Building & Remodeling

Building and remodeling can be a difficult choice to make for anyone in a home in need of repair (or a few improvements).  Contemplating purchasing another home to get the conveniences you are striving for is another option. Either way, it should be taken seriously as the money involved can run the gamut from affordable to downright unaffordable. Before one makes the decision on which way to go, you must first ask yourself (and your spouse) some questions.
Such as “Do I enjoy the floor plan of the home we currently live in?”, “Do I like the neighborhood where I reside and is the home located in a place in the city where I would like it to be?”. With just a few questions asked and answered, you can make the best financial choice for the long term. If you are planning on staying in the house for the long term, then a remodel is probably the most financially sound way to go. If you are not in for the long term, then a limited remodel would prove sound – either way, you must weigh the financial costs of each.
If the home has outlived its purpose in your eyes, then probably no amount of remodel will be sufficient for you. For instance, if the house is located too far from your work place, is too far from friends and family or is not located in the section of town you would prefer, then either purchasing another home or building a home is the way to go. With new home construction, a lot will need to be purchased and local codes and ordinances will dictate where on the lot the home can be built.
With either method, there are many considerations that will come into play that most people are unaware of, along with many professionals that are needed as well.  Plans will be needed to be drawn up (draftsman or architect) for either a remodel or new construction. Permits will need to be obtained from your local municipality. Contractors (“general contractors” and subcontractors (“tradesmen such as carpenters, plumbers, electricians etc.) will need to be hired. Before they are hired, each will provide you with a bid allowing you to determine who might be the least expensive.  But be careful, the least expensive is not always the best fit for a project.  Materials will need to be evaluated and purchased.
 With each method - remodel, purchasing another home or building a new one, there are things you can do to assure it is the best financial decision. Get multiple bids.  Most reputable contractors and builders will be happy to give you a bid, give you some great ideas and provide you with information to assist you in determining what is the best decision for you and your family. Once work has begun, it will need to be inspected for local code compliance by your municipality at different phases of the project.  This ensures that when the work is completed you have the end result you were looking for.