If you are looking to buy your own home, you may have already narrowed your search to only look at those properties that are already in residential use. However, commercial properties have the potential to become unique and beautiful contemporary living spaces with some renovation work. Indeed, if you are interested in property development, certain larger commercial complexes, such as office blocks and factories, could be transformed into beautiful and desirable apartments. Converting a commercial property into a home can be challenging, but the process and results are undeniably rewarding. Plus, with help from redevelopers like Peter Hall Middlesbrough, the process can be made a lot easier than you may have expected. Here are some tips to consider when converting a commercial property into a home or apartment building.
Embrace quirks
A former commercial property makes for a unique and unusual home; however, without the proper care and attention, your home or apartment block could all too easily remain looking overly industrial, which could put off a lot of potential renters. It is therefore important that you embrace the quirks and accentuate the beauty of this unique space. The exposed original brickwork of a Victorian factory can make for stunning feature walls, for instance, and you may want to highlight this by inserting industrial style ceiling light fittings. On the other hand, you might feel that an exposed ventilation system looks too industrial in a residential setting, and decide to cover this with a ceiling.
Windows
Windows are incredibly important in a residential property to ensure that enough natural sunlight penetrates for a light-filled space, and many commercial properties have unique windows systems for you to take advantage of. For instance, a former shop might have stunning period shop window fronts, but consider ways that you can ensure your privacy whilst making the most of these windows. A Victorian factory might have the original windows, but consider how they fit in with the apartment layouts to ensure that each apartment has adequate window access to natural light. You may also have to renovate and repair your windows to ensure that they are fit for residential use. Glazing Renovations provides renovations and maintenance work on commercial properties, such as double glazing repairs, to ensure that your windows are insulated to residential standards.
Safety considerations
Commercial properties were not designed for residential purposes, being built to a whole different set of specifications. It is therefore important that you do not cut corners when looking at the safety considerations for converting a property to residential use. For instance, noise and fire safety standards might affect the required thickness of interior walls. Furthermore, many commercial properties built prior to the year 2000 used asbestos as an insulation material in anything from ceiling tiles to cavity insulation. As this material has since been proven to be a major carcinogen, it is essential that you bring in an asbestos removal specialist to safely extract any remaining asbestos from the building and replace it with a safer insulation alternative, before you go ahead and convert to a residential property.