The Advantages of a Knock Down and Rebuild
Knocking down an existing home structure to rebuild a tailor-made home in its place might sound like a daunting proposition. A knockdown and rebuild, however, is an excellent way to reimagine the process of homeownership in a brand new way while ensuring that your home matches up exactly with your wishes and hopes for space and its utility for making your life easier and more comfortable.
Considering a knockdown and rebuild project is something that many homeowners bounce around in their heads, but many opt for the easier route in the end. The truth is that a rebuild takes time and energy, but in the end, it’s all worth it as you walk through the threshold of a customized home that matches your every need—from a bottled water dispenser and island in the kitchen to French doors that open out onto a beautiful deck.
Demolition is the first step.
Perhaps it’s the demolition aspect that most often scare off would be rebuilders. Renovations are a common practice in the United States—to the tune of more than $400 billion every year according to a Harvard study—yet total rebuilds remain a niche aspect of the home building, remodel, and renovation realms.
When approaching the option to knock down & rebuild your home, the first step is always the demolition process. This can actually be a cathartic experience, and it’s why many home improvement shows feature long sequences of homeowners assisting in the breakdown of odd walls, old kitchen cabinets, and other features of their soon to be altered old home. Don’t shy away from the demolition process, as it’s often fun and rewarding. Joining in on knocking down your old home can help you see the space in a totally new light, especially if you intend to keep some of the structure intact for the rebuild.
Make sure you include durable upgrades wherever possible.
A home build requires a long vision that isn’t exactly present when purchasing and moving into an existing structure. Renovations typically focus on the quality of life upgrades and visible elements of the home that give it a new and luxurious feel. An old house benefits greatly from hardwood floor installations, a new coat of paint or the remodel of the kitchen to include the amenities that you envision for your home for the years or decades to come.
In addition to these highly visible elements, installing high quality windows, doors with weather seals, and a durable roof that will last through the rainy season and harsh winters of Kalamazoo, Detroit, or Lansing are absolute musts. Searching for “windows in Kalamazoo” can get you started on the search for the best option when it comes to siding, replacement windows, and gutters and shingles for the roof. These systems help to keep the elements from seeping through into your living space or attic. A new window installation throughout an old house is the perfect solution to energy efficiency issues as well.
This means that new windows that can stand up to the punishing winters in your new-build home will serve you and your family admirably for years to come.
Approach the project with a fully formed plan.
This might sound like common sense, but many homeowners who opt for a teardown and recreation only go as far as to design a floor-plan for the building process and don’t take the next logical step to plan out the interior of the home that will eventually be lived in.
After the architectural plan is in full swing, it’s crucial to begin thinking about how you will actually use the space in your daily life. Building your furniture, decorations, and inclusions like the TV or sound system into the actual plans of the home design process is the best way to ensure that the home will meet every one of your needs. A great way to do this is to think about the way you use your current home. The kitchen, for instance, is a great place to begin. Investigating the way you use your storage space in the cupboards and drawers can help you design the perfect storage space in your new kitchen before a single item of cooking equipment enters through the front door.
Similarly, bedrooms and the living room benefit from this same treatment. Planning the beds, couches, and layout of the rooms in relation to doors, windows, and the current spatial needs of each of your family members can help take a painful squeeze out of the moving in a process that will follow the groundbreaking of the build.
A rebuild is the perfect way to reimagine your home with the exact specifications that will benefit your family’s busy lifestyle. Make sure you think through each component of the process for the greatest long term peace of mind. Plan early and stick to the design for the greatest benefit for years to come.