Where do you stand on home improvement?

[babr]

DH and I are in disagreement; we live in a condo. have been here 14 years; we haven't done any major changes except after renting out the basement; we decided to keep it for ourselves after having a renter basically help with the mortgage payments

due to dh's great long term finance planning we currently owe no money on the condo. our plan is to stay here as long as the assoc. fees become bigger then what the condo/area have to offer; or my health makes going up and down three floors is no longer possible.

the disagreement comes in that i believe we should continue to make improvements to the home to keep up its resale value; dh feels we should be thinking about what we want done; not what a seller would like; for example dh wanted to change the main floor flooring; right now its a mixture of carpet, and small sections of parquet and laminate flooring

he has talked about putting wood flooring down but only in small sections which i think breaks up the main floor emphasizing or creating the look of a small kitchen and living room, dining area etc;

i think putting wood flooring throughout the main floor would create the look of an increase in the sizes of the kitchen, living room, dining area; thereby adding or maintaining the resale value

dh says i am stuck on resale value as opposed to doing what we want; he feels the condo will sell for the existing price no matter what we do

i feel home improvements should always take into account the fact that you will one day sell the place and while i am not opposed to changes; i think you must always look at it from a buyers viewpoint; thereby avoiding having to make big changes in order to intice a buyer down the road

hope i explained it clearly; whats your opinion?

[iris lily]

I agree with you that one flooring material throughout makes the place seem bigger.

I've gone back and forth on the renovation-for-the-market thing and right now I'm in the mode of: just make this house pleasing to me. To that end I've decided not to put in granite counter tops because, while they are beautiful, I just don't like them well enough for the money. And really, we could afford anything we wanted to do. I'm just happy to have the kitchen painted and a new light fixture up in there. Still need to replaced broken ceramic tiles and if we can do this without replacing the entire floor, I'm fine.

I would like to have a new floor in the living room, however, to replace the parquet floor.

Our house will always look "dated" because I don't mind that. I do think that you have to be careful about chasing the latest trend in renovation unless you are quite certain you'll be selling within 2 years. What will the kitchen appliance style be in 10 years? Not what it is now, I'll tell ya.

[Glo]

I think a home should be updated if you plan on selling. We updated our home and I believe that is the only reason it sold in a down economy. There were other houses for sale in our area, but the owners hadn't updated them in years; consequently, those same homes are still for sale 3 years later. And, IMO, you can never go wrong in installing wood floors. They are beautiful to look at, easy to maintain, and great for resale value as the majority og people will choose wood over carpeting.

[Bronxboy]

We have definitely gone to please ourselves in our 2 year old kitchen. We picked green (obviously non-natural) synthetic stone counter-tops with mica flecks and some recycled glass that we like very much, but aren't going to appeal to others. It also has a kitchen table height counter with large overhangs that my wife uses as her desk for work at home. As a family, we have always eaten in the dining room in this house.

I suspect these two choices would last about 10 minutes after closing with a new owner.

[pinkytoe]

I think realistically you have to have a combination of both self-pleasing and market-pleasing plans in mind when you renovate. If for some reason, divorce, death, loss of job, one needs to sell a house quickly, it is good to have things updated and "sellable". I have had friends who spent thousands renovating a house right before they put it on the market on the advice of a realtor and that just doesn't make sense to me. We are currently remodeling our bathroom and since we have always liked classic designs we are using traditional materials. It may not appeal to the current trend of ultra-modern buyers but I have a sense that look will be dated too in a few years, so we will stay with classic. As far as flooring, a house with too many areas of different floor covering might appear choppy. Personally, I would go with the wood floor in as much space is as practical and within budget.

