One of the biggest housing questions I get is: should we renovate, or should we move?

And I think homeowners sometimes start with the wrong question. They ask, “Can we renovate this house?” But the more useful question is, “Can this house actually become the house we need?”

A bad layout can often be fixed. An unfinished basement can be finished. You may be able to add a bedroom, open up the main floor, or create more living space.

But there are some things you simply can’t renovate your way out of. You can’t change the size of the lot. You can’t move the house into a different school district. You can’t create a completely different neighbourhood. And sometimes, by the time you’ve solved all the problems you can solve, you’ve spent so much money that moving would have made more sense anyway.

That’s why I think the first step in any major renovation decision is figuring out what problem you’re actually trying to solve. Is it space? Layout? Lifestyle? Location? Or are you hoping a renovation will fix something the property fundamentally can’t provide?

I made a new video walking through how I think about this decision and some of the questions I’d answer before committing to a major renovation.

Watch: Should You Renovate?

This is also one of the central ideas behind my upcoming book, Renovate or Move.

The goal isn’t to convince people to renovate. And it isn’t to convince them to move. It’s to help homeowners make the smarter decision for their house, their finances, and the way they want to live.

Helping you make better housing decisions

Paul