From the MSN Real Estate web site.
I thought they were going to say- don't do this because you'll never get your money back. But instead they go at this angle-- "not every project delivers on its promise of luxury and enjoyment."
I added a couple rooms 25 years ago- and I've certainly gotten every bit of enjoyment out of them that I promised myself.
The hot tub went in almost 2 years ago. For me, it has been some of the best money I've spent in years. Granted- I didn't go for the $20K monstrosity right out of the box. $500 on Craigslist for a 6 yr old- 1 owner tub with a bad pump. $500 for the pump, insulation, and electrical hookups.
Maintenance averages a few minutes a day. Costs about $30/month to operate. I use it every morning for 1/2 hour & it allows me to stand upright before noon. [and saves me $1-3/day on muscle relaxers] My wife doesn't care for it much, but will hop in when friends come over.
I think the better article might say- 'Think before you spend $10 grand. Don't just buy crap to keep up with the Joneses." Maybe
*that* article was already written.Jim
So what would the 8 (or ten?) *under*rated improvements be?
Ahm thinkin 1. a bidet, 2. good privacy shrubbery, landscaping, fencing/metalwork 3. mini-split A/Cs all over 4. baseboard h/w heating... 5. Full multi camera security system...
A good cheap one is motion controlled lighting. Use low level lighting for this and switch controlled task lights where you need them. Once you get used to the lights coming on in front of you as you walk around the house you start wondering why you were fooling with switches all your life.
Alot of improvements depends on why you are doing them. If you are selling the house and you think installing Home theater will help you sell it, I think that is a bad investment, whereas, you might not and Home theaters are a big selling point in the area of the U.S. where you live.
However, Kitchen makeovers, garage makeovers may be the ticket because everyone (esp. women) wants a nice kitchen, and all guys want a nice garage. Am I wrong here? But, don't invest too much if you are planning on selling. If you plan on staying there, do it right the first time.
Hank
Yes. DH cares more about the kitchen than I do, since he's a foodie and I couldn't care less. Neither of us cares about the garage. All that's in it is the cars and the deck furniture and camping gear during the winter. When we bought the house it didn't have a garage. We only built one because it snows 5-6 months of the year and we got tired of scraping off the cars. What do you keep in yours that "all guys" care about?
"h" wrote in news:i2n2km$ig8$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:
it's not what's kept in the garage,it's the ability to USE the garage as a workspace;to maintain and service autos,and for other DIY projects. Hobbies,construction projects,etc. Stuff you would not usually do inside your home. A garage is just not a "place to keep stuff".
By "nice garage",I believe they mean one that is clean,well- lit,uncluttered,with a workbench and tools easily accessible,with organized storage for oils,paints,materials,etc. Just having a "nice" garage floor can make cleanup easier.
Garages are not for cars.
They are for illegal apartments and shops -- and chaotic storage, of course.
Existential Angst wrote the following:
My garage storage is not chaotic. I always leave a clear path from the front to the back of the garage. Going from one side to the other is another story.
Ah. DH doesn't do any of that stuff. If it requires a tool, it's my project. As for "construction" projects, I do all of them in the house, since it's always work on the house. Can't exactly fit the house in the garage.
Okaaay. Don't get that at all.
Heh.... just poll yer neighbors.... :)
I don't know my neighbors, because they are so far away, but most have barns. That's where they must store all the "stuff" you say people have. Since there are never any cars in driveways they obviously put their cars in the garage, just like I do.
re: 5. Bedroom deck
That one really, really depends on the layout of the house.
If the deck is for easier access to the yard, then it could not only be a good investment but also "deliver on its promise of luxury and enjoyment".
I added a deck off of a room that could easily be a bedroom. The reason was that the room is at the back of the house, where we could see the backyard, but not get to it.
To get to the backyard, you either had to go out the front door and around the house, or down the basement stairs (which took you to the front of the house) and then walk back to the back of the house and out the basement door.
