When it comes to renovating your home, you probably have a long list of things that can be updated, fixed or improved. Chances are, like many people, you do projects one or two at a time, and do not fully gut your home and renovate it all at once like on those great home shows.
We want to help you prioritize your list of projects which will help you be safer, save money and get more bang for your buck.
Address Safety Issues First – The last thing you want to do is not address serious safety concerns. This could be safety for you and your family’s health, or it could be safety of the home. It might not be sexy, but if your fuse box needs updated, do that before you have a fire. If your basement is flooding and your basement walls are bowed, get a basement waterproofing company in there. A new roof can prevent water damage to parts of the home as well. If these things need done, do not put them off to do less important projects.
Some safety issues are expensive, and some are much cheaper. Tree trimming can protect your home from damage and maybe you from injury. Also, having outdoor heated mats that melt ice and reduce the danger of slipping can be an inexpensive safety fix.
Once your safety projects are done, you can move to the more cosmetic renovations that still make sense. Investing in updates should add value to your home and add joy to your life.
Things like windows, a new kitchen or adding a garage can all make your home more enjoyable, add value to the home (assuming you are not pricing yourself out of your neighborhood) and make it easier to sell your home. I have heard the same story many times, that people trying to sell their home do updates like a new kitchen right when they were going to put it on the market, and they regret not having done it sooner when they would have been able to enjoy the kitchen more themselves.
With that said, do not believe someone selling you an update or renovation when they tell you it will increase the value of your home or save you a lot in utilities and pay for itself. These things might be true but do your homework and get information from independent sources. Updates might make it easier to sell your home, but you will not always get the full investment back.
Lastly, be careful when considering non-traditional items. For example, it is well documented that a pool makes it harder to sell a home in many parts of the country. If you are going to use it every day for years, maybe it is a good investment for you. This might also be true for a basement theater, multiple garages and other things that will appeal to some but will be a negative for someone looking to buy a home and not needing that feature. Again, if it brings you joy for many years, and selling your home is a long way off, maybe it is fine. But consider those purchases carefully.
