Buy or renovate? This question plagues almost every home owner. If the decision is made to move, another common debate typically appears. Should we go for a newly built home or look for an older but renovated or refurbished home? Which of the two would be a better option?
Of course, there are benefits to almost every option, but you also have to consider the impact the decision will have on your health in the long run. Is it healthier to live in a new house or an old one? It’s probably not something you commonly think about, but – it’s an important question to consider.
Let’s take a look at some possible benefits of buying a new home.
Newly built homes are constructed following stricter guidelines that take into consideration almost all health or safety risks during the building process. New construction rules are stricter than those based on which older homes were built. These standards include proper ventilation, fire safety, making a house fall-proof, and air filtration as well as a number of other things.
Fire safety is another issue that is taken seriously when building a new home. Most carpeting, insulation, and flooring in new houses are designed using fire retardants that will make it more difficult for a fire to spread. They also contain fire and smoke detectors that are powerful enough to detect the level of smoke that can prove harmful for the owners and most are hard wired into a house’s electrical system.
The chemicals used during the construction process are of much higher quality than their older counterparts. A more commonly known example is the use of lead paints. In older houses, lead paints were commonly used which had significant side effects for homeowners. This is why the lead levels in paints available today are monitored closely. This eliminates any risk that is posed to the health of the inhabitants due to the levels of lead in the paint used for coloring the walls.
Additionally, old structures can have blocked ventilation or air passages which can result in health risks. The same risk applies to the health of the inhabitants in an old house that has poor water quality. Aged pipes and plumbing systems are common culprits behind poor water quality in older homes.
This is why, when possible, people should opt for purchasing a new house to live in. In the case where this is not possible, or desired, it is best to get the old house checked thoroughly for all health and safety hazards before you make the final decision to purchase it.