Should you Renovate rather than Rebuild?

In today’s challenging economic and environmental landscape, homeowners face difficult decisions when it comes to upgrading their homes. The high cost of building materials, and the increased cost of borrowing capital make the prospect of building an entirely new home a daunting financial commitment. At the same time, global challenges such as climate change and predicted energy shortages are driving the need for more sustainable living solutions.

Renovating, rather than knocking down and rebuilding completely, offers a practical and cost-effective way to address these issues. By choosing to renovate, homeowners can mitigate some of the risk and financial pressures associated with new construction whilst still achieving their dream of a comfortable, liveable, efficient and beautiful home. Renovations and extensions allow for the preservation of existing structures, reducing the demand for new materials and the environmental impact of a full re-build. This approach not only helps in managing costs but also enables homeowners to create energy-efficient, sustainable spaces that align with modern living standards - without breaking the bank.

Below we explore some of the key factors that might guide your decision to renovate, focusing on the benefits of reducing size, retaining existing structures, improving energy efficiency, and creating more storage.

How to Reduce Size

One of the most compelling reasons to renovate rather than rebuild is the potential to reconsider what size home you really need. Sometimes efficient or better use of space is what you need rather than more space. Flexible design can allow for the use of a space to have multiple functions or to change over time reducing the overall number of rooms that you require.

Because when it comes to cost, smaller really is smarter. Rough costs of building or renovating can be calculated on a square metre rate, so the more square metres you have, the higher the cost. Rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens are the most expensive rooms to build due to the large number of trades usually required to build cabinetry, waterproof, tile, plumb, wire, caulk and glaze. So limiting the number of bathrooms can help to keep costs down.

In many cases, homeowners find that they do not need as much space as they initially thought they would. Renovating allows you to reconfigure your existing layout to better suit your current needs, whether it’s by creating an open-plan living area, adding a home office or maximising storage.

Smaller homes also require less energy to run and less energy to build so you are helping to reduce the environmental impact by building smaller. By carefully planning your renovation, you can avoid adding too much unnecessary space, leading to lower maintenance costs, increased energy efficiency, and a more sustainable lifestyle.

Retain and Re-use

Making the most of what you have and adding to it to improve and enhance what is already there can significantly improve the liveability of your home without the need to start over again. Renovating provides the opportunity to preserve the character and charm of an older home as well as retain the materials that went into building it, helping to avoid waste and reducing the likelihood of it ending up in landfill. A lot of homeowners cite lack of storage, dark, uncomfortable spaces, lack of connection between spaces or to outside and outdated kitchens and bathrooms as their main pain points when they start thinking about changing their home. All these things can be addressed in a renovation with some thoughtful design and planning.

Sometimes it is possible to move the functions around within a home to suit the orientation of the house better without adding extra floor space. If your living areas for example, are not on the sunny side of the building, perhaps there is an opportunity to relocate them to take advantage of a northerly aspect and move the functional areas such as the bathrooms and laundry to the south. Not only will this improve comfort and increase natural light, but it will improve the efficiency of heating and cooling.

Simply increasing the size of windows or adding windows to dark and under utilised rooms can give them a new lease of life. In our recent Oakleigh renovation pictured above, we moved an existing kitchen and lifted up the roof over a darker, south facing area, adding in highlight windows oriented east to bring in more daylight. This completely changed the perception of light and space and transformed the kitchen and dining areas without increasing their footprint.

Improve Energy Efficiency

Renovating your home provides an excellent opportunity to enhance it’s energy efficiency. You can improve the operational efficiency of your home with some simple sustainable retro-fit ideas. Adding insulation to the roof, under the floor and inside walls if possible (where plasterboard is being removed), replacing single glazed windows with thermally broken or timber double glazed units, and sealing up all the gaps and cracks will help reduce future running costs. You can also replace your heating and cooling system and appliances with more efficient models to assist with reducing future bills.

Increase Storage

Maximising the efficiency of the spaces is key to reducing the size and therefore the cost of your home. With thoughtful design, you can significantly increase your home’s storage capacity, making it more functional and organised without the need for a larger footprint. This approach not only improves your daily living experience but also adds value to your home by addressing one of the key concerns for future potential buyers.

Whilst built-in storage may be more expensive than off-the-shelf products (not always though), having this designed and built as part of your renovation or extension means that every space will be used to it's full potential. Quality cabinetry will stand the test of time and will ensure that you can achieve a functional transformation of your home without necessarily adding a lot to the size. Having a place for everything with a clever and efficient use of space can transform the way you live.

Conclusion

Choosing to renovate rather than rebuild is a decision that depends on various factors, including your budget, environmental considerations, and personal preferences. Renovation allows for flexibility, the opportunity to reconsider the size of home you need, retain and re-use existing materials, improve energy efficiency and create space saving, functional storage. Consulting with professionals, like the team at JDA Lammin Architects, can help you to make an informed decision that aligns with your vision and your needs.

By addressing your top pain points and understanding your priorities we can help you to find the opportunities that exist within your current home. If you want to explore this further, the first step to working with us is to request a consultation. If you think we are a good fit for your project we can book in a Discovery Session to delve into the particulars of your project in person at your home.