Demolitioon and rebuild or renovate?

[Anonymous]

Did anyone see Trevor MacDonald tonight, last night (Mon16th May 20:00 – 20:30)? The discussion was about whether it was better to knock old terrace homes down (18K) and then build new homes (120K or so); or to renovate the old terraces (cost, judging by the trailer for part 2 this coming Friday between 18 and 25K). Apparently, the plans are for about 200,000 homes in the North to be demolished and rebuilt.

I would have thought that from an environmental point of view, the renovation was certainly the way to go. Are there other factors which might influence the decision?

Also, since there are many building professionals on the site, did the costs for the renovation look reasonable? As I say, from the trailer for Friday, it’s clear that they’re going to rise from the projected 18K, but I’d be interested to know if when you see programmes like this, your normal reaction is to laugh at the budget.

Cheers,

Peter.

[Anonymous]

Definitely an interesting subject and one that I've always wondered about

[Nick Grant]

If newbuild was to a high standard then the eco sums might work for demolition (the old running costs are 10x the build and demolition environmental impact calculation) but that is a big if.

Sustainability might be the excuse but I think it would be more a case of maximising profits. I can imagine a well renovated Victorian terrace being more energy efficient than a poorly done new build.

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