If you google home remodeling, it’s easy to come across lists of which improvements give you the most bang for your buck and which improvements will be difficult to recoup in selling costs should you ever decide to move. However, if you know you’re going to be in your home for the long haul, should renovating be about what works best for your family and not what is going to get you the most money if and when you ever decide to sell?
If your object in remodeling is to enjoy living in your home even more than you do now, then consider a few of these improvements instead of some of the more traditionally encouraged renos:
1. Rethink bathrooms
There are a few ways you can get creative if you’re looking to change up your bathrooms. First, consider sharing the master bath. Meaning, position the floor plan so that the tub and sink are accessible to the rest of the house. This can prevent you from needing a separate half bath. Think about it! How often do you use the toilet/sink portion of your master bath during the day? You could always have a second sink in the “master” portion of the master bath as well. That’ll still save you money!
Another idea is to do a similar thing with a second bathroom. Tuck the toilet and shower away, and have a nice double sink in a separate attached area. This will allow three people to get ready at once without needing three separate bathrooms!
2. Consider a walk-in pantry or two
Cabinets can be very expensive and depending on how tall you are and how they are positioned, can also be a pain to utilize efficiently. Consider using kitchen wall space for windows and building a couple of walk-in pantries instead. They save space, store a lot more stuff in a more convenient configuration, and they cost less to build than cabinets do to install.
3. Shower vs. Bath
The idea of a big bathtub is nice, but unless you use it often, it’s probably not worth the space it’s in. Consider installing a large shower instead. You will use it more often, guaranteed! Plus, it takes up less space and saves you money since it uses less hot water.
4. Skip the vaulted ceilings
Unless you are absolutely convinced that the drama of a vaulted ceiling will make your life better, consider skipping it. It might add square footage, but it isn’t square footage you can actually use. Rooms with high ceilings are harder to clean and decorate and cost way more money to heat and cool as compared to rooms with average ceilings. If you really want high ceilings, go for the 10 foot ceiling and cap it there. There are plenty of tricks for adding the illusion to height of a room if you feel too claustrophobic.
5. Go for the view
If you have a great view somewhere, capitalize on it! Instead of placing a couple of windows in each room, choose a room that faces the view and put (almost) all of your windows there! Trust me, you won’t regret it. One of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever been in was in Alaska. It was not that fancy or that large, but two walls of windows in the living room looked out over one of the most amazing views I’ve ever seen (see above pic)! I just wanted to sit in that living room all day long and stare! I still drool when I think about that otherwise plain house.
Thinking of buying or selling a home in Sussex County? Give us a call at Cooper Realty and put us to work for you – 302-644-2266!