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Finding that ideal home in some of Pittsburgh’s most sought-after areas can often feel impossible. As a result, many buyers are taking a slightly different approach. Finding a less-than-ideal home on a well-situated property and taking the whole home rebuild route provides the opportunity to own a home in the area you love.

Here, we look at how rebuilding can offer the ideal solution when seeking a Pittsburgh home where limited options for new construction exist.

What is Whole Home Rebuilding?

Whole home rebuilding starts with purchasing (or owning) a small, outdated home on a desirable lot and transforming the property by rebuilding from the ground up. This provides the best of both worlds: A home in a highly desirable neighborhood and a completely customized, modern home designed to your exact specifications.

What are the Benefits of a Whole Home Rebuild?

There are many benefits to a whole home rebuild including:

• Build your dream home: Whole home rebuilds allow you to create the home of your dreams to suit your lifestyle and budget. As a result, your home is ready to accommodate your needs now and into the future.
• Energy efficiency: Builders follow the latest in home energy efficiency, ensuring your home is well insulated, protected, and upgraded with energy-efficient windows, doors, materials, and appliances. Your HVAC system will be energy efficient to keep your home comfortable and you’ll also see energy savings, making your home more affordable to operate.
• Improved function: Your home design will be more functional, making the most of your space such as a home office, guest room, accommodations for special needs, etc. so every square inch is put to good use.
• Resale value: A brand new home in a highly desirable Pittsburgh neighborhood will see exceptional resale value, even if the market is stagnant.
• Warranty: A brand-new remodeled home is under warranty, reducing maintenance costs for years to come. The entire home is new which means you can enjoy living in the home upwards of 10 to 15 years before contending with major repairs and replacements.
• Peace of mind: A new home is safe and built to code so you have total peace of mind.

What are the Potential Challenges of Whole Home Rebuilds?

Some homeowners are hesitant to undergo a whole home rebuild with worries of navigating building code considerations. However, when working with an experienced builder like Action Builders, you can feel confident you will have a professional overseeing the project and ensuring everything is done by the book.

As soon as we remove the original home’s foundation, it is considered new construction and must meet current zoning and building codes. We will investigate to see how local zoning laws impact your new footprint and any restrictions such as the number of stories you can build. If zoning laws keep you from building the home of your dreams, we can discuss the possibility of remodeling, as remodeling building codes are less stringent. We can look at working with the existing structure without tearing down or removing major elements of the home, with a plan that allows you to create your dream home.

If you’ve decided to age in place and remain in the home and community you love, it’s essential to tailor your home to manage common health and mobility challenges. Here, we share five better ways to renovate your home using forward-thinking designs ideal for aging in place.

1. Consider Creating a Main Floor Master Suite

If your primary bedroom is on the second level, installing a bedroom and ensuite bathroom on the main level will make life easier. Many empty nesters have unused rooms with space that could be put to better use, such as offices, dens, and family rooms.

You can reconfigure your main floor layout to create a convenient, comfortable master suite and use your upstairs primary bedroom as a guest suite. If your home is smaller, you can consider building a brand-new addition for your main floor suite.

2. Install a Bathroom on the Main Floor

Older homes with all the bathrooms on the second floor also present a mobility challenge. Adding a bathroom on the main floor means you won’t have to climb the stairs to use the bathroom. You can equip your new bathroom with features that will work better while aging in place such as wider doorways to accommodate walkers or wheelchairs, a higher toilet to make it easier to sit and stand and grab bars to provide support.

3. Adapt Your Shower/Tub

Two common choices when adapting your main bathroom for aging in place are roll-in showers and low-threshold showers. Roll-in showers are level with the floor for a barrier-free entry that reduces the risk of tripping while also accommodating a wheelchair if required.

Low threshold showers can also work but still create a 2” – 5” lip between the floor and shower. By going with the roll-in, you have no curb at all, so you’re ready for anything.

3. Install Grab Bars and Handrails

Grab bars help you avoid slipping when getting in and out of the tub/shower or standing and sitting when using the toilet. Handrails in areas such as your hallways or on both sides of your staircase give you confidence when it becomes difficult to walk, or you experience balance issues. These affordable upgrades can make a world of difference to improve your quality of life and ability to maintain your independence and health.

4. Think Ahead When Remodeling

The upgrades you invest in today should make it easy to adapt to further changes as you age. For example, if you redo your bathroom and feel you’re not quite ready for grab bars, ask your contractor to include blocking in the walls for future installation. If you can still get about without needing a wheelchair or walker, have your contractor install a glass shower door that can be removed easily if your mobility changes.

Also, costly renovations such as freestanding soaker tubs or built-in shower benches are typical upgrades homeowners love. However, when aging in place, they often prove to be a waste of money.

The soaker tub will become too awkward to use as you age, while a built-in bench will be in the way should you need a wheelchair. It makes more sense to invest in a large, luxurious roll-in shower with enough space to accommodate a comfortable free-standing bench or a wheelchair, should the need arise.

If you have architectural drawings for your new addition, but want to continue your project with a design-builder, it can be done. While most design-build companies work with homeowners on renovations and additions from start to finish, some projects show up already through the design phase.

If you’re a homeowner and you’ve previously worked with an architect to put your addition on paper, a design-build company can then provide a cost for the work. Action Builders is a design-build company that offers full-service design and construction for residential renovations and additions, and we can work with your architectural drawings.

Working with Architectural Drawings Previously Acquired for Your Home Addition 

How a Contractor Works with Basic Design Drawings

The quality of drawings a homeowner may present to a design-build contractor ranges greatly from architect to architect. Some homeowners pay for design drawings—and they are just that—a floor plan or two on paper, or an existing floor plan with a few exterior elevations. There is no detail outlined on how the structure is to be built or any specifications of building materials, since they are design drawings only.

Drawings for Home Additions by Commercial Architects

If a homeowner comes to a design-build contractor wanting a simple addition built, and they have 30+ pages of full-fledged architectural drawings with everything specced out and including disclaimers, they usually come from a commercial architect who is a friend of the homeowner and did the drawings as a favor. The commercial architect is certainly well qualified to do the structural drawings for a residential addition, but they are significantly more detailed than the residential market tends to be.

Reputable Contractors Build Additions Properly and Warranty Their Work

Simple is better when it comes to remodeling and additions. When a homeowner shows up with full-fledged architectural drawings, the contractor is still going to build the project how they build additions. At Action Builders, we have a 5-year warranty on our work, and we make sure home additions are built properly.

The Design-Build Method of Delivery Saves Time and Money 

Many times, a commercial architect draws materials that are not commonly used residentially or that increase the overall project cost more than necessary. At Action Builders, we stand by how we build things, so we charge and build according to that ethic. We are happy to use existing architectural drawings but also clarify with homeowners that if the architect will be involved during construction, then we have much less control on the overall costs and project schedule.

If you’ve never built a home addition, it may feel overwhelming to think about. But with the help of an expert team, you can forge ahead with confidence and get the space and function you crave in the current home and location you love.

At Action Builders, we are a one-stop-shop that provides you with resources from start to finish for your addition project. The benefits of our design-build process will thrill you as our qualified team designs, engineers, gets permits, and builds your dream addition. Our design, selection, and build process brings your vision from concept to completion.

6 Steps to Getting Started on Your Pittsburgh Area Home Addition

Does your love for your current home and neighborhood fuel your dreams for a new kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, family room, or more? Are you feeling crowded in your home, yet love its location and don’t want to go through the hassle of moving? Think about how a home addition will enhance your lifestyle, increase your property’s value, and cater to the current and future needs of your family.