Been thinking about either building a house from the ground up or just buying an older place and doing a big remodel. Both seem kinda stressful tbh, but curious which route you'd pick and why?
Honestly, I'd lean toward building from scratch if you can swing it. Remodels always seem simpler at first, but trust me, once you start peeling back layers of an older house, you're bound to find surprises—usually expensive ones. With a new build, yeah, it's stressful too, but at least you're dealing with known quantities and fewer curveballs. Plus, customizing exactly what you want from day one is pretty satisfying... just my two cents!
- Gotta admit, building from scratch sounds great on paper, but it's not always the smooth ride people think it is.
- Sure, remodels can be a nightmare—been there, done that, found the asbestos—but new builds have their own set of headaches too.
- Permits, zoning, unexpected delays... and don't even get me started on contractors who vanish halfway through the job.
- Plus, budgets for new builds tend to balloon pretty quickly once you start adding all those "custom" touches. (Ask me how I know.)
- That said, I do agree that remodels can turn into money pits if you're not careful. Just saying, neither option is exactly stress-free.
- Bottom line: pick your poison, but keep your expectations realistic. Either way, stock up on patience and maybe some aspirin.
We tackled our first custom build last year, and yep, the struggle is real. Honestly, the biggest hurdle wasn't permits or zoning—it was decision fatigue. Every detail from flooring to faucets... endless choices. My advice? Break it down room by room, create mood boards to narrow styles, and don't rush your decisions. Curious, for those who've done remodels—did you find decision-making easier since you're working within existing constraints, or does that actually make it trickier?
