If you would like a free, no obligation initial design and build consultation to discuss your renovation project, use the enquiry form alongside to provide us with your contact details. We will get in touch with you at a time that suits you to discuss your project.

Research shows that around 50,000 New Zealand families move homes each year because they wish to live in a larger home; however 80% of these people would have preferred to stay in their own home if they could have affordably increased its size.

Refresh can help you increase the size of your existing home for a surprisingly low investment. In fact, when you compare the costs of moving to undertaking a Home Extension with Refresh,  Extendingis a far better option. Consider some of the following costs of moving to a bigger house:

• The additional cost of purchasing a larger (more expensive) house
• Real estate advertising fees
• Real estate agent fees
• Moving costs
• Mortgage refinancing costs
• Legal and conveyancing costs for the sale of your home
• Legal and conveyancing costs for the purchase of a new home
• Bridging costs (i.e. rent while you look for a new home if you sell before you buy, or mortgage payments on two properties if you buy before you sell)
• The fact you will probably not find the ideal home and you’ll want to renovate it anyway…

When you include the fact that a larger house is more expensive, it’s not uncommon for the above costs to total $250,000 or more. Further, many of the above costs are “wasted” money, which you would have been able to put to better use increasing the size of your own home. Not only can Refresh be a more cost-effective option than moving, you can often remain in your existing home, enjoying the benefits that go along with it, and not having to deal with the stresses of moving.

Some points to consider include:

• Do you have children in nearby schools? How will they adapt to moving schools? Will you have travel times to schools? What will the cost of new uniforms be? How will your children feel about leaving their friends behind?
• Is the garden you have developed mature? How long will the next one take to establish?
• Do you have great neighbours and friends in your area? Will you keep in touch with them or lose contact? How will you feel about having to create new contacts in a new area?
• Will you actually find a new home that suits your needs? How much more would the ideal new home cost? Is it likely you would want to renovate it anyway?

Project managing a loft room conversion

Renovations are complex projects that need good up front planning and close supervision during construction. Commercial projects and new home construction are highly cost focussed and they all rely on project management. It might seem that a project manager is a cost that can be saved but the reality is that this is the only way to ensure costs are kept down and a quality result is achieved. In addition good project management means that your renovation can be an enjoyable experience rather than the nightmare many self managed projects turn into.

Designing and building are often separated but the best results happen when they are considered together. Refresh is able to bring a designer into the project at an early stage when decisions are being made that drive a lot of the project scope and cost. Designers and builders bring different perspectives to the conversation. The designer will be able to paint the picture of the look and feel while the builder will be able to discuss the practicalities of various options. Getting a designer involved early helps with making critical trade off decisions and will contribute to a more successful outcome.

If you would like to provide us with more information about your renovation, we have a more comprehensive enquiry form on our "Get in touch" page too.