Kevin Rossi Design: To Renovate Or Buy A New Home?

At some point, many homeowners are faced with the dilemma – to stay in your current home and make renovations or sell and move on. We asked the experts from Kevin Rossi Design to shed some light on this burning question.

Needs change for any number of reasons – for example you may find that you require more storage, or a child moves out, or a family member moves in, or you need to be in a different area due to work or school districts and you realize that there are certain things you won’t to be able to change about your current home as it no longer meets your day-to-day requirements.

When this happens, you have to carefully weigh your options – do you renovate or is it time to pack up and move?! Deciding whether to renovate your current home or buy a new house isn’t easy.

The Main Points

According to property gurus Drew and Jonathan Scott from the hit TV show – Property Brothers, it comes down to three main questions you need to ask yourself:

Am I in the right location?
Can this home make my life easier?
Is there enough space for our family?

It’s also possible that the amount of money you will have to spend on a renovation in order to get what you need and want, doesn’t make it worth holding onto your current home.

When is the best time to renovate? And tips you need to consider…

If you decide to stay put and remodel your current home, the first task is to get organised. “For every minute spent organising, an hour is earned,” notes Kevin Rossi from Kevin Rossi Design. “We see many people who jump into renovations without proper planning, or they start buying products/fittings and furnishings to add to their homes, but fail to have a proper plan in place. This becomes costly and counterproductive even when there’s a need for it.”

“It’s like running down to the grocery store and shopping when you’re hungry – a really bad idea! You’ll make choices based on your immediate need without being circumspect. You don’t want to jump in and start remodelling your home – first and foremost you have to plan,” says Rossi.

What’s your need?

You need to start by addressing your biggest need and then working back from there. For instance with the Covid19 pandemic confining us to our homes it has forced many professionals to create a workable space, making home renovations that accommodate an ‘office’ space a priority for many people.

A second important consideration – is, is it safe? Ensuring that your home is safe from any interior or structural issues is key and must be taken into account before you become entrenched in a renovation.

Kevin Rossi overlooking renovations on Camps Bay project.

DIY or Professional help

Often an area of contention … should one go the DIY route or bring in professional help. Sometimes what seems to be a simple redo can end up being bigger than expected which means it either costs you a lot more and you may still need to get help or the job is left unfinished. Also, if your renovation goes over budget, you could end up in financial trouble down the road, over capitalizing on a property.

The question is, will it end up being a costly mistake to do the job yourself? Often it depends on the size of the undertaking, which means knowing when you need to hire a professional Interior Designer. Even if you wanted to do the renovations yourself, having an expert consultant will give you better insight into what can or cannot be achieved. Interior Designers provide an array of services and can help to project manage your renovation or design.

The Phases of Design

Whether you’re looking for advice on structural changes or something simple – even down to furniture or finishes for your space, a designer is able to do this and more. Trained designers are skilled at all phases of design – from meeting with a client and providing a brief, to space planning and the final installation!

At Kevin Rossi Design, a preliminary cost estimate or budget is the first port or call. This gives clarity on what can be achieved, as well as the stages one will need to go through, or calling it quits and moving to a new space.

How to proceed: Kevin Rossi overlooking renovations on Camps Bay project. Hiring a professional saves time and money.

Reference plan which was approved, where no interior designer was consulted

Going Wrong: A reference plan where a new home owner failed to hire a professional interior designer. When renovations go terribly wrong due to lack of knowledge or trying to cut costs. You might just end up having space that become dis-functional.

According to Property Brothers, it’s a good idea to have an estate agent do an assessment of what the value would be after a renovation and then compare that to what you would pay for a new house that’s more suited to your needs.

3 insights from Kevin Rossi Design:

Make sure you’re not caught up in a failed renovation; you never know if you will need to sell your home.
Avoid making quick decisions whether it’s to renovate or sell.
Always get professional advice to consider before you make your final call.

Kevin Rossi Design allows you access to a full package of services and a world class product. Kevin Rossi is a professional interior designer and registered member of the IID, The African Institute of The Interior Design Professions (IID) is the only professional body representing the Interior Design industry in South Africa.

Based in Cape Town Kevin Rossi Designs (KRD) recently relocated to Bantry Hills Estate (Sea Point) designed by Fabian Architects, KRD chose the modern Bantry Hills for its inspiring location and magnificent ocean views.