Landing a Vacation Home: To Buy or Build?
The last several decades have been particularly good to Park City and its tourism industry. Today, Utah is as much a vacation destination as a permanent place to put down roots. Perhaps that's why you selected it as the location for your vacation home. Now you are wondering whether to buy an existing property or build from the ground up.
As Park City architects, we encourage people to build their dream homes in Park City or its surrounding neighborhoods including Deer Valley, the Colony, Glenwild, or Victory Ranch. Yet we understand there are certain benefits that come with buying an existing property. The point of this post is to get you thinking about whether you would rather buy or build. Should you decide to build, know that the architects at Sparano + Mooney specialize in mountain modern architecture that aligns perfectly with Utah's natural environment. We are also experts in sustainable architecture and passive homes.
COST + CONVENIENCE
Cost and convenience are the two most attractive elements of buying an existing property. In terms of cost, it is almost always less expensive to buy an existing home. Why? Because the land and home are all you are purchasing. You are not paying for land improvement, architectural services, a builder, all the necessary permits, and so forth.
Convenience is all about purchasing a property, closing on it, and moving in. You can complete the entire process in months. And if you're lucky enough to find a turnkey property, you might not have to make any modifications short of some minor interior decorations and your furniture.
CHOOSING YOUR OWN LAND
One of the downsides of purchasing an existing property is having less choice in terms of the land. You might love a piece of land but not the house that sits on it. Likewise, you might find your dream house sitting on a piece of land that doesn't appeal. Neither scenario is ideal if you are hoping to establish what you would consider a dream home in the Park City area. As long as you're dreaming, do you really want to settle for something you can’t live with?
Building from the ground up gives you more freedom in your choice of land. Search around until you find a lot that sets your mind racing and your heart pumping. Find the perfect view, for example, then work with your architect to design a home that takes full advantage of it. But keep in mind there is not a large inventory of lots available in the highly desirable areas of Utah.
BUILDING WHAT YOU WANT
The primary appeal of building from the ground up is getting exactly what you want. If your vision of the perfect Park City vacation home is a mountain retreat that reminds you of a chalet you and your significant other visited 20 years ago, that is what you build. If you are dreaming of something more contemporary and simultaneously sustainable, you and your architect can make this happen also.
Building brand-new virtually guarantees building something more efficient and environmentally friendly than you could find in an existing property. It might also end up being better for you in the sense that a new build will not contain any of the hazardous materials or finishes builders used a few decades ago.
YOUR VISION IS WHAT MATTERS
From our perspective, what matters in the end is your vision. What are you hoping to get out of your new Park City vacation home? How much time do you plan to spend here, and during what seasons? How do you feel about Utah's natural environment and how do you want to experience it?
Realizing your vision might not be possible if you choose to buy an existing property. By contrast, building from the ground up represents an opportunity to make your new home or vacation home as perfect as it can be.