Renovating a Home

Projects that Help Add Value to your Home

• Insulation: Not one of the more glamorous updates, but the remodeling report shows that adding fiberglass insulation in your attic has the highest return (nearly 117%) for midrange homes, costing £1,268 on average.
• Garage door: The second-highest return according to the remodeling report is the replacing your garage door. Homeowners can expect over 90% return on investment on average.
• Front door replacement: Our last home improvement tip is to update the front door. The practice of feng shui says that having a good front door that opens into a wide space can help invite wealth into your home. And the Cost vs Value report agrees – you can expect a 90% return on average for updating to a fiberglass door on an upscale home.
• Hire an inspector: What you don’t know, can hurt your home’s value. That’s why it’s a good idea to hire an inspector to find out what’s in need of repair. They could catch a small problem before it turns into a big expense.
• Give your kitchen cabinets a facelift: There are several things you can do to improve the look of your cabinets, from buying new handles, painting them, hiring a company to refinish your cabinets or replacing them completely.
• Update your bathroom: This is one of the home improvements that can pay for itself in the end. Experts suggest not spending a fortune updating a one-bath home, but instead adding a second bathroom for increasing the home’s value. According to Remodeling magazine’s report, bathroom additions and remodels return the most to upscale homes.
• Paint: Fresh paint in modern colors can add a nice touch to your home without breaking the bank.
• Go green: Update your lightbulbs, appliances and windows to a more energy efficient model to save yourself some electricity costs while saving the planet. Win-win! Check Energy Star’s rebate finder to find any product rebate or special offers. Also, try buying appliances toward the end of the month, during a weekday or at a holiday sale to save even more.
• Update or add a deck or patio: If you have an older deck, try updating it by using a special paint that fills in cracks and gives it a nice finish. Or if you don’t have a patio or deck, this can be a great way to increase your home’s value.
• Curb appeal within reason: Realtors tend to agree that upgrading the look of your front yard can really help increase your chances of showing your home to prospective buyers. However, you don’t want to spend too much money on the perfect landscape because that money may not get recouped. Another component that can help add value is replacing the siding.

While planning what projects you’d like to take on, it’s a good idea to consider the long-term value that it may bring and the neighborhood that you live in and avoid upgrading too much so that your house becomes unaffordable for your location.