Renovating for the Best Value
To determine value in renovation, we create two categories: minor renovations – under $50,000; and major renovations – over $50,000.
Minor Renovations
1. Review your existing floor plan for an overall perspective. This is essential in either a minor or major renovation. It is virtually impossible, even for a good architect, to gain insight on the reorganization of interior spaces without looking at the overall floor plan. Your first step is drawing a scaled floor plan of the existing structure.
2. Retain the good and throw out the bad. Things to save include those with sentimental value, those that represent good construction and those that are expressive of a traditional character or original design. After this decision, the renovation should strive for identity of matching detail, colors and materials which complement the original structure and design.
3. Match the character. By matching the character, the architect strives to identify the new construction closely with the existing building, both in materials and detail. In a good renovation, it is virtually impossible to tell where the starts and the old leaves off. A well-designed renovation always complements the existing structure so that the finished building is more rich in context of exterior forms, more visually pleasing and better serves the owner’s needs.
Major Renovations
1. Two important considerations about major renovations:
a. How valuable is the existing structure in terms of market appeal?
b. How well sited is the structure on the property?
2. Be careful not to overbuild. An architect can certainly produce a good design for the renovation, but in terms of value received versus value redeemable, it might not be economically wise to invest excessive money in a property which cannot appreciate in value because of the surrounding neighborhood. Your architect can help you to clarify this issue.
3. Listen to your instincts. Emotion and sentiment play a large part in renovation. If a place is “home”, then it might be worth any price. Value, at this point, must be measured in terms other than dollars.
4. Hire an architect who has done other renovation work that you like. Good design is not a luxury. It is a necessity for successful renovations. To enter into a project of this magnitude without a professional at your side to ensure that the best value is being received, simply makes no sense at all.