Can you stay where you are and restore your current home or would you proceed to a different, possibly newer, home? How can you make that decision? Some will counsel you to leave that old home and buy something new. Others will say to tear it down and build brand new, while others will inform you to stay and remodel.
So just how can you create that go or no-go decision? What standards do you use to create a rational decision to stay put and renovate or proceed?
Below are some questions to ask yourself. Your replies will certainly help you choose your next move.
Dennison and Dampier Interior Design
How do you feel about your neighborhood? Is it a place you like? What about the neighbors? What about conveniences? Are you happy your children visit the local schools?
In sum, ensure the neighborhood is the right fit. Take to heart the old adage that you could always fix a home but you can not fix a locality.
Duo Dickinson, architect
Can there be some intangible quality to your house? Whilst not every home has a value beyond just offering refuge, many do. Whether it’s age or design or some other quality, a house that’s significance should not be subjected to the wrecking ball. Expanding, adapting and renovating these houses are certain ways to keep that significance alive for future generations.
Beckwith Group
Does renovating make fiscal sense? You will find a whole slew of factors to weigh when it comes to this question. If you’re renovating, there is not only the price of these renovations. There might very well be related costs, such as temporary living quarters while the home is under construction.
Additional costs will also be associated with moving (for instance, Realtor fees and decorating the new home).
Deciding whether to go or stay requires that you identify all the costs, not only the construction costs, before making a decision.
Before Photo
Northworks Architects and Planners
Does the existing home have good bones? Not every home is a good candidate for a renovation. While there could be a reason to reconstruct an older classic barn that is full of memories, a 20-year-old tract home with a failing base or another substantial flaw might not be a good candidate. So be certain that you check, or have a professional check, the bones of your home to see exactly what lies under those base cracks and less-than-level floors.
Howell Custom Building Group
How does the latest zoning restrictions affect the project? If your home is old, it might have been built under different, often more lax, zoning limitations.
While your home may suit you better throughout the benefits of those laxer limitations, a new home in its location might not. Evaluate elevation, distance to property lines, yard dimensions and so on to determine if saving the existing structure provides some benefits that would be lost if the home were razed.
Chang + Sylligardos Architects
Can I be patient and have fun with the project even when it is not going well? In any case, building a new custom home or renovating your current home will require you to make hundreds of choices. From the macro, like just how large and how much, to the micro, like exactly what hardware you would like on the kitchen cabinets, you are going to spend hundreds of hours on and elsewhere exploring what you like and what is available. If you’re new at this, you’ll probably wish to have a professional assist you every step along the way, so you can prevent “We should have done … ” or “Why did we …?”
Being patient is key. And beginning at the perfect location for you — if it is where you’re or someplace new — will produce the end result truly worth the journey.
More: When to stay or go during a remodel