Remodeling vs. Building New-Ongoing Discussion

This morning I was called in for a consult on a home recently purchased by  a person who was originally interested in a new home. The discussion we had reminded me of the ongoing debate of “new vs. used” and when it’s a good idea to buy and remodel and when it isn’t. When you buy an older home with an eye towards updating it or adapting it, it is crucial to keep in mind that the history of what has already been done in and with the home is going to severely limit your reasonable (note the term “reasonable”- we can do anything when there’s an unlimited budget!) options for making your changes. How plumbing was run, beams, ductwork, electrical wiring,framing, and finishes will all have an impact- and none of those things were installed thinking about what YOU might want, way after they were installed. When we design and build you a new home, we design and build it around what YOU want-not someone else. You get what YOU want right off the bat- not the adopted compromise based on what we might be able to wrangle out of a pre-existing set of conditions. So, if you really want that older home, but are thinking of making significant changes to it-talk to you builder first about what might be involved, and how feasible your changes are relative to your budget. It’s no fun finding out after you’ve bought something that features you really want or even need are going to cost a lot more than you bargained for!