The previous (original) owners lived like that (with 4 kids) for over
30 years. I added a sliding door, deck and stairs down to the yard the first summer I was in the house."Hustlin' Hank" wrote
Both right and wrong. One person's 'lovely kitchen redo' had me walk out less than 2 mins into viewing the house.
The worst part was she had a 'before and after' book out. The 'before' was a stellar workable kitchen. The after, was a kitchen built by a person who clearly never cooked more than scrambled eggs or microwave ready meals.
Some of what she did is 'debatable' as aspects some would like (but I don't). Marble counters in white with white grouted tile splashboard. Pale almost white wood cabinets with glass see through doors in almost all of them. Wonderful gas range removed and replaced with a trash compactor and above a stovetop of the white glass type (there was no oven). To create a more airy look, she had the cabinet depth reduced to 24 inches and installed a mini-2 sided sink (it was wide and short). Microwave was nice but above the stove top and too close for safety if you wanted to use the stovetop much. A charming breakfast nook was removed and turned into the spot for a huge fridge (must have been commercial as i dont see any that big at the local stores). This fridge was too far from kitchen central for good workflow.
End result, insufficient storage for pots and pans and most things would be 'out in the open'. Terrible workflow and counters reduced to 24 inches meant mini-sink was too small and not wide enough for safety for many types of appliances (especially anything hot with toddlers/young kids as you need to set those well back from the edge). Horrible problems anticipated over time with all that 'white' when cleaning normal spills and tomato sauce or whatever.
I've seen a LOT of botched 'kitchen redos'. If a lady actually cooks, she'll appreciate pretty, but *demand* functional first.
Now the garage? That can be a very nice one. Lots of places to hang things and sturdy shelves as well as a good workbench can sell the house.
"h" wrote
But he wanted functional I bet!
Lets see, it has 2 'lofts' for longer term storage (Xmas stuff, things you need once in a blue moon). 18 box 'gym locker' for storing oddities on house repair, a chest freezer, 6 metal or wood storage shelves (most 28inch x 6ft) and a double decker tool box. 1 free worktable for small projects, and one large one for the router, circular saw, and other woodwoking gear (made of 4x4 with 1inch thick plywood over 1x6 'top' this is a very sturdy unit 3ft deep and 7ft long bolted for stability to the house frame structure but removable and can be a sturdy stand-alone unit).
We put about 3,000$ into wood and tools (mostly tools) to make this. Got shelves and stuff like the gym locker off freecyle. With it, we repaired
25,000$ worth of renters damage just for the cost of wood, paint, nails, etc. Oh, and a significant part was we saved 3,000$ off the cost of a re-fencing job because we had the tools, knowledge, a workshop and one handyman to assist with the heavy lifting.Just like with a kitchen, it has to be designed right although it will have the limits of using just the walls if you want to park a car in there.
"h" wrote in news:i2n9g2$t0e$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:
perhaps your DH is the exception to the -general- rule. (*I* wouldn't have used "all guys".) ;-) There's always someone who doesn't go by the usual standards. Doesn't make it wrong,just different.
BTW,"construction projects" might include building a cabinet or shelves for inside the house,or a wine rack.Doing it in the garage keeps the mess,noise and fumes there instead of in your house.Plus,you can do bigger projects than will go through your house doors,and still get them outside thru the garage door. Heck,some people keep a nice garage so their kids can play in there,less wear and tear on the house.
"h" wrote in news:i2naur$vcq$ snipped-for-privacy@speranza.aioe.org:
a barn is just a really big garage..... 8-)
"cshenk" wrote in news:WZqdnabRX5oU1NLRnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:
A bad kitchen will kill a home sale.
there's some rich people down the street from me that have a garage I could live in very comfortably. I believe it has a one bedroom apartment in it,with a two story bay with matching garage door. you could put a car lift in there.
Ah...I see :)
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