Depending on the age of your home, it is not uncommon for walls to not be perfectly square, or surfaces to be perfectly level. This is often one of the biggest challenges when remodeling an old home, especially the kitchen. In older homes, the cabinets were often build specifically for the space, so you will often find that modern cabinets (which should be square and level) will not fit exactly right. It is amazing how fat off surfaces can be and you won't notice it until you try to remodel.



In one of the houses that I was remodeling, the floor was off by a staggering 5" from one end of the room to the other... I had to level the floor before I could even think about adding anything new. When it comes to older homes, it is often recommended that you hire a professional that has experience in dealing with the oddities that come along with older homes. They will often know how to correct or even mask some of the common problems you will run into. Below are some of the common problems you will run into with older homes-

Uneven floors- this is can be from a combination of things. The house could have settled, which created an uneven floor, the floor joints could be rotting, or it could be the way it is built. This can be an expensive repair which is not recommended for a novice.

Walls that are not perfectly square- even in newer homes it is not uncommon to find walls that are not square, but this is especially true in older homes. This often makes it difficult to make matching repairs, or install cabinets, windows, etc. For cabinets, you will often have to shim the cabinets so that they are even. Installing new windows can often be difficult of the wall is not even, so some creativity may be needed.

So when you are thinking about remodeling an older home, be prepared for the challenges you might face.