We here it all the time, we’d love to move to NC and escape the traffic, weather and taxes….but there’s one little problem, our house is STILL on the market! These days, you need to set yourselves apart from the others on the block and a little remodel could give you that edge you’ve been looking for. New construction is a blank canvas, but when you sell your home, you have to work with what ya got!
Top 10 remodel projects from Remodel Magazine
The cost of remodeling is dropping, to the delight of homeowners who can afford to make improvements to their homes. You’ll notice that these are not ambitious, vanity jobs. All are projects that replace aged home components, bring parts of the home up-to-date or add living space without expanding the home’s footprint:
- Replacing exterior siding with upscale fiber cement. Siding pays back a whopping 78%, on average, of the $13,461 average cost. The most cost-effective thing you can do to your home this year is to replace old siding with new, higher-end fiber cement.
- Replacing an entry door with a midlevel 20-gauge steel door is an inexpensive upgrade at $1,238 on average, but it pays back 73% and greatly improves curb appeal.
- An attic bedroom remodel involves popping out a dormer for a bathroom with shower, insulating and finishing the walls and ceiling, adding four windows, extending the HVAC and improving wiring and lighting. The payback is 72.5% on the $50,148 expenditure. An attic remodel is the cheapest way to add space and a bathroom within the house. A basement remodel is the next most cost-efficient way to add living space.
- A midrange kitchen remodel paid back 72.1% of the $19,588 investment. Included are new laminate countertops and new sink, faucets and appliances. The floor is untouched and cabinets are kept in place but refaced with new hardware added. Take what’s there, and giving it a face lift. Most consumers are shunning the expensive spa baths and chef’s kitchens that involve moving electrical services, plumbing and walls.
- A midrange garage door replacement may not be high on many wish lists; it’s one of those jobs that you do because it’s needed. But it adds curb appeal and function, and it pays back 71.9%, on average, of the $1,512 average cost.
- A high-end garage door replacement recoups almost as much: 71.1% of the $2,994 average cost.
- A new wood deck earns back 70.1%, on average, of its $10,350 cost at resale this year.
- New foam-backed vinyl siding replacement keeps the house warm and pays back 69.6% of its $14,274 average cost. The average project involves 1,250 square feet of siding, including trim.
- New midrange replacement vinyl siding upgrades the look of the home and pays back 69.5% of the $11,729 average price.
- Upscale vinyl replacement windows have a 69.1% payback on the $14,328 cost. The project involves replacing 10 double-hung 3-by-5 windows. The new windows are low-emissivity glass and are insulated with simulated wood-grain trim.