Thinking About Remodeling or Building a Home?

Home Remodel Insurance

Question:

Do we need any additional insurance coverage if we remodel or build a new home?

Answer:

With the value of homes going up tremendously over the last several years, many homeowners are remodeling their current homes to better suit their needs or buying a home that needs some work to make it more modern.

There are some important insurance issues to consider, whether you are building a new home or remodeling your current home. The homeowners insurance policy covering your existing home provides some coverage in these situations, but you may need some changes to your policy or additional policies.

Remodeling Insurance

For a remodeling job, including additions to your home, your existing homeowners policy will cover damage to the home, including new construction. However, you are probably adding value to your home. We suggest increasing the amount of insurance on the home when construction starts to the estimated replacement cost of the home when complete. By doing so, you can be sure that the amount of insurance is adequate at all times during the construction and you won’t have to worry about forgetting to call your agent when the project is complete.

If you are building a new home, you will need a separate policy (known as a “builders’ risk” policy) to cover damage caused by fire, windstorm or other calamities while the home is under construction. We can help you purchase the right policy to be sure you are adequately covered.

If you will be storing building materials away from your home location, be sure to tell us. Your homeowners policy contains some exclusions and limitations on stored building materials, so special coverage may be needed.

If someone (besides a family member) – including a construction worker – is injured on the job site or as a result of construction activities, the personal liability and medical payments coverages provided on your homeowners policy will apply. The policy will pay the injured person’s medical bills up to the medical payments limit (usually only $5,000) and the insurance company will defend you if a lawsuit is filed and pay any judgment or settlement up to the personal liability limit. Of course, since the risk of injury may be higher with construction activities, it’s a good time to review your limit of liability insurance. The additional cost for a higher limit – whether provided on your homeowners policy or with a separate personal umbrella policy – is surprisingly low in most cases.


This article was prepared and made available to your agent by the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas, which is solely responsible for its content. Please read your insurance policy. If there is any conflict between the information in this article and the actual terms and conditions of your policy, the terms and conditions of your policy will apply. The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas is a non-profit association of more than 1,500 insurance agencies in Texas, dedicated to helping its members succeed, in part by providing technical resources that explain insurance policies sold to their customers.

Wendy Caplinger

Wendy Caplinger

Wendy Caplinger is owner and insurance agent at Neighbor’s Choice Insurance Agency, Inc. She has held her Property and Casualty Insurance License in Texas since 2008. She received her BBA in Finance from The University of North Texas and has 15 years of experience in the insurance and financial industries. Her interest and knowledge in insurance and finance, as well as her ability to see often unnoticed risk has allowed her to drive efficiency and growth within Neighbor’s Choice Insurance.

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