A question we often get asked is whether it's better to renovate your home in stages over a number of years, or do the whole thing all at once. There are many benefits to doing a whole house renovation, such as cost-efficiency, reducing emissions and lifestyle benefits. Having everything working together at the same time is a surefire route to a better renovation experience. Here we explain why it’s always beneficial to renovate your entire home. 

The case for whole house renovations

Cohesive, consistent design

One of the most significant advantages of renovating your entire home at once is achieving a cohesive and consistent design. When you approach the renovation as a single project, it's easier to ensure that materials and design elements match throughout the house. This results in a unified look and feel, enhancing both the appearance of your home and its functionality. 

Additionally, doing everything at once means you’re more likely to have access to the same materials, avoiding discrepancies that can arise from variations in wood, tile, or paint batches. It also helps prevent wear and tear between renovations. This could include colour changes due to sunlight exposure over time, which can occur if renovations are staggered.

When contractors come to work they’re also all working from the same plan, so the plumber can work around the electrician, and the tiler can work to designs that coordinate with the cabinet maker. Staggered renovations might require alterations for different plans and designs as they happen. 

Reduced emissions and waste

The carbon emissions made from renovating your home in one go will be less than the emissions from renovating at different points over a number of years. This is because the materials are all shipped at once, often sharing the same transportation, rather than lots of different routes and vehicles. 

The same applies for contractors and equipment making their way to your home, as it’s all there at the same time it reduces repeat journeys. Equally the same equipment can be used for multiple jobs.  

Perhaps most important though is the amount of waste that’s avoided when a job is done in one go. Designers will have taken into account every aspect of your home so all materials are ordered to fit. Rather than leftovers from one job lying around or contractors having to remove the work carried out during a previous job to fit new materials in with the new design. 

Better for your wallet

While a whole house renovation requires a larger upfront investment, it’s usually more cost-effective in the long run. Completing all the work at once reduces labour costs because it minimises the repetitive tasks of setting up and cleaning for each room separately. If you think about it, having the scaffolding in place from one job means it can be left up for another, so less work to be paid for overall. 

Dealing with all aspects of the renovation simultaneously can help prevent future disruptions and additional costs. For instance, addressing plumbing, electrical, and heating issues across the entire house at once is more efficient and less costly than handling these problems piecemeal as you move from room to room. 

You’re also future-proofing your home against any failures that might occur, by looking at electrical work up-front for example, it’s less likely to go wrong later and require further work. And then there’s the small element of your house value to consider, as it rises in line with the work carried out, making a whole house renovation a more worthwhile investment. 

Better for your home

A whole house renovation allows you to address fundamental issues more comprehensively. This approach is particularly beneficial for improving central systems like heating, electrics, and plumbing. It provides a unique opportunity to ensure these systems are upgraded efficiently, enhancing the long-term functionality and energy efficiency of your home.

Renovating room-by-room can make it difficult to address underlying issues that span multiple areas of the house. By treating the property as a whole, you ensure that all foundational work is done cohesively, reducing the risk of future problems.

Less disruption

While any renovation will cause some disruption, a whole house approach can minimise the overall duration of noise and mess. Rather than subjecting your household (and your neighbours) to intermittent disturbances over an extended period, a single, concentrated period of construction is often more considerate. This can help maintain good relationships with your neighbours and avoid potential complaints.

It also means that you don’t have builders marching around your home for as long, and you’re not having to shift your living arrangements around the work. There’s only so long you can use a microwave for making your tea each night. 

The whole house advantage

If you have the budget and can arrange temporary accommodation, a whole house renovation is the most logical and beneficial approach. It ensures design consistency, reduces long-term costs, addresses foundational issues comprehensively, and minimises disruption to both you and your neighbours. 

Beams designs and delivers for the whole home

At Beams we work over three design calls with you to transform your home. Your designer combines these with your site survey to create beautiful, sustainable rooms throughout. We procure the materials for the entire job and bring together the contractors who can complete the work.

If you’d like us to guide you from design to the completion of the work by our vetted contractors, then get your free estimate today: