Homeowners who find their house is no longer big enough to fit their family or their circumstances have changed and their home just doesn’t work as well as it should all face the same dilemma. To relocate or carry out renovations and house extensions.
As we grow and evolve, and our family and lifestyle grows and changes it’s natural that our existing dwellings become unsuitable for our needs. This is becoming increasingly common with more and more people working from home and multi-generations living together under one roof. It’s a dilemma that many Australian households face.
While relocating does have it’s benefits, there is a lot to be said for renovating and extending your home. In fact, it can be a pretty good option for many homeowners for these top five reasons.
1 – You Get to Stay in Your Neighbourhood
Being able to stay in your neighbourhood is a great reason to opt for house extensions over relocating. If you’ve lived in your neighbourhood for a long time, have developed relationships with your neighbours, become part of the community and you’re familiar with all the amenities around you, then it can be very hard to leave and start over in a new area.
The attachment you develop with your community can take years to foster and grow and should not be overlooked when looking to upgrade your home. It’s something that you don’t have to give up if you choose to stay where you are and adapt your home to suit your growing family’s needs.
If it’s going to make you super sad to leave your neighbourhood, then a home extension makes perfect sense.
2 – It Can Be a More Affordable Option
Budget is a huge factor when it comes to our homes, and trying to find the perfect home for our family that also fits within our budget can be a juggling act for many families. Selling and moving, on the face of it, may seem like the most straightforward and cost effective way to go, but when you actually break down the costs, it is really the cheapest option?
While house extensions can vary considerably depending on how much work you intend to undertake, if you choose to go this route, you don’t have to worry about all the costs associated with selling your home and buying a new home (or building a new home). Costs that include Real Estate Agents fees, legal fees, marketing costs, pest and building inspections and Stamp Duty. Not to mention the moving costs such as removalists costs, disconnection and connection fees as well as all the incidental charges associated with moving.
3 – House Extensions Can Add Value to Your Home
Yep, it’s true, choosing to extend your home over selling and relocating can not only save you money, but it can potentially add considerable value to your home. Of course, you can’t put a price on the comfort and enjoyment your family is going to experience from your newly renovated and extended home, but in terms of financial value, a well designed and constructed extension can result in a profit down the track if you do eventually decide to sell.
Adding extra bedrooms, another bathroom or even an entire second storey gives your family room to spread out, and down the track when it comes time to downsize, your expanded home is going to appeal to a broader range in the market.
So if you have the land space available to add an extension or the option to extend upwards, it’s definitely something that should be considered. As the old saying goes, you can never have too much space.
4 – You Get to Keep Everything You Love About Your Home & Upgrade Everything You Don’t
Every homeowner who has bought a family home has chosen the home because they love certain elements about the dwelling. They may love the character features, the orientation, the size of the land, the unique features of the land or house. It’s these features that can be difficult to find again in a new home.
Choosing to renovate and extend your home allows you the option to retain all the features of your home that you fell in love with when you purchased it. And on the flip side, renovating your home let’s you rectify the elements of your home that just don’t work, or no longer work due to changing circumstances.
Keep all the elements you love and change all the parts that cause frustration and stress. This is why House extensions are an ideal option for many. They allow you to create the home your house was always meant to be.
5 – House Extensions Can Help Minimise Disruptions To Your Lifestyle
We may get a few people disagreeing with this reason. After all, renovations and house extensions are known for being a little disruptive to your life, we all joke about it, right? And disruption can be one of the reasons why homeowners choose NOT to renovate. But, we, personally, have found this to be true only if you don’t make the right choice about who you engage to carry out the renovations for you.
If you choose a builder who doesn’t have good systems and processes in place, or you decide to do-it-yourself and take on a little more than you can handle, then yes, a house extension can be highly disruptive. However, if you find the right builder who is experienced in renovations and extensions, has good systems and processes in place and can work with you and your family to allow you to stay in your home throughout the construction, then a house extension may actually be less disruptive than selling and moving.
While this is not going to be a plus for everyone, staying in your home during construction could be an advantage for some, particularly a financial advantage. Depending on the house extensions you have planned, you may be able to remain in your home while your extension is being built. This will help save on costs and logistics finding somewhere to stay while construction is being carried out.
House Extensions – Is it the Best Option for You?
On the whole, we think the five reasons outlined in this article are great reasons to choose house extensions over relocating. Being able to stay in the same neighbourhood, retain the best features of your home and potentially save money in the process are big ticks in the house extension box.
What do you think? Is undertaking a house extension a viable option for you and your family? Or does relocating hold greater appeal? If you’re not sure whether renovating or relocating is right for your family, why not book a call with our renovation and extension expert to discuss your situation.
Walkom Constructions are house extensions specialists and are available for consultation to meet with you on site at your home and talk about whether a renovation or house extension is a viable option for you.
Give us a call today and let’s talk through your options.