It is no secret that renovations can increase the value of your home. Structural renovations, however, can have a much greater impact than a simple cosmetic refresh. By completing structural renovations on your home, you have the opportunity to address and resolve ongoing issues that you may not even be aware of.
Read on to find out the advantages of completing structural renovations on your home and why you should consider it today.
The Difference between a cosmetic renovation and a structural renovation
Before we get into the advantages of a structural renovation, we should probably explain what the difference is between a structural renovation and a cosmetic renovation. There’s a big difference.
Structure renovations involve changing the overall structure of the home. This could mean moving walls, removing walls, changing window and door locations, extending the home out and extending the home up. Anything that involves changing the foundations or the framing or the roof of a home would be considered a structural renovation.
Cosmetic renovations, on the other hand, are not as intense as a structural renovation can be. Cosmetic renovations can simply be a refresh of the visual elements of the home. This could include things like replacing the kitchen, redoing the bathroom, updating the floor finishes, painting and so on. Anything that changes the look of the home but doesn’t impact the structural elements would be classed as a cosmetic renovation.
Now that we’ve made it clear, let’s move on to the advantages a structural renovation can have on your home.
1. Structural renovations can give you more space
Space is one of the first things that people look for when looking for a home. If you have the opportunity to add extra space during a renovation then it’s definitely worthwhile considering.
Structural renovations give you the perfect opportunity to add more space. Particularly to areas that need it the most. This could mean increasing the floor space in an existing room by moving a wall, adding on extra rooms through an extension or addition or adding on a second story.
It also means adding small storage to spaces that wouldn’t ordinarily have it. Adding storage to bulkheads or adding built-in storage to living areas is a great way to increase the liveability of your home while renovating.
I don’t think we’ve ever heard a person in history say ‘We really don’t need any more space or storage’. Have you?
2. Structural renovations can lead to a better layout
We see this often in older homes during our renovation consultations. Sometimes the size of the home is fine, but the layout of the home makes it appear smaller than it is and frustrating to navigate for the occupants. If you have a home that’s on the older side then a structure renovation is quite possibly going to do it the world of good in regard to the layout.
How people lived years ago compared to how we live today is almost chalk and cheese. So, it’s fair to say that if your home is not from this era, it is probably not going to perfectly suit the lifestyle that you are living.
Older homes often have small separate rooms that were built for a purpose. For example, your home may have a formal lounge and dining area that doesn’t get used, or worse, has become a storage area for everything else in your life that doesn’t really fit anywhere else. (Yes, I’m talking about the treadmill that is currently living its best life as a clothes horse.)
Our lifestyles today are more relaxed so we no longer want or need these spaces. What homes today need are universal spaces that can adapt to different activities. Open flowing floor plans that allow for a better connection with each other and areas, rather than dedicated rooms, that transition seamlessly from one to the other.
Completing a structure renovation gives you the opportunity to assess the current floor plan in your home, determine what is working and what is not and adjust the structure to suit.
This could mean combining rooms to create bigger spaces, relocating openings and doorways for a better flow throughout the house, or relocating rooms from one area of the house to another. For example, you might move your kitchen from one side of the house to the other or move the living areas from the front of the house to the back to make better use of the light and solar orientation.
If you’re not sure what is possible, it’s definitely worthwhile getting a professional renovation builder out to provide advice and feedback on your options.
3. Structural renovations can increase energy efficiency
While we’re not going to deny that cosmetic renovations provide the opportunity to add energy-efficient features to the home (solar panels and water tanks are just some of the options here), structural renovations allow you to go that step further and add energy-efficient features to the structure of the home.
Insulation is one of the main energy-efficient features that you can add while you’re undertaking a structural renovation. A lot of older homes didn’t have the insulating products that we have today, so a major renovation is a perfect opportunity to see what new products are on the market and incorporate them into your home.
During a structural renovation, it would also be a good time to assess your window and door locations and potentially move them to allow for greater cross ventilation throughout the home. Even the smallest change to an opening can have a significant impact on your heating and cooling costs.
4. Adjusting the structure of your home can add market appeal
Renovations, when done right, can add significant value to your home. However, it’s not just the financial value we are talking about. It’s the market appeal that holds the real value. A home that has a good floor plan, a better flow overall and is more suited to our modern lifestyles is going to be more appealing to any buyer than a similar home in the same area that doesn’t have a good layout.
You know what they say… Kitchens and bathrooms sell houses. We say the layout also helps.
5. Structural renovations can give you a better lifestyle
As we touched on earlier, older homes were designed and built to meet the lifestyle of people in previous eras. As we evolve so do our living patterns and often our homes don’t keep up.
If you have an older style home then a structural renovation will give you the opportunity to design the space to fit to better fit your lifestyle now. And, if done right, a structural renovation can not only complement the existing elements of the home but enhance them.
A thoughtful and respectful renovation of a character or heritage home will combine the features of both modern living and old-world charm. There is absolutely no need to give up one in favour of the other. When it comes to heritage renovations, you can have the best of both worlds.
Will completing a structural renovation on your home improve your life?
If you’re longing to give your home a major overhaul but you’re not sure what your options are or what is even possible for your home, then your first step is to speak to a renovation specialist. We have seen it all and can talk you through all the opportunities and scenarios available for your home.
Walkom Constructions offers renovation consultations that are designed to answer all your questions, give you relevant information specific to your home and address any concerns you may have. Our onsite consultations will help you decide if a structural renovation is right for you.
Simply call our office or complete our online form and one of our team members will get back to you to book you in for your own renovation consultation.