Refurbishment Or Demolition: When Is It Worth It?
Anyone who has ever done a home renovation knows that starting with it is a big decision, shaped by personal and economic factors. Can my property be renovated, or must it be demolished and completely rebuilt? Below you will find food for thought and a brief guide.
The basic considerations
First of all, there are two important things to consider: the cost factor and the health factor. Is it worth preserving the old building fabric, or is it cheaper to tear it down and build something completely new? Experience generally shows that it is cheaper to renovate and keep as much of the old building structure as possible. The disposal of building rubble and problematic materials is expensive, and the associated ancillary costs are high. However, if you want a basement, for example, there was none before, you have to demolish and rebuild it. Other benchmarks can be:
- Are pollutants like asbestos built into my old building, possibly from the post-war period?
- Do I have old, at worst lead-loaded water pipes?
- Is my house insulated and well glazed or a bottomless pit in terms of annual heating costs?
Good advice is (not very) expensive
The first step should, therefore, be: Establish contact with an appraiser, building experts, builders, or architects who will assess the overall situation. Such building screening costs, but it offers a crucial basis for targeted action. This saves you a lot of trouble and consequential costs later. After receiving the report, it is clarified whether a new building or renovation is more worthwhile or if there is no need for your own home – you want to offer the vacant building site for sale. In locations where building ground is in demand, this consideration is worthwhile.
Refurbishment on your own
Furthermore, be warned of the “dead renovation” of the house on their own. It is appealing to follow the do-it-yourself mentality and your creative drive – and for smaller projects, it is also much cheaper to work on your own. But be careful: the entire renovation project can become a proverbial construction site if you carry out large-scale construction work yourself without specialist know-how and may do more damage than good. You are also well-advised to get help from a specialist so that you don’t have to throw the house on the real estate market as a “hobbyist hit” at some point.
Avoid “building sins”
Another essential factor in renovations is the clarification of construction measures with the community. If you want to apply neon pink wall paint in a listed old town location, limits are quickly shown. Not every architectural style is possible for every location. Therefore, the following also applies here: Get important information beforehand.
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