Removing your tired old house and re-building can help maximise the value of your property AND give you the home you have always wanted.
Let’s demolish a myth about renovating
Myth: Renovating is easier, quicker and cheaper than designing a new home.
After all, it’s easy to think that it’s simply a matter of building on what you’ve already got. Surely that saves time and money? This can be true in some cases, but not always. There are plenty of advantages if you choose to remove an old home and build a new one.
Fact: It can be better to knock down than to do up.
Renovating is very popular in New Zealand. We’re not exactly a nation of renovators, but the idea of doing up a home is pretty ingrained in our thinking. These days, more and more Kiwis are coming around to the idea that rebuilding a home can be a better alternative. It adds real value, and you can get a home built around you.
Renovating means you have to accept some compromises. But if you remove the old place and start again, you can start with a clean slate – and a clean section. You can build the home you really want, without being constrained by the existing building.
Remove hidden home costs
No one ever knows quite what is going to be uncovered during a reno: rotting timber, poor construction, and worse. Why build a contingency into the budget for unexpected costs and hope for the best? When you build new, you get rid of the unknowns.
Releasing value by subdividing
Tired of maintaining that quarter-acre section when you only use half of it?
As the novelty of the quarter-acre Kiwi dream wears off, subdividing can be a way of getting your weekends back while cashing in on the equity you have developed. You can build yourself a new home exactly as you want it and have the option to build and sell/rent the second dwelling or simply sell the remaining vacant lot.
Get a style you love
If you love the style of an old house, you can knock it down and recreate it, or get a look that’s inspired by it, whether it’s a turn-of-the-century villa, art deco masterpiece or classic Kiwi bach. You can have the style you want with the advantages of a modern home.
Healthy and comfortable home
It’s a simple fact that the latest homes are healthier to live in – better for older people, better for kids, better for everyone. Double glazing, proper insulation, and sited to make the most of the sun, you simply won’t know yourself in a nice new home! And what’s more, your energy bills will be a lot less.
Longer life
Today’s building technology, techniques and materials are so sophisticated that, in the hands of an expert, a modern home is built to last. Take advantage of the best of modern design thinking and the latest construction techniques – not to mention earthquake strengthening.
Cutting the costs
It’s easy to assume that a new home is probably going to cost more than a renovation. The reality is that building a new home can be far more cost-effective. A renovation can take longer and cost more per square metre than a rebuild.