Renovate or build new?

Many ask us whether they should renovate their existing house or demolish and build new. It is a choice that concerns both reason and feelings, about what is economically wise and what in the end will be best.

Preserving and carefully developing what already exists is appealing. Often the original house stands in the best spot on the plot and that special feeling of the countryside has settled into the walls. If you can live with the house's basic form and only renovate the surfaces, our advice is always to keep it. Sanded and oiled floors and new paint can change the overall impression more than you might expect.

At the same time, many older houses need more thorough renovation. The roof won't last many more years, the insulation in walls and floors is poor and the windows are draughty. The bathroom has seen its best days and the kitchen is too cramped.

However, making more extensive investments than the original house's construction can handle risks becoming an expensive affair. Adding insulation rarely looks good, if it is even possible. Installing modern windows in a thin structure does not work without reinforcements. Having a nice bathroom and kitchen built in a house where the structure, electrics and plumbing do not meet the standards unfortunately often means throwing money away.

If you have an older house with sentimental value, our experience is that it is best to live with it as it is and freshen up the surfaces. If you need larger spaces and a new bathroom and kitchen it is better to build a new house next to it. It can stand separately or be connected to the existing one, perhaps with a shared entrance. We often create solutions where we add a new house to the old one – either in the same style or deliberately contrasting – and tie them together in a pleasing way.

If the original house lacks significant emotional value it is wiser to start from scratch with a new house than to carry out extensive renovations – such as replacing the roof, glass sections, adding insulation and building new wet rooms. A renovation rarely allows a fixed price because you discover new things as parts of the house are torn down. It usually costs more, and often much more, than you expected. With a new house you can get a fixed price from the start and you can design it freely according to your taste and the plot's conditions.