levels. However, there are also some challenges when it comes to who you’re sharing that “space” with. Rodents, pests, and insects are often found in these rural locations because they have plenty of room to build homes, find healthy food sources, and avoid danger from humans. Unfortunately, that means your country home is more susceptible to infestations, which can potentially harm your health. Mice are often a big problem for country homes, especially in the winter as they try to seek out shelter. You can prevent a harmful rodent infestation by:

• Sealing all cracks and openings;

• Closing doors and windows properly;

• Storing food in containers with lids;

• Disposing of food waste as quickly as possible.

You can also keep bugs out of your rural home by keeping things as clean as possible, mitigating moisture, and installing door sweeps on all of your exterior doors to keep small insects from getting in. 

While living in the country is relatively safe, it can also be a little unnerving at times if you’re worried about being alone and not having neighbors nearby. Burglars tend to target areas with low traffic, and they especially look out for homes without security systems. You can protect yourself and your family by installing security cameras and working with a security company that automatically calls the police if someone breaks in. 

Finding Heating and Energy Alternatives

Many farmhouses are old and may not have things like central air or energy-efficient furnaces. While you might be willing to “rough it” without air conditioning in the summer, no one wants to go without heat in the winter. While there are plenty of things you’ll need to do to adjust to rural living, finding heating and energy alternatives should be a top priority.

One of the easiest ways to keep your home warmer and cut back on your energy consumption is to install new insulation. You’ll retain more heat in each room if everything is properly insulated and sealed. 

Next, make sure your boiler is serviced regularly. Older boilers can be inefficient if they aren’t running properly, wasting energy and costing you money. It’s worth it to have it maintained by a professional every year. 

Finally, consider getting really old-fashioned and taking advantage of a fireplace or wood stove. Most older homes have one or the other, and they’re great options for quickly heating up a space and keeping that heat trapped inside. Make sure you know how to safely start a fire and monitor a stove. With a little bit of time and practice, you’ll be able to get your home heated quickly using these basic elements while wasting very little energy. 

Making Things Durable and Practical 

If farm living is the life for you, you’re going to need to make some practical adjustments during your renovation efforts. Homes in the country tend to take a lot of wear and tear. There’s little protection from the weather, animals, and other natural elements. Consider that when you’re updating things to fit your needs. 

For starters, you might need more storage space than you realize. Taking care of a large plot of land requires more machinery and tools. If you want a garden or you plan to raise any animals, you’ll need even more equipment, including things like: 

• A tractor;

• A wagon/trailer;

• Garden tools;

• Feed;

• Fencing.

Having both outdoor and indoor storage space is essential. Whether you want to dedicate an existing space to your property endeavors or build a new shed or barn, you won’t regret giving yourself more space. 

Your home interior needs to be durable and functional, too. The kitchen is the heart of every farmhouse, so do what you can to maximize the space there and make it the central hub of your home. Make sure your furniture is pet-friendly, kid-friendly, and durable since your dogs and little ones will likely come in covered in mud on rainy or snowy days. There’s no reason it can’t be stylish and fit the overall aesthetic of the home, but farm life — whether you’re actually farming or not — is often about function over fashion. 

Whether you’re hopping on the farmhouse trend or you’ve wanted to enjoy rural living for years, be prepared to put some work into renovating an old country house. By keeping the surrounding environment in mind, you’ll keep yourself and your family safe and comfortable, enjoying everything farm living has to offer.