As life progresses, lifestyles change and so do our housing needs. A single bedroom home, which once sufficed, may not be enough to meet the growing needs of your family. Or maybe you’ve just grown bored of your old house, and you seek to live in a home that better represents your current style.
The biggest question that homeowners are faced with when they’re deciding to make changes to their home – is if they should renovate their home or if they should knock it down entirely and construct a new one. Sadly, it’s not a simple answer, and also the size of your budget isn’t going to fully determine one solution over the other. Here are the pluses and minuses of remodeling vs. a complete rebuild:
The case for remodeling
- You may already have the space you need to make the changes you want
Say you have a large and unused attic. Instead of letting it go to waste, you can have it changed and make it a spare bedroom or an office space or a library. Similarly, a large backyard can be renovated to fit new additions that may satisfy your desires. You can build a conservatory or a swimming pool, for example, and that might be enough to make you feel more “at home.”
- Your looking to only accommodate a few critical changes.
Sometimes certain areas of the house require improvements, while others don’t. For example, as your family grows, you may need a larger bathroom or number of bedrooms to accommodate everyone’s needs. A complete rebuild is unnecessary here since only particular areas of the house need work.
- You can completely remodel the outside without affecting the interior.
Are you mostly dissatisfied with how your home looks from the curb? If so, then remodeling is likely your answer. Is your driveway too short? Would you like water features installed in your garden? Home remodeling is the best way to work on the outside, without affecting the inside of the house. Similarly, if you want to re-do your roofing or change your house’s outdated appearance with some well-planned improvements, home remodeling gives you the opportunity to redesign your home, without affecting the interiors and a need to vacate until construction is finished.
- You can retain loving memories without having them destroyed
You may want to live in a differently-designed house in the future. But you may also be hesitant to leave behind (or destroy) memories of the past. Home remodeling allows you to make the home improvements you want, without forgoing the original design and personality of the house.
- Remodeling in many cases saves more money is the short-term.
Let’s face it. Rebuilding is expensive. You’re build a brand new custom home, and that takes a large capital investment. With remodeling it’s usually a much more feasible option. You can save a lot of money with a remodel in many cases compared to rebuilding a home, but like with anything, there are pros and cons for either choice.
The case for rebuilding
- Design the house of your dreams
A home is a reflection of who you are and what is important to you. Home rebuilding can give you the freedom and space to express this creativity.
Unlike remodeling, which can be quite inflexible, a rebuild of your home allows you to incorporate even the quirkiest or the most simplistic of designs. Your ideas can come to life with a full rebuild, with little to no strings attached.
- You can build in preparation for the future
You may plan to have kids in the future. You may plan to rent your home out to tenants. You may plan to start a business, right at your home. Whatever your plans, you will require space to accommodate people and things. Although a remodel can fulfill some of these changes, but starting out with a blank canvas can, in many cases, can better accommodate these plans more so than retrofitting an older home.
If you feel that the existing layout of your home does not support your future plans, tearing your house down entirely and having a custom-designed home built, can be the easiest and most inexpensive way of getting your home ready for the future.
- You don’t have to be confined to making minor changes
A home remodel can be restrictive in terms of what you can and can’t do. You may have to forgo a part of your long-cherished plans, to accommodate others. If you don’t wish to renounce your ideas, you may be forced to cram-in more rooms in a limited space.
A complete knock-down and rebuild prevent this from happening. Rebuilding a house grants you all the freedom you need to plan and implement even the most drastic home makeovers.
- You can rectify past construction mistakes and legal transgressions
Imagine that your house doesn’t meet legal housing construction requirements. Somewhere along the line, these transgressions may get you into trouble with the authorities. A home rebuild can protect you from such an eventuality.
Now you can build a brand-new home from scratch and ensure that you meet all legal requirements.
- You can save money
If you’re planning on improving the structural integrity of the house, then remodeling may be more expensive than a knockdown re-build. In these cases, a remodeling project would involve partially knocking-down the house, remodeling the foundation and re-building that part of the house. This can get pricey, fast!
Instead, a total rebuild can help you make significant savings by giving you the opportunity to build a structurally sound house from-scratch.
- Your curb appeal can improve a lot more.
Finally, a knock-down and complete rebuild give you the opportunity to create brand new memories by building a home that is elegant, spacious, well-planned and beautiful. While a remodeled part of the house may at times look out-of-place compared to the rest of the house. With a completely rebuilt home, you will not have those problems.
Remodeling vs. Rebuilding: Which is the right choice for you?
Both remodeling and rebuilding have their perks. If you are unsure of which option to choose, please feel free to contact the team at Envision Custom Homes for assistance. We have over 16 years of experience building custom-designed homes, and we can help you make the right choice.