Environmental Benefits of Remodeling
Climate change is a leading global concern. People want to know how they can minimize their environmental impact in their daily lives and future plans. Clients coming to the construction industry increasingly want more sustainable options, like comparing remodeling to rebuilding.
Knowledgeable assistance builds the foundation for a long-lasting, positive client relationship. Read about the environmental benefits of remodeling older homes so every future client finds out what they need to make the best decision when scheduling their upcoming projects.
Crews Create Less Waste
There’s no shortage of construction and renovation projects happening at any given time. People will always need new buildings, bridges and roads, but are current industry practices and materials in their best environmental interest?
Clients with older homes or commercial buildings might want to keep as much of the original building intact as possible. It could have sentimental value to the owner or be the main reason they moved onto the property. If they were to demolish the house and build something new, they’d add to the total waste created by both types of projects.
In 2017, the construction industry created 569 million tons of debris, dropping the waste into landfills and other dumping sites. As that waste decays, it pollutes the local environment through water, soil and air contamination. Remodeling would be a much smaller project and accrue significantly less waste.
Clients Can Add New Features
Some clients may wish to remodel their older properties because they’re not sustainable. The buildings or homes could use outdated materials created before ecological industry regulations, ultimately increasing the owner’s carbon footprint.
One of the environmental benefits of remodeling older homes and commercial structures is the ability to add new features. Clients can opt out of traditional materials made with natural resources and switch them with modern electrical, plumbing and structural framing that’s more eco-friendly.
When discussing this benefit with clients, it’s critical for construction firm teams to show how these upgrades save 30-40% on job costs before finalizing plans. Sustainability often comes with the myth that it’s more expensive to go green. In the case of remodeling older homes and other properties, it could actually save money and make all the difference for clients still deciding what to do.
Updates Reset the Future
Older homes are mostly an environmental issue because the building’s most significant parts are often the worst for the environment. Crawl spaces present a sustainability problem that surprises many property owners. Older buildings may lack insulation around the crawl space or include lower-quality insulation that breaks down with time. Instead of digging out and filling in a new crawl space after demolition, adding insulation increases the building’s energy efficiency without all the work. The updated materials made with the latest industry advancements could save clients up to 15% of their energy bill by better retaining heat or air conditioning.
Energy production created by HVAC systems attempting to constantly regulate a home or office space lacking proper insulation automatically reduces the building’s carbon footprint. Instead of adding CO2 to the atmosphere by relying on fossil-fuel generated electricity, the property uses newer insulation in the crawl space, attic and other areas of the building to retain heat and rely on the HVAC unit less.
Discuss the Client’s Needs
The environmental benefits of remodeling older homes and commercial buildings can easily outweigh the benefits of renovation and new construction. Discuss the client’s needs regarding their specific property to discover if remodeling is the right step forward for them.