Should I Remodel, Build, or Buy a Home in Lancaster?

Your home is an important place for you and your family to grow, but what do you do when you outgrow your home? When you need to update your space, should you remodel, buy, or build? There’s a lot to consider with each of these options. Like, how much does it cost to build a home, and how much does it cost to remodel a home in Lancaster?  

First, Should I Move or Remodel?

The decision between staying in your home or remodeling involves weighing many factors that can vary between social, logistical, and everything in between. It will also take some compromise and weighing the factors that are most important to your family.   

Why Remodel Instead of Move? 

Deciding to stay in your current home or to move is a decision few families take lightly. You may have started your family in your Lancaster home, inherited your home, or it may just feel like a place you could call your own for many years down the line. There are many reasons you might want to stay exactly where you are, and that just might be enough to choose to remodel over moving. 

Your Neighborhood

A neighborhood can be defined by the people, the experiences, its location, or many other things. It’s important to be close to the people and places where you and your family feel connected. It’s also important for your home to be in a place that makes sense for your everyday lives. You may have chosen your home because of where your children go to school or where you work. 

No matter the reason you feel connected to where you live, it’s an important factor in deciding whether to move out of your home or to remodel. If your neighborhood and its community are important parts of your family’s lives, remodeling your home may be the best option.

You Just Need More Space

When you purchased your current home, it was likely a big decision based on the neighborhood, its amenities, and many other factors. However, your Lancaster home won’t always suit your needs, especially as your family grows. You may have outgrown the layout, style, square footage, or features.

If you’re feeling a little cramped and the solution is simply adding square footage, remodeling your home could be the best solution. Hire a Lancaster home remodeler to add or repurpose space in your home while preserving the characteristics you love. Expanding your kitchen, creating a primary master suite, adding a bathroom, or finishing your basement to use as guest space are all manageable remodeling goals.

Why Move Instead of Remodel?

If your overall layout is causing everyday stress or your home falls significantly short in other ways, a remodel may not provide what you need to feel more comfortable in your home. Next is making the choice between buying a home to remodel or building a custom home. 

Buying a Home To Remodel

Buying a home that checks off most of the more important boxes on your must-have list could make more sense than remodeling the home you currently own. Adding onto a home can be pretty costly depending on if you will be building up or bumping out and what type of rooms you will be adding.

Remodeling the kitchen or remodeling the bathroom in a new home could be more cost-effective in the end than adding complete rooms to your current Lancaster home. That is, if your neighborhood allows for the additions you’d need.

Instead, consider purchasing a home that has the square footage you need and the types of rooms you want, but maybe just needs to be updated. There are plenty of homes for sale in Lancaster County that have ample square footage but perhaps outdated kitchen and bathrooms and an unfinished basement. This type of property is a perfect opportunity to take advantage of that older home charm, like solid wood casings and original wood floors, while changing the features that are dated, like cabinetry and tilework. 

Building a Custom Home

If your home would simply need too much work, and you aren’t able to find what you’re looking for in another existing home, there is the option to build a custom home. You may be drawn to a particular town or neighborhood that doesn’t have the home you need but it might have the property where you can build your dream home. 

Contact a Professional To Talk About Your Options

In the end, the goal is to have a home that you and your family can feel comfortable in, no matter how you get there. Reach out to professional home remodelers, custom home builders, and realtors to figure out the best option for your family.

Ask custom home builders about the costs of building a home the size you’d need in the area you’d want. Ask home remodelers about what different projects might cost. McLennan Contracting is a home remodeling firm based in Lancaster that specializes in remodeling homes and delivering the best customer experience you could hope for and beyond. As a family-run business that started at the kitchen table, we strive to give families a beautiful home where they can feel comfortable and connected. Contact us today for a consultation about your future home.