New Build vs. Remodel
There is no denying that building something from scratch with your own blood, sweat and tears is enthralling. Being able to craft every last detail to YOUR version of perfection is undeniably enticing. However the world we live in today is expensive! If you have the funds to design a house from the ground up with an architect, interior designer, structural engineer, civil engineer, geotechnical engineer, surveyor and laundry list of required permits, then by all means, go forth and conquer! But that is a list of professionals you will need to hire before you even get to the building stage of your project. Let’s talk about the benefits of revamping what you already own.
One of my favorite reasons to refresh what you own is that it is environmentally conscious. Building can create a lot of waste, especially if you are working with contractors that are not LEED certified and doing their best to harness green building practices. Even if your remodel is large scale, choosing to fix up what you already have is the first step of many that will eliminate waste.
A remodel will almost always be less expensive than a new build. Ok, if you want to tear your existing home down to the foundation you might be looking at a pricey remodel. But taking down walls, reconfiguring your space and turning your existing home into everything you ever dreamt it could be will save you money 99% of the time.
I find the challenge of reimagining an existing home into something fresh and entirely new to be much more creative than starting from scratch. We can mesh styles together to imagine something no one has ever seen before. Japandi meets art deco? Let’s give it a shot.
Despite all projects being an enormous undertaking, a remodel can be less of a headache than a new build. There are a lot of unforeseen speed bumps and delays that come along with new construction projects, and often hidden costs.
Sentimental value. Mine and my husband’s house is a borderline tiny house. For a long time we wanted to move into something bigger or design and build our own house. However we purchased our little home before we got married, so since living here we have gotten engaged, married, I gave birth to my daughter there, and we buried our dog in the back yard. It may be close quarters, but I can’t imagine us living anywhere else. We just purchased all new windows to replace the existing single paned and we will be staining our cedar siding before installing it this summer. I want to see our home grow into everything we envision becoming.
There is nothing wrong with designing a new home, I dream of it often! But I do believe that remodeling what you already own, know and love has infinite benefits. If you have any questions about a remodel, I’m just a phone call away.
