Renovating vs. New Construction: Which Is Better For Your Project?

Homeowners will eventually have to face the dilemma of renovation vs. new construction. This situation occurs frequently in the situation of owning a home that is a decade or more of age. At Ultimate Construction, we’ve heard of every argument for both sides, which is why we’ve compiled the information below to help you decide whether you should consider renovation or new construction as you plan for your future home.

Renovation Or Build New

Renovation Overview

Renovation is a broad term that covers anything from a simple bathroom redesign to the addition of a new wing to your house. Renovation may not grant you complete freedom, but the contractor still needs your input.

Renovation Construction

The Benefits of Renovating

Renovation comes with many benefits that you may not have even considered:

  • Renovations could increase the value of your home
  • It is easier to plan and budget for a renovation
  • Some changes can make a home more functional or efficient
  • You won’t have to leave a home that has sentimental value to you

Sometimes, you might consider a new construction, but you might only need a few renovations to your current home. It’s possible that once you make those updates, you’ll discover that you’re already satisfied.

Considerations for Renovation

While renovation is much more manageable than new construction, there are important questions you must ask yourself before starting.

  • Have any renovations been done to my home by the previous owners?
  • How will this update affect the value of my home? Will it influence salability?
  • Do I need to contact local government or the HOA before I can start?
  • What exactly do I want to change and what am I willing to budge on?

These are simply a few factors you need to consider during a renovation, but once you have all the details you need, you’ll be ready to get the project started.

New Construction Overview

As you can imagine, a new construction involves a much larger investment, both in time and in expenses. You’ll need to work closely with your building team to ensure that your new home has been customized to your liking.

New Home Construction

The Benefits of Building New Construction

A new construction may seem like a daunting task at first, but you’ll find that there are benefits to building a brand-new house.

  • The home is tailored to your needs
  • Newly built homes usually have lower maintenance expenses, meaning a lesser cost in the long term
  • Your ideas won’t be hindered by pre-existing layouts or structures
  • You can choose what goes into your home, which can make it more efficient or environmentally friendly

A new construction allows for everything to be built according to your specifications. Only budget and imagination can stand in the way of your vision.

Comparing Renovation to New Build

Renovate Custom Home

When making the decision to construct or renovate, the answer is going to come down to your personal needs. Here are some questions to ask yourself before starting your project:

  • Which choice is more cost-effective for me?
  • Am I ready for the time commitment this project entails?
  • What is my budget, and how far am I willing to stretch it?
  • Which project will result in something that best satisfies my needs?

Your needs, situation, and budget help you make your final decision. Your best option is to contact a construction company to help you effectively deal with the problem. At Ultimate Construction, we will help you identify the source of the issue and provide the best solution. To obtain a free quote from a professional with over 26 years of experience, contact David Magill at 210-379-4348.

Retaining construction company FAQs

1. When should I consider renovation instead of new construction?

If you find that you are satisfied with your current home, except for a few small parts of it, we advise renovation against construction. Since there are so many traits you already love, it is likely that updating the parts that you don’t like will bring you more satisfaction than constructing a brand-new home.

2. Which would cost less renovation or new construction?

This depends on the scale of your construction or renovation. In some cases, a large-scale renovation may cost more than a small-scale new construction. However, we’ve found that new construction generally costs more than renovation, due to the amount of different expenses involved.

3. Which is more environmentally friendly?

Again, this can vary from case to case. In general, however, since you have so much freedom of what you put into a new construction, building a new home has the potential to be environmentally friendly depending on the materials and landscaping you opt for. There also are renovations you can make to an existing home that can make them more ecofriendly and energy efficient.

Grass sod installation is a popular choice for people looking to establish a new lawn. It can also bring new life to an old lawn that has seen its better days. At Ultimate Construction, we’re highly trained and experienced in all aspects of sod delivery, sod replacement, and preparing lots for new grass. Here’s a quick look at how we handle such jobs:

1. We’ll start out by evaluating the site for the best type of grass for its conditions. For example, areas that receive strong sunlight all day do well with Bermuda or similar varieties. On the other hand, shady areas require different types of grass, such as St. Augustine. The most important thing is to choose a variety that can thrive during the south Texas summers, and we’re well acquainted with the types well suited to our hot, arid climate.

2. Next, we’ll check the site for low spots or other issues that might cause drainage problems. Sometimes, these types of problems can be solved by grading the land to encourage runoff. Other times, it might be necessary to install an underground drainage system or even a dry creek bed. We’ll let you know what your options are before we proceed.

3. Grading is an essential part of establishing a new lawn. Water must flow away from your home and any other buildings on your property. We’ll establish a gentle but consistent grade that will ensure you’ll never worry about having a flooded foundation or similar issues.

4. Soil preparation comes next. The ground must be reasonably loose to allow rainwater to soak into it and nourish the roots of the grass sod installation. If your site has hard, compacted dirt, then we will break it up to a depth of several inches, creating a perfect bed for your new lawn to take root in.

5. We may or may not need to add fertilizer or other amendments to the soil. A simple test will reveal the pH level of your land. It should be between 6.0 and 7.0. If it’s not, then we may add limestone to make it less acidic. We can do a chemical evaluation of your land and determine what, if anything, needs to be done for it to support a lush, healthy lawn.

6. In some cases, we may need to add topsoil to your lot. We rarely do so, however, unless the ground is in exceptionally poor condition.

7. Right before we install the sod, we’ll ensure that your land has been finely graded, thoroughly raked, and cleared of any humps or depressions that could cause problems later. The end result will be soil that is perfectly suited to the introduction of sod.

8. When the time to install the sod has come, we’ll only use pieces that are at least one inch thick, freshly cut, and healthy. If possible, we will keep it in a shady spot while it’s being put in place. We’ll complete this part of the job with all due haste, as sod should be installed within 36 hours after it is cut.

9. As a final step, we’ll either roll or tamp your new lawn lightly. This will ensure good contact with the supporting soil. It will also remove any air pockets that might prevent the grass from taking root.

Once all of this is done, we encourage customers to water their new lawn. It should be watered thoroughly, to make sure the water reaches the proper depth. The idea is to keep the soil moist without letting it getting soggy. It should be ready for its first mowing within 4-7 days after it’s put in place.

If grass sod installation is what you need, then give us a call. As we mentioned before, we have the training and tools needed to do the job right the first time. So put our more than 20 years of experience to work for you by contacting us today.