Think carefully about whether knocking down and starting again is the best route to take, says Allister Godfrey

Should you refurbish or rebuild your home?

Asa RIBA architect, the general rule of thumb is to explore renovating and extending what’s already there, before committing the new resources – and considerable costs – associated with building from scratch. An experienced expert should be able to determine which route suits your home after visiting the site – we typically make a recommendation after the initial consultation.

Our assessment will be based on a number of factors: how you are planning to live in the house; how it needs to perform; what you’re trying to achieve, etc. We need to first determine whether the existing property can be adapted to suit your needs – can you get that bright, modern living space with an open-plan extension, for example? Where it gets more complicated is if the construction of the house as it stands doesn’t lend itself to the upgrades you’re trying to make.