How do you know whether you should renovate a property or merely demolish and start over? If you find a pristine parcel in the ideal location, it can be challenging to pass that up only because there’s a house on the land. Your goal likely was to build a new home, but plans change when opportunities present themselves. Should you remodel or tear down, go here to find out which is best.

Often an empty plot is not available in the correct location, or the ones that are, have many defects. The perfect piece of land is not readily accessible because people grab onto them as quickly as they come on the market. 

That means either you buy one of the less than quality options and put loads of work into it to make it what you need it to be or purchase a perfect property with a house already there. 

You can then either fix the house to suit you or use a demolition company in Melbourne to tear it down so that you can build your dream home. That can be a tough call, but there are many factors to consider when making your decision. Let’s dive more into it.

Renovation Or Demolition: Factors To Consider

When you find your dream piece of property, but it comes with a less than perfect house, you are in the unenviable position of choosing whether to remodel to your liking or demolishing using a trusted professional in Melbourne who will maintain the integrity of the property. 

Most likely, your goal was to build a new home meant to be your forever place. You might even have a set of blueprints for the house, but it’s wise to realise nothing gets set in stone. In most circumstances, life gives us certain compromises (or surprises) to keep things interesting. 

Like say, you receive your forever house, but the plot needs a few tweaks to get it the way you need it. Or you might get a bit of land everyone would love, but it comes with a house. 

Now you have the decision whether you work with the structure, remodelling it to resemble your schematic, or tear it down. Before you make a decision solely based on personal choice or emotion, there are other factors you need to take into consideration. Let’s look at a few of these.

** Check Out The Market Value And Then Look At The Community

Before you go all in, it’s essential to see where the property value is. If the market is stable or, better, prices are rising; you can sensibly do a demolition without negative financial repercussions. If you love the surrounding area, the community, even the parcel, but it’s in a down sliding scope of the market, it’s unwise to do a rebuild. You could lose money on an expensive house in a challenged area.

In another aspect, if the homes in the neighbourhood follow a specific character, you might have an obligation to follow those same guidelines regardless of your hopes and plans. There’s nothing wrong with being unique, but in a community that prides itself on perhaps a traditional curb appeal, a contemporary oddity might not be appealing.

** Inspect The Integrity Of The Structure

Ideally, you’ll bring in inspectors to see if the structure is up to date with the current codes, specifically if it’s an older home or in an exceptionally rural zone where there are often few codes enforced if any. It can be quite costly to bring a structure up to code if it doesn’t meet standards.

Usually, attempting to make a house meet all the necessary codes can chew up most of what you have available for renovation costs, and that’s before you get into making the house into what you want it to be. It slowly becomes a “money pit.” It’s smart to compare making significant structural changes against constructing a new structure.

** A Case For Demolishing

Check to see how often the house underwent previous renovations or was the recipient of DIY improvements. Especially with older homes, there’s a lot of renovation work or add-ons to the house and likely repairs that didn’t compare to the structure’s original construction.

These can detract from the value but also have the potential for not being up to code. Often people don’t take the time to ensure the materials match those of the original home, with most instances being “cheap knock-offs.” That’s especially true when homeowners take it upon themselves to save money and make improvements on their own.

In any situation, the bad areas need demolishing while maintaining the original structure’s integrity if it’s solid, and that’s your choice. Get guidelines on demolition at https://www.thebalance.com/tearing-down-a-house-1798728/.

Final Thought

Before you purchase a parcel in Melbourne that you believe is ideal for you, there are many factors to consider. If your primary concern is the location like the neighbourhood plus the conveniences as far as commute to and from work and establishments that you patronize instead of the structure in which you live, it won’t matter if there’s a house on the plot.

If you’re looking for the perfect piece of property for which you can build your dream home in the best location, a parcel with a house could likely be a bit of a problem. Some neighbourhoods have strict guidelines to follow as far as design, especially historic communities where demolition permits are virtually impossible. If the home is older with codes needing updating, you might have the opportunity to tear down and rebuild with a reputable demolition company that will retain the property’s integrity. 

If you can’t create what you want due to neighbourhood guidelines structurally, you can at least design the interior as you desire with no interference. In this instance, you ultimately have the property you wish in the location you hope for with an interior that pleases you with a structure that meets neighbourhood guidelines. See, there’s always a compromise to make everyone happy. Life is interesting that way.