A whole house renovation can feel like a bold step, but for many homeowners, it’s the wisest decision they’ve ever made. Instead of updating one space at a time, a whole home remodeling project tackles everything in one cohesive plan, transforming your house into the space you’ve always imagined.
This type of project takes time and a significant financial commitment, but it also offers tremendous advantages. For homeowners ready to give their home a completely new feel, there’s no better return on investment than a whole home renovation.
In this article, I’ll explain what goes into a whole house remodel, its benefits and drawbacks, and the usual process for completing this type of project.
What is Whole Home Remodeling?
Whole home remodeling involves extensive renovations throughout your entire house. Instead of upgrading room by room over time, a whole house remodel incorporates multiple components as part of one single project. For example, the project might include:
- Creating a whole new kitchen with all new features
- Changing the layout of one or more rooms, such as creating a new primary suite or an open-concept main floor
- Comprehensive bathroom remodeling
- Finishing an attic or basement space
- Constructing a multi-season sunroom, deck, or patio
- Building out an addition on the main floor or adding a second floor
- Making roof upgrades or replacing the siding and windows
- Moving or modernizing the house’s infrastructure, including electrical wiring, plumbing lines, and HVAC components
Whole home remodeling projects typically require structural upgrades, which makes it necessary to work closely with an experienced interior designer and often an architect to ensure that the renovations are done properly.
What Are the Benefits of a Whole Home Remodel?
Whole home remodeling projects are a significant investment, but they can have a huge payoff.
- A complete transformation: No other project delivers as much impact as a complete home remodel. Every zone of your house can be upgraded, making every bedroom, bathroom, and living space optimized to your needs and preferences, often taking into account the overall square foot of each area for maximum efficiency. It’s an impact that you’ll feel and experience on a daily basis.
- Everything custom: There’s no cookie-cutter approach to a whole house renovation. With a broad scope, you can ensure that all the designs are tailored to suit your vision.
- Cohesive aesthetics: By doing all the work together under the same plan, it’s easy to align the style and feel throughout every room in your home.
- Home value: The upgrades that you make with whole home remodeling can dramatically increase the resale value of your home. Exterior upgrades can also boost curb appeal if and when you decide to sell.
- All the work in one fell swoop: Rather than have a series of disruptions from smaller projects, you can get all the work done together. You’ll likely need alternate living arrangements for a while, but that’s usually easier to deal with than years of on-and-off remodeling work that interrupts your normal routines.
What Are the Drawbacks of a Whole House Remodel?
The biggest drawback to a whole home remodel is the cost of this type of project.
Because so much work is involved, a whole house remodel usually comes at a steep cost relative to a smaller, single-room remodel. In these projects, it’s typical to install high-quality materials, which can make the total price prohibitive for some people.
Some homeowners prefer a room-by-room approach, which spreads the costs out over time. In many cases, though, a whole home remodel is actually more cost-efficient, but it does require a bigger upfront investment.
Who Is a Whole House Remodel For?
Every remodeling project is unique, but over time, we’ve noticed that whole home remodels tend to offer the most value in certain situations. Many homeowners invest in these projects because they’re creating their forever home, a space designed to meet their long-term needs and lifestyle.
- People who love their neighborhood and don’t want to move but whose home is not meeting their needs
- People who have found the perfect existing home but need to bring it up to a higher standard
- People who want to make significant structural or layout changes that impact multiple rooms or spaces, making a single large project more appealing
What Are the Steps Involved in a Complete Home Remodel?
As you probably expect, there are multiple steps involved in renovating your entire home. I won’t get too in the weeds about the process. Instead, I want to give an overview of the key steps that can move you closer to a fully transformed home.
Imagine Your Dream Home
The first step is the most fun — you simply have to imagine what your dream home would look like. Think about every feature, big and small, that would make your home as functional and beautiful as possible. While you may not ultimately opt to include every one of these elements, having a compelling vision is the first step toward a design plan that will meet your goals.
Hire a Home Remodeler
A whole home remodel is not a DIY project. Unlike a smaller project, like a minor bathroom renovation, it’s also not work that should be done by your typical handyman. You’re going to want a high-end professional who knows how to do custom work to the highest standards. Ask family and friends for referrals and look for remodelers in your area with a strong reputation and a portfolio of custom projects.
Once you have a short list, you can do an initial consultation with different firms and get baseline estimates for the project cost. While price is obviously important, it shouldn’t be the only deciding factor. Consider things like a remodeler’s communication style, references, and experience as well.
Create a Detailed Plan for Design and Construction
After you’ve decided who you want to work with, you can start getting into the planning and design work. This stage often involves refining your floor plan to ensure that room layouts, circulation, and functionality align with your vision. At this point, a designer will collaborate with you to turn your vision into drawings and a conceptual plan. That is then converted into an actual construction plan.
During this process, you should have plenty of opportunities to give feedback and refine the plan based on factors like functionality, budget, and your individual style. Adjustments to the floor plan can also help maximize natural light, storage solutions, and connectivity between spaces in your home.
Once the project plan is clearly established, your remodeler can take care of all the required permitting and create an estimated schedule for the construction work.
Finish All Construction and Other Home Remodeling Services
This step may take time, especially if you’re doing significant structural remodeling. However, the good news is that each day of the construction phase moves you closer to the day when you can walk into what feels like a brand-new home.
Once the work is done, you’ll do a walk-through with the remodeler to identify any outstanding issues to take care of (known as the punch list). You may also need an inspection to confirm that all the electrical and plumbing fixtures are up to code. In the end, you’ll have a final walk-through to confirm that the entire remodel is complete.
Can You Stay in Your Home During a Whole Home Remodel?
It may be possible to stay in your home during a complete remodel, but in the majority of cases, it makes more sense to move out for most, if not all, of the construction process. Although there may be an option to carve out workable spaces for you to reside in your home during the project, there will be many interruptions to power and water as well as significant noise. In the end, that leads most homeowners to find temporary housing for a period of time.
Expert Whole Home Remodeling Services in Chester County
For well over two decades, Hazley Builders has been delivering custom remodels to our neighbors in the West Chester community. Our design department includes a certified architect, which makes us perfectly suited to complex projects like whole home remodels. As a design-build firm, our entire team — including designers, craftspeople, and project managers — collaborates to ensure that the whole project unfolds smoothly.
If you’re thinking about a home renovation project, we’d love to meet and talk about what we can accomplish together. Learn more about our team and our process and contact us today to schedule a consultation.
