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Pro Spotlight: The Pros and Cons of Remodeling vs. Building New
A New England architect shares the opportunities and obstacles in renovating your home or starting from scratch
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Who: Eric Baker of Eric Baker Architects
Where: Stamford, Connecticut
In his own words: “I love my career. I have enjoyed it immensely over the past 32 years and I bring that excitement to every project I begin.”
Unsure whether it’s time to renovate your home or start completely from scratch? Sometimes it’s a surprisingly fine line. “It’s the most common question I’m asked,” says Eric Baker, the owner and principal architect of Eric Baker Architects in Stamford. “There are cost, time and quality implications that have to be carefully weighed.” Read on as Baker outlines the advantages and drawbacks to each approach.
Where: Stamford, Connecticut
In his own words: “I love my career. I have enjoyed it immensely over the past 32 years and I bring that excitement to every project I begin.”
Unsure whether it’s time to renovate your home or start completely from scratch? Sometimes it’s a surprisingly fine line. “It’s the most common question I’m asked,” says Eric Baker, the owner and principal architect of Eric Baker Architects in Stamford. “There are cost, time and quality implications that have to be carefully weighed.” Read on as Baker outlines the advantages and drawbacks to each approach.
A genuine joy for design. Baker was drawn to architecture from an early age. “My father was an accountant but very crafty and good with his hands,” he says. “When I was 14, he built a model of our home. Ever since then I wanted to be an architect.” After finishing his graduate program in architecture at Columbia, he opened his own practice in 1991. “For the past 32 years I’ve been meeting new people, discussing their lives and building what I learn into their projects,” he says. “I love doing this work.”
A passion for problem-solving. Baker finds every project exciting. “I love the opportunity to meet new people and create solutions that improve their lives,” he says. “Whether it’s a new home or a renovation, I love a challenge and engaging with my clients to solve the problems they present for me to solve.”
Weighing the costs and benefits of building new versus renovating? Below, Baker shares his guidance and some of the questions to consider.
Weighing the costs and benefits of building new versus renovating? Below, Baker shares his guidance and some of the questions to consider.
1. Do You Love Your Location?
Do you have your heart set on the perfect new site? Or are you attached to the block you live on already? “Some people love their neighborhood or having their family nearby but hate the house itself,” Baker says. “On the other hand, to start new you have to have the right property.”
The design of this new build in Pound Ridge, New York, was deeply influenced by the site the homeowners selected. “I try to create a theme for each project, and this theme speaks to the connection between architecture and the landscape,” Baker says. “The home is on a mountain filled with granite, and the property will have a granite spine running throughout.”
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Do you have your heart set on the perfect new site? Or are you attached to the block you live on already? “Some people love their neighborhood or having their family nearby but hate the house itself,” Baker says. “On the other hand, to start new you have to have the right property.”
The design of this new build in Pound Ridge, New York, was deeply influenced by the site the homeowners selected. “I try to create a theme for each project, and this theme speaks to the connection between architecture and the landscape,” Baker says. “The home is on a mountain filled with granite, and the property will have a granite spine running throughout.”
See more of this project
2. Does an Aspect of Your Home Inspire You?
Does your home have a certain character that’s worth expanding on? “It’s exciting when you can find something like that, something valuable, and incorporate it into new architecture in a way that feels seamless,” Baker said. On the flip side, does the design of your home show you what you don’t want? “It can also be fun to reject what’s been in place and come up with something more obscure and more personal,” Baker says.
This Millbrook, New York, farmhouse was built in 1720. The homeowners wanted to update and expand it without sacrificing its historical charm. “The theme of this project was how we could bring in new materials and modern updates like radiant floors, all while still having it feel like a 1720s house,” Baker says. “The end result is something very special.”
See more of this project
Does your home have a certain character that’s worth expanding on? “It’s exciting when you can find something like that, something valuable, and incorporate it into new architecture in a way that feels seamless,” Baker said. On the flip side, does the design of your home show you what you don’t want? “It can also be fun to reject what’s been in place and come up with something more obscure and more personal,” Baker says.
This Millbrook, New York, farmhouse was built in 1720. The homeowners wanted to update and expand it without sacrificing its historical charm. “The theme of this project was how we could bring in new materials and modern updates like radiant floors, all while still having it feel like a 1720s house,” Baker says. “The end result is something very special.”
See more of this project
3. How and Where Do You Want to Invest?
Another major consideration is how you’d like to invest your money and your time. “I treat my clients’ money as if it’s my own and give a breakdown of the pluses and minuses so that they’re making a decision that makes sense financially,” Baker says. “What would the cost of moving be? How much equity do you have in your home? It’s more work to start new — are you prepared for that?”
This historic Federal period home in Bernardsville, New Jersey, needed a major update. The homeowners made the investment to gut the interior of the 1,400-square-foot main house and add 5,000 square feet of new space. With everything from a new primary suite and additional bedrooms to a wine cellar and fully kitted-out pool house for guests, the rambling property is now ready to be the family’s forever home.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Eric Baker and examples of his work, visit Eric Baker Architects’ Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Another major consideration is how you’d like to invest your money and your time. “I treat my clients’ money as if it’s my own and give a breakdown of the pluses and minuses so that they’re making a decision that makes sense financially,” Baker says. “What would the cost of moving be? How much equity do you have in your home? It’s more work to start new — are you prepared for that?”
This historic Federal period home in Bernardsville, New Jersey, needed a major update. The homeowners made the investment to gut the interior of the 1,400-square-foot main house and add 5,000 square feet of new space. With everything from a new primary suite and additional bedrooms to a wine cellar and fully kitted-out pool house for guests, the rambling property is now ready to be the family’s forever home.
See more of this project
More: For more information on Eric Baker and examples of his work, visit Eric Baker Architects’ Houzz profile.
This story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.
Eric Baker Architects is a full-service architectural firm with over 30 years of award-winning design experience... Read More
Review by thesatines:
My wife and I are in our 70s. We wanted to build a home in which we could continue to live active lives; entertain; never feel as if the two of us were living in a space that either was too large or ...More