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Plenty of wonderful old houses and cottages, built in an excellent traditional architectural style, are scattered in the Cretan countryside and the urban environment.

So, the dilemma of "renovation vs. rebuilding" arises quite often.

Several owners and potential buyers are wondering whether to spruce up an existing stone house or tear it down and start over. It's a complicated task to weigh the financial and practical implications of renovating over rebuilding. The answer to this quandary is a big decision that requires careful consideration.

One of the most common reasons leading to the decision to renovate a building is its architectural charm, which emotionally challenges us to maintain the lifestyle of the yesteryear. It is impossible to truly reproduce the authenticity of genuinely old buildings and preserve their character by rebuilding a house.

Due to the vast historical architectural heritage, many homes in Chania are listed and protected by law, so rebuilding them is prohibited. Similar restrictions on the changes you can make to an old home apply in the historic neighborhoods of the old town.

In some renovation projects, even if a building changes radically, keeping the essential elements in place can work out cheaper than a complete rebuild with new footings, external walls, etc.

Building a new house can take time, depending on the time of year and the weather's cooperation. If you have a short timeline, renovating is probably a good idea. Depending on the amount of work needed, renovating sometimes takes less time than building a new home.

It can also be much easier to get planning permission for alterations to an existing building (often possible under a small-scale building permit) than to get approval for a new house. This is not always the case, but it could be the most straightforward path, especially when the renovation budget is low (around 25,000Euros).

On the other hand, sometimes a small renovation can turn into a big project. There's a lot of uncertainty when renovating since you don't know what's inside the walls until you start tearing them down.

From a "green, environmentally friendly" perspective, retaining and reusing existing things requires less energy than demolishing and building from scratch.

The decision to renovate or rebuild a house depends on individual factors that are different for each person and situation with many "moving" factors. Getting the correct information for all the doubtful aspects and taking time to research and plan ensures you're making the right choice.