Should You Remodel Your Current Home or Build a New One?

Depending on your situation, it may be in your best interest to either modify your current home to meet your family’s needs, or move to a brand-new house. There are definite pros and cons to both options, with available funds and time constraints topping the list of considerations. So, the question here is whether you should remodel your current home or look into custom building a new one. Read on for some thoughts from an experienced home remodeling contractor in Pennsylvania.

Reasons to remodel

There are many reasons why you might want to remodel your current home instead of moving or building a custom home. Here are a few:

• Make it what you want: Planning a home remodel means you get to change the things you don’t like or that need to be improved, meaning you get to choose features and upgrades to suit your present needs. Need another bedroom for your growing family? A room addition in an open space is a more affordable option compared to designing an entirely new house.
• No need to sell and move: Remodeling any part of a house will cost money, but it’s less costly than having to pay for realtor commissions, moving costs and a new mortgage. Unless your current house needs to be gutted and rebuilt, remodeling is likely the better choice.
• Stay in a neighborhood you love: If your home is good overall but could use some updates and you love your current neighborhood, you should opt for a remodel. Other reasons to stay may include a good school district for your kids, or living near family and work. Being able to stay in the general area, if that’s what you want to do, is a huge benefit.

Reasons to build instead of remodel

Building a custom home offers some notable advantages over remodeling a current home. Here are two big ones:

• Not many surprise expenses: Remodeling an existing home could produce a list of unexpected expenses, which typically arise once the project is already underway. For example, tearing down a wall could expose electrical or plumbing issues that have to be addressed before the project can proceed. This can negatively impact your remodeling budget. When you custom build a home, nearly all expenses are accounted for before the start of the project, and the likelihood of surprises popping up is much lower.
• Custom builds are all-in-one: Custom home builders take the lead on every project from start to finish. This includes designing, permitting, excavating and final walkthroughs before move-in. But of course, the buyer is included in the decision making—this is important to building professionals. A custom build means you get exactly what you want, with all the specifications you desire for your dream home. You work with your builder throughout the process, on every aspect of the build.

Whether you want to move on a custom build or remodel your current home, WSL Incorporated will be with you from start to finish. Feel free to call us anytime to meet with a highly skilled custom home designer or home remodeling contractor in Pennsylvania!