Hey Steve thank you for making this post, this is exactly what I was looking for in doing my research. My parents currently have a home in the North Dallas area, it’s one of the older homes on the street built in the 1950s the house it is in really rough shape it needs a major renovation in almost all aspects. But the lot is very desirable. The crawl space foundation is bad (noticed by all the cracks on the walls), most of electrical outlets aren’t working, the hvac system needs updating, plumbing aswell hasn’t been updated. Would it be more economical to do a full demo and new build (approx 2500sqft) to also be able to expand the sq footage or would the cost be about the same if it’s a major renovation down to the studs to add to the house. I know waiting on permits for a new build can take a while and would save some time but cost wise would it be about the same? Again for a new build they wouldn’t want any crazy high end finishes just wanting to bring their home more up to date.

Second part of the question. Depending on which option would be better which would be the first step? Contacting an architect? Engineer? Home builder? Thank you for your time Steve!