Refurbishment vs New Build: Which Serves Your Care Home Best?

You might be running a care home which is quite old. You may not have the modern facilities that are necessary in a care home, for example, grabrails along the staircase, non-slippery floors and others. 

If you are thinking about building a new one while discarding the old one, you might want to think twice. If the building structure is strong enough, a complete refurbishment might do the job for you.

To get yourself out of the dilemma, you should read the following discussion. Here, you will learn why you should consider a new build or refurbishment of the existing care home.

Without further delay, let’s start the discussion.

Refurbishment in Brief - When an Upgrade is Enough

To add new care home features, you may ot need to build a new building. With refurbishment, you can make the old building similar to the new one. You need to check for any mild or severe structural issues. If there are mild structural issues, you may be able to resolve them with repair work.

Besides, you can install new care home features that were not previously a part of the old building. For example, you can install the grab rails, install non-slippery tiles on the floor, or install new lights for better visibility.

Moreover, through renovation, you can add new technologies for better monitoring of the old residents in the home. Intercoms, health monitoring devices, and other facilities can be utilised in the old care home, provided they undergo a quick refurbishment. 

Going for a New Build: A Blank Canvas Approach

Building a new care home from scratch is like painting on a blank canvas. You can plan and design it as you want. Include modern architectural design or care support facilities in the building. Besides, you can use the latest construction materials and energy-saving technologies to keep the energy cost down to a minimum.

Consider a new care home construction if you believe the existing building is beyond repair. Moreover, it would take a lot of investment to retain the old building structure. 

When you start constructing a new care home, you can design the facility to be both resident-friendly and staff-friendly. So that residents, such as those with dementia, can easily navigate the place, and staff can also access their restrooms more easily and provide better service to the residents.

Short-Term vs Long-Term Value

Refurbishment often costs you less initially compared to the cost of new construction. However, you have to understand if the investment is worth the value in the long run. If you notice that the building structure has lost its strength, investing heavily in refurbishing the old building would be a waste of resources.

On the contrary, investing in a new care home requires upfront investment, but it will last longer than refurbishing an existing one. Moreover, your property value will increase if you construct a new care home. The Return on Investment is also great within 5 years.

Disruption & Resident Welfare

Before you start constructing a new care home facility or refurbishing an existing one, you must consider the welfare of the residents. If you plan to renovate an old and operational building, it might be difficult for the residents to relocate. You can resolve this issue by adopting a phased refurbishment policy.

On the other hand, a new building construction beside the old one can be an excellent idea. Once the construction of the new building is done, residents can easily move into the new one. However, noise and dust during the construction might be an issue for residents living in the old home.

Choose What’s Best for You

If you plan to refurbish the old building, evaluate the strength of the building structure. If the structure is in good health, you may go for a refurbishment project for the old care home. Otherwise, investing in the construction of a care home would be the best idea.

However, if you are still in confusion, get in touch with us at Care Home Builders. Our expert contractor will evaluate your old buildings and suggest a suitable solution.

Conclusion: Refurbish or Rebuild—Start With the Right Partner

A single solution would not fit everyone. So, you have to consider your unique situation and act accordingly. The state of the old building, your budget and commitment to helping care facilities will determine the best option for you.

You can scale up an existing building with an additional care support feature if the structure is strong. Otherwise, go for a new construction of care homes.