No matter how nice and tucked-in an old house looks, one thing is certain. The time will come when you will need to invest certain amount of money, in order to keep it going (not literally, house cannot go anywhere). There are two ways to do that. Either do it yourself, or hire a professional. Both of those solutions are plausible, and the only thing that is left is to see which suits you better.
Plan
First thing you will need is to set up a good plan on what are you considering to do. By doing so, you will have pretty clear image on whether you can handle it yourself, or some professional help is required. Also, some forgotten things may come up, so going over the whole process is always a good thing. In general, when you are planning on how much material and tools you are going to need, always take at least 10 percent more, just for safety.
Time
One of the most important things you simply must take into consideration is time. People who are working, or have some obligations which cannot be postponed, it would be wiser to hire a company for this works. But, if you can manage your time in a correct manner, or planned works can be done in several turns, you could work on weekends. Professionals will do all the work at once, without your engagement, but will cost money, so decision is up to you.
Money
How much will renovation cost, depends on how much work there is to do. Naturally, the more works there is, it will require more investment, and vice versa. Also, material required will cost you either way, and while you can find some new supplier with great quality, renovation companies are doing that much faster, thus releasing you from an obligation. As with the material, you must also take into consideration a bit more money. It happens that some of the problems surface when renovating process starts, so you will need that extra money, in case of emergency.
Experience
To avoid ruining your house, or hurt yourself and/or others, you must be sure that you have required level of expertise and knowledge about what are you doing. Those areas and renovations which include electricity, water and other appliances are highly risky, so unless you are highly trained professional, the best way to handle this is to hire a pro. Those people know exactly what they are doing, so you do not need to worry. In addition, when you are hiring people for this job, always take into consideration their level of experience. The more they have it, that is better for you, but again, the price will be higher as well.
Equipment and Safety
Naturally, you will need some tools to work with. Quality is of your highest concerns, but there is also a question of making your work easier. For example, if you are renewing your roof, instead of climbing a ladder every time, and risking to fall, think about obtaining elevated work platform. This asset makes it easier to carry tools and material upward, and is also much safer than ladder. Though it might be slower, this is due to caution of the man operating it. And eventually, it is much harder to fall out from its basket, than from a ladder.
To conclude everything, the only thing which really matters is for you to have determination, plan and goal. All the rest can be adjusted and reshaped. In the end, if you are pleased with the result, your goal is achieved.