[early morning]

We kinda look at both, but honestly, if a buyer doesn't love very funky, old, well-worn but still graceful houses, they aren't going to look at ours, anyway. To that end, we make changes that are important to us, won't harm the integrity of the house, and don't cost much, since we aren't going to go into debt to "update" anything. Good on you Bronxboy, for doing your kitchen to make you all happy. We were watching This Old House a couple weeks ago, and were horrified when they tore out a lovely 1940's original kitchen, because the new owners wanted an "updated" kitchen. The result looked like the Home Depot displays on steroids. YUCK. If there's much conflict between what you like, and what might add to resale value in the future, I'd go for what you like. The next owner may hate your updating and tear it all out anyway!

[Rosemary]

We take a middle road, I think... we do what is necessary and what we want to do, but when choosing long-lasting items generally go with neutrals that we like. We don't do anything just for resale, though.

[daisy]

If you're remodeling because everything is worn out, but you don't plan on selling immediately, I would remodel to what you want because you can't predict what will be the "in" style 5 to 10 years in the future. If you were planning on selling soon, you might put a little more effort into making it current, just because most people seem to want move-in ready.

We're breaking ground on our new home next week and while I think it will have a lot of mass appeal should we need to sell it, we are finishing it the way we want it. No stainless steel appliances, no granite in the kitchen, but we will have a stacked stone rock wall in the living room with a red wood stove in front of it. And my kitchen stove will be a 1950s Chambers gas range that my husband is currently restoring for me. It won't matter if future buyers don't like the stove, because it will go with me if I have to move. :)

[babr]

Great comments; in thinking about it we aren't big on putting money into our home; our countertops are dated; formica but we keep them up; our passion is travel and comfort; we don't spend alot of time in the kitchen etc.; but i think little things like our front screen door should be replaced; its been rode hard and put away wet; and each spring when i see the sales i keep wanting to get dh over to the stores to get it replaced; it still would be dated down the road but why not do something now when its cheaper; at least it looks better

we keep our appliances clean; they will be dated also but at least kept up

but our entry way is parquet and beat up; then you look to your right and its old dented formica; then straight ahead to the dining and living room and its dated carpet

we are at an impass so it will probably stay the way it is

in thinking about it we have a friend who didn't get married until he was in his 50's; he had the old green appliances; worn out furniture; his place was just a place to put your tooth brush and clothes; anyway it sold no problem

the market is funny; and you are right who knows down the road where the market, we etc. will be; i mean we really love our place as its in a great area with a large wooded area that several condo's purchased together; its not far from our university and downtown for activities etc.

our view outside is a pond and large trees; my hope is that we can stay here; we both hate lawn care; gardening etc. but again try to keep our patch of ground in the front and back looking respectable.

but as far as the association goes the upkeep is enormous; we have seen other condo places go down in the dump; in my aunts case the board changed and they made alot of mistakes; so it looked bad upkeep wise then when you went into the home she had painted each cupboard a different color; bright color; i don't think she has been able to sell it

but as everyone says who knows what the future will hold for us

thanks for all your great comments; it gives me alot to think about

[Bronxboy]

Good on you Bronxboy, for doing your kitchen to make you all happy. We were watching This Old House a couple weeks ago, and were horrified when they tore out a lovely 1940's original kitchen, because the new owners wanted an "updated" kitchen. The result looked like the Home Depot displays on steroids. YUCK.

Thanks, we'd change almost nothing about our kitchen, except that we'd have gone a shade darker on the vinyl flooring.

I think there was probably a middle ground on the 1940s kitchen. One would think a good designer and custom cabinetmaker could integrate the original 40s work into a kitchen meeting modern standards.

[Zoebird]

There are two sides to this process that I'm seeing.

First, if neither of you want to change anything in the house -- or put money into it -- then there is no reason to for resale value. If you're happy as is, dated and all, then leave it. When you go to resell it, you can do quick (and inexpensive changes -- new countertop, new carpet, fresh paint) and have a higher resale value than a dated place will have. (It's the difference between "move in condition" and "fixer upper" on the listing).

