Sometimes, what starts as the dream of a home remodel must shapeshift into something more like a full renovation or rebuild. Those factors include things like existing structural rot or damage, continuity of craftsmanship, and short-term versus long-term investment reality.
The most essential step is trusting your local contractor. This is a big decision. You don’t want to err by moving forward with a remodel when you should have rebuilt – or vice versa. Experienced, reliable, and trustworthy advice is a must.
4 Reasons Your Contractor May Recommend Rebuilding
Several things drive a shift from remodeling to rebuilding, the most compelling of which are structural issues or damage that is so severe there is no way back. However, other scenarios also lend themselves to a larger project than originally intended.
The following are four common reasons we’d recommend considering revamping home remodeling plans into something closer to a tear-down and rebuild.
1. Existing Structural Issues Demand it
Older homes are often so poorly built or maintained that we simply can’t work with the existing structural conditions. This is especially true for older homes in up-and-coming areas where previous storm or flood damage was left unrepaired or the repairs weren’t completed to standard building codes.
If structural damage to the foundation, support systems, or significant home systems is such that everything needs to be replaced, it’s time to revisit the drawing board. Unfortunately, the amount it would cost you to move forward with remodeling plans is probably steep enough that you might as well tear it all out, start from scratch, and instantly gain your extra investment back in a high-quality, well-built home.
2. Your Remodel Involves an Addition to an Older Home
Again, older homes present their own secret stash of “unknowns” that can’t be fully predicted until we begin demolition. If you’re planning a stunning addition, but we find the structural or building materials used in the existing home are sub-par or need to be replaced, we might recommend demoing more than you originally planned to start over and rebuild from scratch.
Here, we return to the premise of building codes. If the prior home doesn’t meet the current building code, an addition may not be as simple as you originally thought. Houses aren’t like legos, where pieces are easily snapped on and off. Instead, parts and systems interconnect. Therefore, we can’t connect new high-quality plumbing, electrical, audio/video, HVAC system equipment, or high-quality building materials/fixtures to outdated or illegally installed predecessors.
Similarly, if we come across previous fire or water damage that wasn’t repaired to code, we can’t ignore that and continue on. So at this point, we’ll stop and check in – offering renovation or rebuild options that make more sense.
3. It Makes More Financial Sense
Speaking of making sense, fiscal sense is another priority. The local DeLand and greater Volusia county real estate markets remain strong. When this is the case, it’s potentially wiser to invest more than originally planned in a rebuild or major renovation than it does to remodel. This is especially true if the home’s current orientation doesn’t really work with the way you want to expand/ upgrade, or when the current home doesn’t reasonably accommodate your plan’s most desirable home trends or features.
If you’re going to great lengths to design a remodel that matches today’s building and real estate trends while simultaneously trying to hold on to older, outdated, or poorly functioning “bones,” you are probably better off taking a bigger-picture approach. Work with a design-build team that can help you re-envision how a new home might look on the same lot.
4. You Want a 100% Fresh Start
Some people cherish the nostalgic, patchwork quilt effect gained by artistically maintaining a historic or vintage home with modern updates and conveniences. Not surprisingly, this is most often the case when the home was excellently built in the first place. Solid craftsmanship is always respected, even decades down the road.
However, we also have clients who’ve inherited a rundown home or taken advantage of fixer-upper status to gain a larger lot size. In this case, they are far more open to starting over from scratch, eliminating the need to design home remodeling plans that accommodate existing features. If you’re ready for a fresh start, rebuilding takes “compromise” or “concession” out of the equation, allowing you to dream bigger than you might have otherwise.
The Fogle Team Is Here to Provide Experienced Recommendations
Are you on the fence about whether to move forward with a home remodeling project or swap it out for a rebuild? The experienced team at Fogle Constructors is here to support your process. Give us a call at 386-279-0901 to schedule a consultation onsite or in our office. Let’s start discussing the possibilities.
