INTEGRAL OR PIECEMEAL REFURBISHMENT. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES. Renovations are a necessity that we all have to go through sooner or later. It doesn’t matter if you are the owner of commercial premises or a home, and it doesn’t matter if the space is cared for as much as possible, the wear and tear of use takes its toll on all the materials. However, when the time comes to carry out a refurbishment, it is not enough to make a decision; many other aspects that are of great importance have to be taken into account. For example, whether it is better to carry out a complete renovation or a partial one.
Today, on the Mobile Diseño blog, we are going to explain both types so that you can be clearer about the advantages and disadvantages of both types of intervention. Let’s get to work!
The integral reform, characteristics
Understanding what an integral reform is does not cost too much. It is enough to imagine buying a second-hand property in which nothing can be used or that a commercial premises is in such a bad condition that it is impossible to open it to the public in a serious way.
It is clear that by integral reform we will understand from now on that which deals with changing, fixing and improving all the parts and rooms of a house without any type of exception.
This type of intervention will focus both on the visible elements, walls or floors for example, but also on the installations that are not visible to the naked eye. We are talking about electricity or plumbing, elements that are hidden from the eyes, but which are fundamental for the subsequent habitability of the space to be adequate.
Of course, there are cases in which this type of reform will even have to stop in order to be able to see the structural state of the space to be visited. This normally occurs in individual houses, as there is not usually any problem of this in flats or in commercial premises that are found within large communities of owners.
At Mobile Diseño we like to make it clear that the important thing to be clear about when talking about an integral reform is that, quite simply, we are going to intervene in all the elements that form part of the space to be reformed and, most importantly, that this will be done at the same time.
The reform by parts: main characteristics
Now, we can go back to the example we gave earlier, that of buying a house or commercial premises, and imagine that this does not need to be changed at all in order to have minimum habitability conditions.
Moreover, there are homes that are purchased and are in very good condition and only need the bathroom to be repaired or part of the plumbing installation to be replaced, to give a couple of examples of what may be isolated interventions.
It is also possible that the property or commercial premises we are talking about may only have aesthetic flaws. For example, the walls may need a coat of paint or the repair of small imperfections, or the floors may have minor damage that can be easily repaired.
The important thing to keep in mind in the reforms by parts is simply that this will not occupy at any time one hundred percent of the space and that will be carried out only in one or more localized parts of the house, something that, as we will see later, has its advantages over the integral reform, but also many disadvantages.
A partial integral reform?
There is a third type of reform that mixes the two that we have described above. Many people wonder if it is possible to carry out an integral reform in parts. That is to say, there may be a need to carry out a complete renovation of a house or commercial premises, but there may be a desire or need to do it little by little, undertaking each part of the renovation individually.
The truth is that it is possible, at Mobile Diseño we have no problem in this regard. However, the fact that there is no problem does not mean that this is not perhaps the most uncomfortable solution of all. We will explain in more depth what its disadvantages are, but what is certain is that this type of intervention is slow and uncomfortable owing to its characteristics.
The advantages of a house renovation
Let’s go on to the aspects that make integral reform a good option. In Mobile Diseño we believe that if you have to make many modifications to a space and even change it completely, the best thing to do is always to go for the integral reform in a decisive way.
From here we join this opinion, and it is that an integral reform is going to have a greater number of advantages whenever the space that is going to be intervened has the need to be thoroughly modified.
But why? Well, you have to start with organisational issues. A home, for example, in which everything has to be redone, from the installation of the electricity to the painting of the walls to the floor or the bathroom or kitchen furniture, will always have a more organised development if it is planned and carried out in an integrated manner.
The Mobile Diseño professionals in charge of the reform will organise it in such a way that the different tasks not only do not overlap, but also that they do not put the already finished parts at risk. We are referring, for example, to plastering the walls before laying the floor so that it does not suffer any kind of damage, or to placing the interior doors at the end to prevent them from being damaged.
It is clear that organisation is a point in favour of integral reforms, but there is more. The intervention time is considerably reduced. If a reform is carried out in parts with the aim of completely changing the face of a house after successive small reforms, the intervention times will shoot up and, therefore, so will the discomfort of being in the works.
We must not lose sight of this, as the best thing about a reform is to see it finished to perfection and as soon as possible. The reason why an integral reform has a shorter execution time is obvious. In a house or premises where this type of work is going to be carried out, there will be no inhabitants or activity, so the workers will only have to worry about carrying out their work without any distractions.
There is a third advantage to take into account: the price. In the long run, an integral reform done in one go is much cheaper than one done in parts with the same materials and the same areas of execution.
The reason is very simple. The companies also charge for displacement and other aspects that are multiplied in the reforms by parts, but that disappear in the works that are carried out in one go. This is an aspect to take into account, as the savings can be considerable if you take into account the additional costs that companies usually charge for each trip.
And there is one last advantage of integral reforms. In general terms, this is the only option for a reform to achieve an air of unity that is necessary in many cases. That is to say, when starting with a reform, if it is done all at once, the home or business premises can be given its own unique style. However, reforms in parts often have a contradictory final effect or, as they say, look like patches, something that detracts a little from the improvements made.