But, second, if you want a change and he doesn't, and resale is only one of your reasons, then you need to set that one aside and enumerate your other reasons. For example, if you feel the house would be more comfortable/pleasant that way, or look better, or whatever, then say so. Essentially assert that while you believe it will be better for resale, that isn't your primary reason for wanting the work done. Then, he has to assert why he doesn't want the work done, and you converse from there.

When we sold our condo, we had redone the floors about 4 yrs prior (for ourselves), and we simply had the whole house repainted and part of the bathroom redone. We also changed out some light fixtures. The whole prep for sale was about $3k. We sold the house for our asking price, which I felt was below value (by about $10k), but it sold in one day, so I was ok with that.

Ultimately, I decorate/renovate for myself, knowing that if I need to, i can change it for the sale.

[iris lily]

... And, IMO, you can never go wrong in installing wood floors. They are beautiful to look at, easy to maintain, and great for resale value as the majority of people will choose wood over carpeting.

Agreed that hardwood is near universally popular, but careful not to be too trendy. Don't go too light or too dark. The "dark practically black" floors are making rounds here in my trendy 'nabe and I think they are hideous. Remember the picked hardwood floors of the 80's? That trend is thankfully gone.

I like some version of natural wood.

[H-work]

I'm waiting for the new breed of H&G shows where 20-something house hunters are saying, "Ew, granite! We'll have to change that! And stainless steel appliances! Ha, ha, ha, what were they thinking? The 2000's called, they want their kitchen back! Ha, ha, ha..."

[herbgeek]

When I bought this house in 1997, the look was very early-80's. Over time, I am trying to update things, but select a more classic look that I hope will age better than following the latest trend. This summer, as I repaint the downstairs, I intend to replace the 80's brassy doorknobs, light fixtures and hardware with a brushed nickel finish. But they need replacing anyways as they are getting worn out (20+ years old). Since I'm in what most people consider a "starter house", I've upgraded some but not top of the line, since I would never get the money back. I replaced the colonial blue formica with Silestone, replaced the mauve carpeting with hardwood, stuff like that. This house will not get top of the line cabinets or stainless steel appliances, though if I had a house that was a move-upper, I might.

Now that we've been here for 14 years, I do think of reselling in a few, and that colors my choices. I'll be redoing the bathroom in the next year, and thinking of what a young family might like, versus what I want. I updated my barstools in the kitchen from my Pier One cheap-and-utilitarian to some leather ones from Ikea with backs, but that was both for resale, and for guests who always seem to wind up in the kitchen despite more comfortable seats elsewhere.

So its a balance at this point. I expect to be in this house 5-10 years at most, so I don't want to select anything too taste-specific. I hate the idea of putting thousands in the house when selling, as I would never get to enjoy the improvements.

[benhyr]

Sounds like you're also interested in the overall look and not just resale value. Like, you personally think it might look better if everything was wood (I could be reading too much into your post). If that's the case, do it to make you happy! (since it also sounds like DH would be on board but is worried if the only motivation is resale).

If it's only about resale, wait until it's time to sell and then update it... every change we made to our townhouse (including really nice carpeting and hardwood floors) were done for us. We didn't see any benefit to sale value or time on market when it came time to sell (and, mind you, we have good tastes... well, arguably, but at least the house was done in good taste).

Oh, and I swear by Armstrong engineered flooring. They put a thick slab of wood on top of a plywood backer so you end up with as much sandable depth as a solid hardwood with a lot easier install. I've also purchased from ifloor.com and found them to be much cheaper than buying local. There may be better options out there now though.

[babr]

all great stuff; and i think you are right; when we go to sell we can put some money in then;

i think what bugs dh more then changing anything is the squeaks when you walk; they drive him nuts; i said we can get someone in who can put something right through the carpeting if needed; why rip up the whole thing because its squeaking

right now we are agreeing to disagree; which is a win win situation; will see if he brings it up again

so i will tell you what the decision is; thanks so much guys; this has been very interesting

i actually could live in a tent and be happy with that:)