Full renovation or refurbishment? How to find out what your house needs
New floors, fresh paint, a modern bathroom – sometimes that’s enough to make an older house feel like home again. But sometimes the problems run deeper: in the pipes, in damp walls or in missing insulation. Then a refurbishment only helps for a short time, and a full renovation is the better choice. We show you how to tell the difference.
What is the difference?
A refurbishment mainly renews surfaces: wallpaper, paintwork, floor coverings, perhaps individual doors or sanitary fittings. The basic structure and the services behind the walls stay as they are.
In a full renovation, the building is stripped back to its load-bearing structure. Then pipes and cables, bathrooms, walls, floors and often the roof, windows and insulation are rebuilt. The house is brought up to today’s technical standards.
Signs that a refurbishment isn’t enough
- The electrical installation is very old, there are too few sockets or fuses trip frequently.
- Water pipes are old, the water is discoloured or the pressure is weak.
- Walls or the basement are damp, there is a musty smell or mould is forming.
- The house has little or no insulation, heating costs are high and rooms cool down quickly.
- The layout no longer suits the way you live, and you want to move walls.
- Several of these points apply at the same time.
If you recognise several of these points, it’s worth considering a full renovation. Doing individual repairs one after another is then often more work than renewing everything in one coordinated process.
What speaks for a full renovation
- Everything fits together: pipes and cables, insulation, windows and finishes are planned to match each other.
- No double work: walls are opened up and closed again only once.
- More design freedom: floor plan, bathrooms and kitchen can be redesigned.
- Up to date on energy: if you are renovating anyway, insulation can be sensibly planned in. Energy-saving measures may also be eligible for funding.
What you should consider
A full renovation is a big undertaking. As a rule you cannot live in the house during the work, because electricity, water and heating are switched off at times. So plan for temporary accommodation. How long the work takes and what it costs depends heavily on the building and the scope – a serious answer is only possible after a site visit.
How to go about it
- Have the building inspected: a specialist firm checks the structure, pipes and cables, moisture and insulation.
- Clarify your goals: what should change, what can stay? Do you want to move in yourself or let the property?
- Check funding: for many programmes the application must be submitted before the contract is awarded.
- Compare quotes: make sure all trades are included and clearly itemised.
How we can help
Corpus Bau specialises in full renovation and insulation in the Ruhr area. During the site survey we tell you openly whether a refurbishment is enough or a full renovation makes sense. Planning, structural design and construction are all under one roof: two architects and two engineers work directly in the company, and our own specialists carry out the core trades – right through to turnkey handover.