Which Remodels Give You The Best Return For Your Investment?
Best Rate Remodel / October 15th, 2014
Do you know how much your remodel is worth?
First and foremost, a home remodel should be about making your home more functional, more beautiful, and more tailored to your family’s preferences and needs. With that in mind, we all know that a remodel also increases the resale value of a home, which shouldn’t be overlooked. Like many homeowners, you probably want to rehab a lot of different areas of your home but don’t have an infinite budget. If you understand which remodels give you the best return on your investment, this knowledge can help you make your decision on how to spend your remodel dollars.
Fortunately, Remodeling Magazine actually crunched the numbers and came out with a fascinating Cost vs. Value Report that lists which home projects (from a list of 35) provide the highest return on investment for homeowners.
You’ll probably be surprised to learn what topped the list in the Pacific region, which includes California:
- Deck addition wood: 109% ROI
- Minor kitchen remodel: 104%
- Attic bedroom: 102% ROI
- Family room addition: 90% ROI
- Bathroom remodel: 92% ROI
- Major kitchen remodel: 89% ROI
- Master suite addition: 81%
- Bathroom addition: 78% ROI
A remodel isn’t cheap, and homeowners always wonder if they’ll ever see all of the money that they are sinking into a project. The results of this report should give you hope. What I think is very intriguing is that one of the best returns on investments is a minor kitchen remodel. Even if you aren’t ready to plunk down $50,000 for a major kitchen overhaul, just replacing your cabinets, countertops, appliances, and lighting can be well worth the cost. Also, never forget the value you’ll get when you enjoy your house more.
For example, if you add an attic bedroom, your second child can finally have his or her own room, or you can finally feel secure in inviting family and friends to stay over in your new guest bedroom. These improvements can increase your quality of life and help you fall in love with your home all over again. The fact that you’ll get more for your home when you choose to sell is just icing on the cake.
Take a look at the full Cost vs. Value report for the Pacific region. If you are ready to invest in your San Diego home and your happiness at home, contact Best-Rate Remodel.
Designing A Remodel For The Needs Of Your Family
Best Rate Remodel / September 16th, 2014
Every family is different and needs a different kind of removel
In this age of glossy home magazine spreads and Pinterest, it’s easy to fall in love with somebody else’s home interior. We have access to so many gorgeous remodeled kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms and more, that when it comes time for our home remodel we may forget one extremely important lesson.
Your room or whole home remodel should fit the needs of your family.
Every family is different in how they live and operate within their home. These differences should be embraced by your remodeling contractor so that your home remodel will help your family live better.
Jim and Susan are the ultimate power couple. They work hard during the day and love to come home and relax at night. They don’t have a lot of time to cook, but Susan does love to have friends over on the weekend for wine and “girl time”. Jim wishes he could spend more time at home, rather than in the office.
Do Jim and Susan really need to remodel their kitchen? Maybe, but perhaps a better idea would be to add a home office for Jim so he can work from home more often. Another option is to build an outdoor patio so Susan and her friends can enjoy sitting outside during the warm San Diego nights.
Kyle and Barbara have different needs than Jim and Susan. Barbara is a stay-at-home mother and spends a lot of her time taking care of the couple’s three children. Their kitchen is small and cramped, and Barbara wishes she had more space to cook, and maybe a duel sink.
Kyle and Barbara are prime candidates for a kitchen remodel. Barbara spends a lot of time in the kitchen cooking for her family, so any improvements in the kitchen will have a big positive impact on her life. A more spacious kitchen could also make it easier for her family to operate so that the kids and adults won’t trip over each other when they are each grabbing breakfast in the morning.
Even the same type of remodel and the same budget can yield vastly different results depending on what factors are the most important to a family. Even if Jim and Susan do decide on a kitchen remodel, they may want to focus on adding granite countertops, oak cabinets, and the latest and greatest appliances. Barbara and Kyle, on the other hand, may simply want to add a duel sink, more cabinets for extra storage, and a central island so Barbara has more space to cook.
Don’t let a magazine or a pretty Pinterest picture define what you think the perfect kitchen, bath, or master bedroom should look like. Your remodel should be all about you!
Contact Best-Rate Remodel to discuss your tailored remodel today.
Five Life Events That Deserve A Home Remodel
Best Rate Remodel / June 11th, 2014
Is your dream home still missing the perfect touch? A remodel can make your new home meet all your needs.
