This is an adorable house! I would definitely get more quotes from other contractors. I think that house has so much character that I would be hard pressed to tear it down. I might consider it thought if there were serious structural or foundation issues, or your remodel was extremely significant (i.e. Adding addition, changing exterior, moving walls and rooms).

Cost per square foot for remodeling versus building new is always going to be skewed. Reason? To remodel, the existing structure must be disassembled to a point to rebuild. Double labor.

New construction is simply building to finish. Single labor.

The tipping factor where remodeling is more expensive than rebuilding varies tremendously. If the building requires plumbing/electrical/HVAC reworking plus structural changes, chances are building new will be less expensive. And may be faster.

Minor plumbing/electrical/HVAC/structural is always less expensive.

In your case, the tipping factor is how much you intend to do. Straightening walls/floors can be a major overhaul, especially when a complete roof is in the plan.

Adding bigger windows is a major remodel, and is more expensive than simply replacing windows. Reason? Sheet rock has to be removed, exterior siding has to be removed past the dimensions of the new windows to allow proper framing of the new openings. New window costs, labor to tear out, and labor/materials to replace sheet rock/siding. If the siding cannot be reused(after being removed) new siding has to be bought/installed/primed/painted.

Replacing four windows can easily require residing that entire side of the house.

Leveling floors will require tearing out the old, repairing/replacing the joists. Same with the walls.

Roof may need complete rebuilt to be right. Rip off all the old roofing/sheathing/rafters and rebuild from the top plate of the walls.

Could all that be done without all that tearout? Not if it is done right.`

I second the recommendation to post on thehistoricdistrict.org.

The last contractor out (40 years in the business) told us it would be
cheaper to tear it down and rebuild as opposed to "fixing it up".

Did he give you specific examples of what was going to be so expensive?

And were you clear with exactly what you needed/wanted with the restoration. If you left him with the impression you wanted a modern open plan house, or a modern window wall, it would be cheaper and easier to rebuild than retro-engineer the supports that takes.

The last guy out is an idiot.

I think that house is lovely. Worth keeping around.

Maybe it's cheaper to tear down and start over, but who cares? There's value in saving and restoring, too.

Btw I love the reccomendation for the Historic Distric. Just checked out that site and I'm in love.

I think the contractor is not the right choice for your project but as one who is completing an addition to my older home the guy is correct it cost a lot more to renovate an older home than to build anew. My price per sq ft was well over $650. To me the price to keep the other things I adore about my home while adding what I want for my life was worth it but it was not a sound financial investment, tearing down or moving would have been the better financial choices. I hope to stay in this house indefinitely but if I were planning to move in less than ten years I would not spend much to make an older home perfect for me.

My neighbor was doing a major remodel/addition. The contractor convinced them tearing down and rebuilding was less expensive since to remodel he had to tie in and make the new work with the old that takes a lot of time. And he explained it was easier to run all new wiring than tie into the old etc with plumbing, heating, and cooling. This was a major redo, they were putting in more than the house in it's current state was worth. As others have said, it depends on the scope of the project. lafdr

few small restoration projects on the house (like installing larger windows across the second floor which looks out on the lake)

If that is just one of many "small projects" you're envisioning, save yourself a lot of money and headaches and start thinking new instead.

It doesn't matter how solid it is or how good it looks, it's what it costs for a few "small projects" vs. the cost of building from scratch that you should consider.

I don't see anything adorable about that house. It has already been remodeled many times and removed any of the original character of the 1900s design. With what you want to do and with what you have described, and the age, I would tend toward scraping it and starting over with a modern foundation. You might get some estimates for a new house, too. A new roof covering is not that expensive, but if you are thinking of redesigning the roof line, I'd seriously consider a new house.

We recently remodeled 3 bathrooms and added an exterior door and two picture windows in our 1990s house. The final cost came in a little north of $200 per square foot and amounted to half what I paid for the house a year earlier. Granted these are high cost rooms, but a nice new house can be built for much less than that. What got us was just what was mentioned above. The wall where the new windows went was rotten below the old windows and had to be rebuilt. So my concern is the inconsistencies and, perhaps, imperfect workmanship in the previous remodels will come back to haunt this remodeling project and lead to high cost overruns. I would also be afraid of what is under those shingles on the siding. Asbestos, lead paint, and dry rot are worst case. Poor insulation is another concern.