In order to see more clearly the advantages of integral reforms that we have mentioned, here you have them summarised in a list:
– Better organisation.
– Less intervention time.
– Savings in price.
Positive aspects of a piecemeal renovation
We have seen the advantages of integral reforms. Does this mean that partial reforms have no advantages? Not at all, they do, although they are very different from those we have seen before and, therefore, they adapt to a very different type of situation.
What we mean is that piecemeal renovation only has advantages if the right conditions are in place. These are, for example, not being able to leave the house that is to be refurbished for the duration of the intervention, which makes it impossible to undertake a complete refurbishment that makes it impossible to live in a house for the duration of the refurbishment.
It is also possible that at a certain moment in time you do not have the necessary economic resources to carry out a complete renovation. In this situation, the best thing to do is to find out what the priorities of the house are and start renovating from there. That is to say, it will always be more important to eliminate leaks if they exist than to change the living room floor for one that we like better.
In other words, it is the budget and the conditions of whether or not we can leave the house that will lead us to choose the second option. In this way, the main advantages of a piecemeal renovation are that it is more economical, although only in the short term, and that it adapts to life in the space being renovated.
Apart from these two options, there is no advantage that stands out above the integral reform, but this option should never be lost sight of in the cases mentioned above.
The disadvantages of the two types of reforms.
However many advantages something may have, at Mobile Diseño we know that nothing is ever perfect and this is exactly what happens with integral reforms. These interventions are the most recommended when it is necessary to completely change the face of a home or commercial space, although this does not mean that they do not present some kind of inconvenience.
One of the biggest disadvantages is having to completely abandon the space in which the reform is to be carried out. Yes, this type of intervention completely destroys the habitability conditions of any space, so it will be necessary to have a second home to live in while the renovation is being carried out.
This may seem of little importance, but the truth is that there are many people who cannot adapt to this requirement and, therefore, choose to carry out the integral reform little by little, which ends up increasing the work time and the inconvenience.
Apart from what we have just said, due to the characteristics of a reform of this type, it is normal for it to take longer to complete than a partial reform. This is what it seems at first glance, although the truth is that, if we add up all the time needed to carry out a partial reform, the latter will last longer.
In many cases, an integral reform can take more than one or two months to complete, depending on the total space to be modified. It is not a time to be taken lightly, far from it, as it will be necessary to look for an alternative to the house that is being reformed or to have a closed business in the case of the reform of commercial premises.
All in all, the disadvantages of the integral reform never surpass those of the reform in parts. This does allow the space where the intervention is going to be carried out to continue to be inhabited, but in a way that can be very uncomfortable.
Just imagine, for example, a house in which only the bathroom is going to be refurbished. This type of work, which can take between 10 and 15 days to complete, will fill the house with dust, construction materials and will also leave the inhabitants of the house without a bathroom, something that can be a problem if the house does not have more than one bathroom for the use of its residents.
Apart from the logical inconvenience, as we have already pointed out, these reforms by parts end up being more expensive than those that are done in an integral way due to the displacements of the workers and the fact that large reforms usually have a discount that small ones do not receive and that it is important not to lose sight of.
What type of reform to choose?
After all that we have said about one type of reform or another, the logical thing to do is to ask yourself which one is the most interesting in each case. You have already seen the disadvantages and disadvantages that each type has, so you have enough information to be able to evaluate your situation and decide. Or if you have any doubts, you can contact us through our website www.mobiledis.com or through our social networks and we will help you to resolve them. However, there are other factors that we want you to take into account so that you can make the right decision without any doubts about making a mistake.
To begin with, assess the state of the property or commercial premises that you want to renovate. There are cases in which, no matter how much you may want another option, a complete refurbishment is the best choice in the long term. We are talking about situations in which the electricity and water installations are in a very bad state or in which the whole space is in such bad condition that it is impossible for you to carry out a partial refurbishment.
Secondly, study your budget carefully. This may seem obvious, since a renovation is a major expense. But what you need to think about is the time it takes for a renovation to pay for itself. An integral reform done properly will be in use without giving the slightest problem for several decades. However, a piecemeal intervention, due to the poor state of the areas that have not been renovated, can last much less time.
Combining your budget with the urgency of the renovation and the needs of the space you have to intervene is how you will discover the right decision for each case. Bear in mind that no two homes are ever the same and no two commercial premises have the same needs. In the same way, no two users are alike, as each one of us has our own needs and we are the only ones to see them, so we also have to think from this point of view which is the best solution for each case.
In the hands of professionals
What there is no doubt about is that, regardless of the option chosen for the reform, it is necessary to have professionals who are capable of carrying out the work, but also of duly advising on what the priorities of the intervention should be and on how the work should be carried out.
At Mobile Diseño we are experts in reforms, capable of anticipating many of the problems that normal users do not see for reasons of experience in the work and knowledge of their profession.