10 reasons to renovate over buying a new home, from Refined Building’s Josh Sammak
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For almost 10 years, Canberra-born licensed builder Josh Sammak has been helping locals live better.
Specialising in home renovations through his company Refined Building, Josh and his team have completed more than 150 projects, from tiny upgrades to complete guts.
There is one thing that remains the same, no matter the size of the project – “people live better once we complete our work,” he says
This could be through better accessibility, extra space, greater environmental sustainability, more functional layouts, or the sheer delights of installing a new kitchen or bathroom after putting up with something tired and outdated.
Josh’s company has grown organically based on word-of-mouth after he began working in construction and project management and took on the task of building his own home. His friends looked at his work and started asking him to help fix up things around their homes.
Now the company has grown to Josh having a team of contractors who juggle a busy schedule of projects across Canberra. And while many people might think it’s easier to sell and upgrade once their home no longer works for them, Josh thinks there are many advantages to renovating.
Josh’s Top 10 reasons to renovate
It’s usually cheaper.
“Not everyone is in a position to take out a bigger mortgage to buy a new home. Also new homes mean paying stamp duty, having to cover moving costs and usually contributing to the profit margin of the seller, who wants a premium at sale time.”
You get to stay put.
“It’s a big thing to sell a home and move every piece of furniture and everything you own, when maybe you just need better amenities. For one thing, you can stay in the suburb you love, with the neighbours you know and all the local services you enjoy.
“Some clients do choose to move out temporarily, while work takes place, but moving house permanently has been shown to be one of the most stressful life events you can take on! Most, of not all of our work can be done while families stay in the house.”
You can keep your large block.
“This is particularly relevant to people living in older suburbs. Do you really want to move further out to what is likely to be a smaller block?”
You decide what you love.
“Buying a new home means you are buying someone else’s style and taste, while renovating allows you to put your own stamp on a home. The tiles, and flooring and windows and kitchen and bathrooms can all be exactly what you want and how you like to live, rather than moving into someone else’s ‘vision’.”
You know what needs to be changed.
“After a few years of living in a home most people know what they need to make it perfect for their lifestyle, whether it is big changes or small ones, changing the layout or just making cosmetic changes. We work to bring all those changes to life to suit the specific needs of the owners.”
You can do it in stages.
“We find with a lot of clients that they get one room done and then they book us in for more. They can stage the renovations from most urgent to least and even do it over a couple of years, when they can save the money they need and it is not one big hit to their finances.”
It’s quicker
“Building a new home takes months (if not years!). Our average job takes about three to four weeks for small renovations such as kitchens or bathrooms, and three to four months for major ones, although that depends on the scope of the work. We work closely with our clients to minimise disruption and make sure the house is liveable throughout.”
Renovations are less risky than rebuilds.
“Not all knock-down rebuild companies are reputable. We have had a number of people contact us when their builder goes bust and the industry does have a reputation for being unstable. We are a small team and my contractors to a range of job which makes my overheads lower so I can be more secure and nimble with work.”
You can keep the character of a home.
“Not everyone wants to live in a brand new modernist cube! Often people love the history of their home, how it has been part of the city and how they have raised families there. They may want it to be a different home in terms of practicalities, but they want to keep the essential character of their home.”
You can do absolutely anything you want.
“Creative control? That’s entirely the client’s. We can give advice and do work with architects and designers when desired, but I can build any client’s dream into a reality. Some people are happy to be guided by our experience while others have really specific desires and we can cater to all of it.”
