Whole House Renovations and Whole House Remodels

Whole House Projects are Major Remodeling Efforts

While some people use the terms whole house renovation, whole house remodel, and home restoration interchangeably, they mean different things. So it’s helpful to know the difference when selecting a contractor, because in some cases, renovating and remodeling require different sets of skills.

Metro Building and Remodeling Group is skilled and experienced in both whole house remodeling and whole house renovations.

How Whole House “Renovations” and “Remodels” Differ

Whole House Renovation

Generally speaking, a renovation does not include major structural changes. Whole house renovations are useful when your home is older, but you still like its size and general layout. The home just needs to be “renovated” meaning repaired and modernized. This usually involves a new kitchen, bathrooms, often time new wiring, plumbing, fixing of structural defects, new windows, new roof, etc.

Whole House Remodel

Whole house remodels, on the other hand, do include structural changes. This calls for more design work, making changes to the sizes and shapes of rooms, adding more rooms, modernizing your home and changing the way your home looks, feels, and works.

And There are Combination Projects

Many whole-house projects are combinations of whole house renovations and whole house remodels.

Why Consider a Whole House Renovation or Remodel?

First, if you think you need a whole house remodel or whole house renovation, you may want to also consider if it is better to move or remodel.

Whole house remodels and renovations are ideal for situations like:

• You love your neighborhood and home, but your home either needs modernization, you need more room, or a different configuration of rooms.
• You love your neighborhood and would move to another home in the area, but can’t find one you like.
• You’ve been looking to move into a neighborhood but can’t find a home you feel is exactly right for you. However, you find one that is close but needs major renovation or remodeling to make it perfect.
• You find a home on a nice piece of property, in an area that you want to move to, but the house is nowhere near what you want. You could knock it down and build a new one. BUT, if you do this your taxes will go up a great deal more than if you do a whole house remodel, or you will need to conform to more current building or zoning requirements you may not need to if you are renovating or remodeling the existing home.
• Housing and land prices have become high enough in your area that it is more economical to do a whole house remodel or renovation than buy a new home, especially considering the costs of moving.

What’s Involved in A Whole House Project

Because of the size and scope of whole house renovations and remodels, they require much more planning and design considerations than other types of remodeling projects. Whole house projects are also more complex to manage. Therefore you need to be more careful when selecting a remodeling contractor for the project. Not all remodeling companies can properly manage a whole house remodel or renovation.

Planning & Design

Whole house remodels offer you the opportunity to rework every part of your home. You can change any part of your home that is not working for you. You can go beyond having your dream kitchen or master suite, you can have your dream home. You can reimagine your home to fit you perfectly now and take into consideration how you will use your home down the road. For example, when your kids go off to college, if you expect to have an older parent move in with you at some point, or if you wish to live in your home as long as possible you could do things like install curbless showers.

Construction

Living in your home during most types of remodeling projects is usually easy. It’s also possible to live in your home during some whole house renovations or remodels, but not always. Whole house remodels and renovations can be done faster and sometimes less expensively (project cost wise) if no one is living in your home at the time and more so if your home is empty. However, moving your things to a temporary home or into storage and the rental of home or apartment to live in during the project will need to be factored into your cost considerations.

We can assist you with information and advice, helping you more easily decide what makes sense for your project.

Costs

Because of the size and scope of most whole house remodels and renovations, they tend to cost more than most other types of remodeling projects. What a whole house renovation or remodel costs is based on many things such as size, configuration, and condition of the home. It can vary depending on whether the project is a renovation, remodel, or combination project. Other factors include the level of finishes, products that will go into the home, the quality of design, quality of construction, quality of construction materials used and more.

The best way to determine the likely costs of the whole house project you are considering is to talk to the company that will do the work. After discussing the general scope and nature of the project, they should be able to give you an idea of the projects likely cost range.

Hiring the Right Remodeling Firm is Critical

Arguably the single most important decision you make that determines how smoothly and successful your whole house project turns out is the remodeling company you select.

Key Differences When Selecting A Whole House Remodeling or Renovation Contractor

Large vs. Smaller Remodeling Projects: Whole house remodeling and renovation requires significantly more planning, management, and tradecraft skills than for any other type of home remodeling project.

Whole House Remodeling vs Renovation Projects: While there are commonly needed skill sets for renovation and remodeling, there are some skill sets and expertise needed for each type of project that are unique.

For example:

• Remodeling requires more structural, layout and design work than renovation projects.
• Renovation work, often done on older homes, requires more expertise with issues such as water damage, mold, lead paint removal, wood rot, foundation repair, outdated electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems.

Many remodeling companies are not equipped, skilled or experienced enough to easily plan, develop, manage, and successfully complete both whole house renovations and remodels. If a contractor you are considering mostly does one type of work, you shouldn’t assume they will be as good at the other.

Metro Building and Remodeling Group prides itself on being well qualified for whole house renovations and whole house remodels.