I want to do a renovation in my house, what do I do, partial renovation or comprehensive renovation?

I want to do a renovation in my house.

On many occasions, you may have thought: “I want to do a renovation in my house”. We are clear that our home needs an improvement, either because of age, aesthetics or because it does not meet our needs. But… The big question is, to reform the house in parts, or to tear everything down and start from scratch? Below we explain the pros and cons of each option, the details that you have never valued before, those that will help you make a decision that you will not regret. Before starting with the comparisons, we must take into account a series of points that will mark the guidelines of our decision:

1. We must be realistic with our economic capacity since it is ALWAYS the dominant one in our decision-making. “I want to do a renovation in my house” is not synonymous with “I can do the renovation in my house”. On the other hand, if you do think you can afford it, we also recommend that you know the multiple financing options that exist and can save you a more than interesting amount.
2. What is the objective of the reform: It is not the same to make a renovation to live in said home, than to do it as an investment to make a property profitable. If your case is the latter, we invite you to read our blog “How to make money profitable in a property”.
3. Be clear about the square meters of our home and NOTE, when we enter into construction terms, the built ones are always taken into account, not the useful ones.
4. And finally, we advise you to make a list (without taking into account the economic aspect) of the things that are dispensable for you in a home and the things that you would like to have on a “whim”. It is very important that you know how to distinguish between one and the other.

As a guide, you can use a small formula that will help you discard. (m2 built of the house / 0.037 x 41). If the result is lower than you can afford, the comprehensive renovation is ruled out for today. But don’t go! That’s just a hint of the tools we’re going to give you throughout this post. On the other hand, if the numbers match or you even have money left over, stay tuned because we will explain where and how you should allocate them. When you finish reading this post, whatever your choice, we recommend you choose a company specialized in either partial renovations or comprehensive renovations. Having companies with demonstrable experience will guarantee you better results and, above all, peace of mind. Last but not least, another factor to consider before comparison is the current situation. As we all know, since COVID-19 came into our lives, we live with doubts and constant changes. But the uncertainty generated was not enough, so to this was added the current situation of the conflict with Russia with problems of supply, transport, price increases, among many other obstacles. But don’t worry, in stormy moments you have to be the light that shines. Well, as MY COMPADRE said, there will always be situations of change, fears and uncertainties, either due to a situation external to us or even something that happens internally (for example in our family). These are part of our own life, it is something inevitable in the course of our development and we should not stop our dreams. However, situations such as confinement have allowed us to spend more time with the family inside our homes, making many of us realize that we live in a space that often does not respond to our needs

“My home is my family and my house is what responds to it” Vicente Pons

Which leads us to consider whether you should reform your house and make it a more comfortable and familiar place.

Advantages and disadvantages of comprehensive renovation

Doing a comprehensive renovation has a series of advantages and disadvantages that must always be taken into account before getting down to work, but first we must understand what is a comprehensive renovation? One of the biggest mistakes in the use of this term is to think that by acting on all the parts of a home, we are talking about a comprehensive reform. Intervening in all the parts of a home is NOT a comprehensive renovation. When we talk about a comprehensive renovation, we are referring to a substantial improvement in the home, not just physical. We are talking about improving the thermal insulation of the house, acoustic insulation, distribution in a functional way, creating a centralized electrical and plumbing installation, even adding an energy regeneration system and of course the clarities and design. In short, comprehensive renovation allows you to improve a home 100% in a 100% profitable way.

Advantages of comprehensive refurbishment

• You can create a completely new house to your liking, adapting to your current and even future needs, in the ideal location.
• This renovation allows you to thermally and sonically insulate your home, you will notice a relief in your pocket in future electricity or heating bills.
• It allows the home to be redistributed in a functional way adapted to present and future needs, avoiding wasted spaces.
• You will be able to improve the natural lighting of your home, thanks to the new redistribution study.
• You can play with heights, for example, in the case of having low ceilings, you can work the installation differently to be able to raise the ceilings as much as possible.
• You will be able to increase the value of the property exponentially. In fact, you may receive offers to buy it for a much higher value when you finish it.
• You can benefit from multiple grants offered by the municipalities.

Disadvantages of comprehensive renovation

• You will need another home or place to stay while this renovation is carried out in your home.
• Runtime is more than two months

Advantages and disadvantages of partial renovation

In the case of a partial renovation, the intervention is very variable, it can refer to the renovation of a specific space such as the kitchen or bathroom, or rather to a facelift of a specific space. And here, we want to make an aside. It is NOT the same to renovate as it is to clean the face of your house. 
When we use the term reform of a specific space or such, it refers to a total change. For example: If we have a closed kitchen with old furniture and appliances, which does not respond to our needs and we want to open the kitchen, change the floor, redistribute the kitchen, centralize the installation, replace the furniture and update the appliances, we are talking about a PARTIAL REFORM, and this can add value (even if little, since it is only a part of the house) to our home. Now, if we have that same kitchen closed and what we want is, for example, to open the kitchen without changing the floors, save the kitchen furniture modules and only change the fronts and perhaps update an appliance, then we are talking about a FACELIFT. And in this case, which is totally valid, we are NOT adding any economic value to our home. This means that tomorrow, if we decide to sell the property, its value will be the same as the purchase value, or even more likely, lower than the purchase value, since there is a deterioration over time. So it will be totally lost money. Which is why we do not recommend using this option. Well, being clear that what we want to do is a partial reform, we must know that the only pieces that can be partially refurbished are the kitchen, bathrooms, laundry and terrace, since they are the only pieces to which a substantial improvement can be made.

Advantages of partial renovation

• You can adapt some of the rooms without having to move, although of course it will not be pleasant to live with dust.
• It is a solution in the case of having a tight budget, allowing you to improve the home in parts.
• The work can be extended in less time

Disadvantages of the partial reform

• If your idea is to renovate your home little by little, this type of renovation can become an inconvenience since it is a reform in which all kinds of unforeseen events can arise that will make the completion date of your renovation longer.
• In case this type of renovation is in areas such as the bathroom or kitchen, it will be very uncomfortable since they are essential parts of the house, so you will have to look for other types of solutions to shower or eat.
• Living with dust and people outside your home nucleus can become very unpleasant.
• You are not eligible for any aid or subsidy as it is not considered a weight improvement.

In short, if that phrase “I want to do a renovation in my house” still rings in your head, you should know that WHENEVER we talk about renovation, we talk about replacement and improvement. The partial renovation will allow you to adapt and improve your home in a more staggered way, however, with the comprehensive renovation you will be able to improve your entire home in the same blow by taking advantage of aid that allows you to alleviate, postpone or even reduce the investment. Are you decided? After knowing what the pros and cons of each of the two reforms are, you can now make the most appropriate decision for you. Be that as it may, always opt for professional companies that specialize in renovations! So that everything goes perfectly and how you want it to go. Finally, if you are clear that you want to start doing a renovation and want to have an estimate of how much yours would cost, we leave you a link to our renovation planner.