Renovate or build new: comparing your Luxembourg project

Check the scope for conversion, demolition or construction with the municipality and your designer. Guichet explains that planning rules condition permission. Owning a house does not establish a right to replace it identically. Ask about property-specific constraints before paying for a detailed comparison.

The housing ministry recommends a detailed assessment of the existing building. Ask which elements can stay, which need work and which areas require further investigation. Also ask whether the desired rooms, access and layout are achievable within the constraints identified.

For each scenario, list any acquisition, studies, procedures, site preparation, works, connections, outdoor areas and temporary accommodation. For demolition and rebuilding, request separate dismantling and waste items. State the taxes assumed and separate unconfirmed grants from available funding. Do not assign zero cost to an omitted item.

Describe your intended outcomes: comfort, uses, maintenance and energy performance to investigate. Ask your designer how each scenario addresses them. Compare schedules including procedures and procurement, not just days on site. Where an assumption remains open, record possible effects without inventing an average duration.

Classify differences as established, estimated or unknown. For each important unknown, ask which study or offer would reduce it. You can then weigh cost, use constraints, timing and retaining the building. No universal reinforcement-cost threshold establishes that new construction is preferable.