Remodeling Over Renovating

In this economy, remodeling is booming over renovating. Read what one contractor thinks of the challenges of this process:

Remodeling a home — a practice one building-industry official likened to a tailor altering a suit while someone is wearing it — poses some unique challenges. In an environment where new is combined with existing, care has to be taken to make sure the changes fit, physically and esthetically. Workers have to be supervised more carefully. Another consideration are the owners. If they remain in the house while it is under remodeling, work must be done around them, tailored to fit their schedule. Electricians, for example, like to work early, often beginning their day at 7 a.m. Few homeowners are equipped to have workers moving through their house as they have their morning coffee or get ready for work, he said.

There is also the question of cleanup. Everything has to be put away and cleaned up at the end of each day, a task that can add hours to a job. “Remodeling is much more work, it takes more time and pays less,” Edwards said.

Bill Huffstetler, operations manager for Master Builders and Remodelers, holds a different opinion. He said his company’s main focus is remodeling, with an emphasis on repairing storm-damaged homes. “It’s what’s kept us going in this economy,” he said. But Edwards’ situation is not unique. While home construction saw some rebound earlier in the year, June and July housing starts began to show a decline. A joint release by the Census Bureau and the

Department of Housing and Urban Development calculated July housing starts at 668,000, a decline of 1.1 percent. Completions for the month were 448,000, a decline of 5.9 percent from June. August housing figures will be released Wednesday.

Source: Loan Safe