5 reasons we decided to build rather than renovate
I thought I would start at the start and share why we didn’t take the more traditional path of renovating the existing farmhouse. Before we get into it one thing you need to know about me is that I love old houses for their character and personality.
When we brought the farm and before we really had access to the house I fully I intended on renovating. I had even started the design process. After moving in we pretty quickly made the decision to knock it down and start again. Within 6 months of moving the new house plans were approved and the old house demolished. I know some might consider this approach radical or maybe even a little crazy but you know what I would do it again if the situation called for it. After reading the 5 reasons why we made the decision to build new I would love to hear your thoughts on it and if you would have done the same. I hope your ready to see some ugly house photos!
1. The house was dark and cold even in summer
People often talk about old houses not being designed with the sun in mind and our original house was the extreme example of this. None of the rooms really captured the sun. The living space was south facing and very dark all day. The sunniest room in the house was the mudroom. It often felt colder inside than out and it was impossible to heat. As a result, our kids ended up sick all the time and our heating bills sky high. To get the sunny, warm livable house we wanted for our family it would have meant re-arranging every room or lifting and turning our house 90 degrees. Building new we were able to create a warm house with a layout that captured sun throughout the day ensuring the living and bedrooms had sun at the right times.
New Farmhouse Room Layout
Original Farmhouse Room Layout
2. The house was not positioned well on the site
Despite it being a located on a farm and having plenty of available space the house was situated uncomfortably close to the busy road. It also felt disconnected from the pool area and pool house which we wanted to keep. Even crazier to us the house didn’t make the most of the location, positioned in a way it had back on the stunning views and sunsets.
3. There were limited original features worth saving
The house was built in the late 50s and I’m sure they put a lot of money into it at the time. Unfortunately, over the years it had undergone some unforgiving and slightly crazy renovations with the exception of the kitchen and bathroom which were very much original. Of the original features the only thing I was sad to lose was the bay window in one of the kids bedroom. I think the strangest renovation of all was when they blocked off the original front door to make a bigger front bedroom. This left the French doors on the living room as the main entranceway. Even stranger still it meant the external brick entrance archway was left as a confusing archway to nothing.
4. The compromise was too great
Even with a full remodel and re-arrange of the rooms the house would have always been a compromise on design. We worked through and considered a number of potential floor plans including extensions to try create an open light filled space. While some may have been passable we just couldn’t see a way to get something we really wanted for the way we wanted to live.
5. The cost and investment to get something good
Once you get into the level of renovation the house needed it does make you start to weigh up the costs of building new versus renovating. Obliviously building a brand-new bigger house is always going to cost more. One thing you never known with a renovation is the hidden costs or scary issues you will uncover. For us when we were looking at spending hundreds of thousands on a renovation that still required big compromises it really helped us make up our mind that building new was the better long term investment.
I would love to know if you would have done the same in our shoes and which of the 5 reasons resonated the most with you the most?