If you’re looking for a new place to call home, you’re probably in the process of weighing your options. You may be considering building a new, custom home. You may also be considering buying a fixer upper, making some basic renovations, moving in, and gradually working on renovating the rest. Unless your name is Chip or Joanna Gaines, you’ll probably be better off in the long run building anew. Here’s why.
1. Cost
If you have an old clunker of a car, and part of the engine breaks and needs to be replaced, you’ll need to weigh whether the cost of the repair will be worth it. If a vehicle isn’t worth very much money, costly repairs can often be imprudent.
While there’s no term like “totaled” for houses, it’s often much less expensive to build something new than to repair something that’s older and broken down. Additionally, repairs always cost more than you think they will, because once one problem is fixed, another is discovered.
2. Renovation frustrations
It’s true that building a new home can seem daunting, but that is nothing compared to the frustration you will have when you need to replace a piece of trim in the living room only to find that that piece of trim hasn’t been in stock for 20 years. In order for it to match, you’ll need to replace every piece of trim in your living room. Not only will renovations often cost more than you expect, they’ll also frequently generate more frustration than you expect.
3. Maintenance
Homes at any age require maintenance, but older homes require a little more oversight than new homes. There are more problems to watch for and more areas of concern. With new builds, you know your home’s entire history. You know what maintenance has been done and when, and you typically have fewer maintenance surprises.
4. Customization
When you’re building a new home, you’re able to customize every square inch of the home to fit your exact specifications. Always dreamed of floor-to-ceiling windows in your dining room? Your contractors can plan accordingly. With a renovation, you can still add some customizations, but they are more limited. Those same floor-to-ceiling windows may not be possible in a renovation, due to certain structural necessities.
5. Energy efficiency
If energy efficiency is a priority for you, building from the ground up is your best option for sure. By building, you can create a home that is energy efficient in every way, from a solar-powered water heater to energy-efficient windows. An Older home will be more challenging to become energy efficient. In addition to any wearing away of the insulation and other materials, it probably was not built with efficiencies in mind.
While we think building a custom home is better than buying a fixer upper, we’re here to support you no matter which option you choose. In the end, your home is your domain, and we’re here to give you the home of your dreams.
Ready to build your custom dream home? Check out the lots we have available, and give us a call.