A big life event doesn’t just change who you are; it changes your external needs as well. Life is always moving, always shifting in small ways. Sometimes our current home isn’t big enough or doesn’t have quite the features we need to face these big life changes. In these cases, it might be time to consider a San Diego home remodel so that your house can grow and adapt just like you during these exciting times! Here are five big life events that may beg for a home remodel:
Buying A New Home
Buying a new home is a very exciting endeavor. We all have a vision of what our dream home looks like, but it is rare to find a house on the market that checks all the boxes we want unless we build from scratch. Rather than searching endlessly for the perfect home, you might consider buying a place that meets most of your needs (especially in regards to location) and then remodeling the home to fit your vision. That could mean laying down wood flooring instead of carpet, expanding the kitchen, adding a double sink to the master bath, or installing a large, beautiful shower stall with a gorgeous tile backsplash. You could also buy a fixer-upper and spend the money you save to remodel the home to fit your preferences. Either way, consider the purchase of a new home your opportunity to turn it into your dream castle!
Selling A Home
Moving for work or ready to upgrade to something bigger and better? Make sure you can sell your current home quickly and get the price you want. You might have been able to live with the old cabinets in the kitchen or the dingy laminate flooring in the bathroom, but buyers may not be so impressed. A few small and affordable upgrades can make a huge difference in how potential buyers see your home. Upgrading fixtures, cabinets, and countertops in the kitchen will make even a small apartment, condo, or home seem glamorous. The best thing about these remodels is that you can raise the price of your home, so you’ll get a lot of that investment back when you close.
Marriage
Are wedding bells ringing in your future? Congratulations! These days, marriage comes in all shapes and sizes, from young newlyweds, to remarriages that combine existing families. Whatever your particular situation, you may find that the home of a single individual is no longer enough for two, especially if children are coming along as well.
A kitchen remodel can turn a bachelor pad into a more welcoming place for gourmet cooking and entertaining. If children are coming to live in a home, this may mean adding another bedroom or turning a half bath into a full bath. You may even remodel so that an individual’s home becomes the couple’s home, reflecting their shared tastes and needs.
Baby on the Way!
Is your fridge covered with grainy utero pictures? Congratulations on your new future family member. No doubt, you are beginning to shop for all the essentials, like a crib, car seat, and a million adorable onesies. But is your home prepared for your child? Do you have a nursery close to your bedroom? Is it time to consider some stain-proof carpeting?
That baby is coming, so make sure your home is ready for the future.
Retirement
Ahhhhhhh, after decades of working hard, saving smart, and raising your kids to be good people, it’s time for you to enjoy the golden years of your life. After retirement, you’ll likely spend much more time at home, entertaining more often, and hosting more friends and family. Now that you are in a comfortable financial situation, why not splurge and upgrade your home? Maybe that means remodeling the kitchen with some high-end tile, cabinets, lighting, countertops, and appliances. Maybe you’ve always wanted a man-cave or a crafts room, or an outside living space. Your remodel may also incorporate Aging In Place techniques so you can live comfortably and safely for many years to come. Whatever your vision, retirement is the time to create the home you’ve always wanted.
Whatever stage of life you’re in, let Best-Rate Remodel be a part of it. We want you to love your home each and every day. Call us for a free remodeling consultation at (619) 229-0116.
Improve Your Sanity And Raise The Value Of Your Home By Turning A Half Bath Into A Full Bath
Best Rate Remodel / May 15th, 2014
Turn your half bath into a luxury full bath to keep your family happy and increase the value of your home
In the 1960s and 1970s, it was common for an entire middle class family to share a single bathroom. This might have been your situation growing up. Somehow your family was able to make it work, even if this involved whining at your sister to hurry up through the locked door or enduring cold showers if you were the last one in.
Those days are over. In our current era, it’s almost impossible to imagine a whole family sharing one bathroom! If you live in an older house with only one full bath and a half bath, you’ll probably run into traffic jams in the hallway in the morning as your family fights to be first in. You might also have trouble selling the house.
Even in a modern house, you may find that two bathrooms are not enough. If you have older children or even grown children who have moved back into the house, they may each expect their own bathroom. Another situation we see often is an older parent who moves into the home of an adult child. The home may have two bathrooms on the top floor, but the parent has difficulty climbing stairs.
In all of these cases, a great solution can be to turn an existing half bath into a full bath. It does take some work, but it’s not as hard as you may think. The piping is already in place for the sink and toilet, so the real trick is adding a bath and/or shower.
In most cases, transitioning a half bath into a full bath will require a build out to add more space in the bathroom. We will also need to call in a skilled plumber to fit in extra piping. This isn’t a small remodel, but it also isn’t as big or expensive of a new bath construction or large kitchen remodel. You may also be able to get a good portion of your investment back when you sell the house. The website RealEstate.com estimated that an additional full bath added around 20% to the value of a home. Full baths also make a home more appealing to potential homeowners, helping your home bring in more bids and sell more quickly.
Also, there is no price you can put on having a happy family!
While you already have a San Diego remodel team adding a shower and tub to your bath, you may also want to consider new tiling, cabinet additions and even a new vanity. This can be your opportunity to turn your half bath into a beautiful full bath masterpiece.
Ready to turn your half bath into the real thing? Contact Best-Rate Remodel today for a quote!