If you are considering remodeling a specific room – maybe a kitchen or bathroom – there are good reasons to consider a whole house remodel while you’re at it.
When doing any construction on your home, timing is key. It might make sense to do multiple remodels over time to get your place dialed in, but there are several compelling reasons to consider doing a whole house remodel now rather than doing individual remodels over time. That might seem like a daunting prospect – it will take more time, cost more money, and create more disruption in your daily life – but it could also save you a lot of money and frustration in the long run.
One Loan
While it might seem more logical to take out several small loans and pay them off before moving on to the next, there are plenty of reasons that you may want to invest in one larger loan now. To begin with, interest rates change. The average interest rate on September 7, 2017, was 3.78-percent, but on July 13, it was 4.03-percent. That is a significant shift.
The rate you can secure now may be better than the one you can secure in the future. Taking out multiple loans can also affect your credit (depending on the way you structure your loan and where you secure it from), so financially it might make sense to just take on one loan now at a rate you are comfortable with. Plus, if there is something you are putting off that needs to be addressed for safety or functionality (something like plumbing, for example), you may not have the luxury of waiting until your previous loan is paid off.
Improve Your Home Value
While any significant improvements to your property should help to raise the value of your home, doing a whole house remodel will raise the value more than minor improvements can. If you are selling your home and you can take your time to get the best price (and you have the means), a whole house remodel should be a given anyway. The costs of a complete remodel should easily be offset by the additional value it adds to your home.
Save Money in the Long Run
Of all the reasons to do a whole house remodel rather than remodeling piecemeal, the best reason may be the simplest: in the long run, it will save you money.
While the overall cost of a whole house remodel will, of course, be higher than a single room remodel, there are huge potential savings in doing it all at once. For example, if you are doing any remodeling that involves water – say you are installing new sinks or putting in a shower – it will cost you less to rework any and all plumbing at one time rather than having new plumbing in the kitchen and then updating the bathroom plumbing at another time. You may also find your house’s plumbing is out of date and needs to be replaced sooner or later. If that is the case, it will be significantly easier to do it while the whole house is undergoing work as opposed to doing it piece by piece.
You will also save on materials. It’s less expensive to buy in bulk at one time rather than purchasing materials several times. The delivery alone will lead to significant savings. Plus, doing a single, major remodel now will save you time in the future. You may need to leave your house for a short time depending on where the remodeling is occurring, so it’s easier to leave once than multiple times over multiple remodels.
Plan for the Future
One advantage of doing a whole house remodel now is that it can save you money and aggravation in the future when you need to make accommodations for age and mobility. By incorporating universal design now, you can be prepared for anything. If you plan to spend the rest of your life in your current house, it’s smart to prepare for your changes in mobility early on.
Widening your doorways, making it easier to access closets, and increasing the options in your bathroom will be nice for you now, but it might be vital later. Even if you hope to retire somewhere far away, incorporating universal design can increase the value of your house.
Beyond that, by doing a complete remodel now, you can also prepare for the future in terms of coming technologies. For example, it makes sense to reinforce your roof just for safety, but you may need to do it anyway if you want to add solar panels at some point. You may also want to consider including more electrical outlets, easier access to hidden areas for wiring, and more.
Make Your House More Energy Efficient
If you are considering a whole house remodel, be sure to make it as energy efficient as possible. Materials used in construction today may look the same as those used 20 years ago, but there have been significant advancements in everything from appliances to materials.
New windows can keep your home warmer or colder depending on the time of year, which will increase your comfort and also lower your heating/cooling bills. The same is true of modern insulation, and adding something like a modern dishwasher and/or new thermostat could lower your electric bill.
And speaking of your electric bill, you may want to consider doing some rewiring while remodeling is underway. It will be easier for an electrician to access the wiring while work is underway. Upgrading your electrical system could save you money and make your house safer.
Zoning
Dealing with local bureaucracies in order to obtain permits can be a headache if you aren’t experienced in dealing with the red tape, and doing it multiple times over the course of several remodels can be a nightmare – even if you have someone helping you along.
Doing a whole house remodel now means that you just need to deal with the zoning issues once. You may still need several permits, but obtaining them all at once is going to be a minor inconvenience as opposed to a lifetime of annoyances.
Contact a Contractor Now
Before you make any decisions, contact Contact Fleschner Construction today and weigh all of your options. You may find that a whole house remodel will be the best option by far!