Tag Archives: remodeling

A room-by-room guide to remodeling for profit

“The bathroom is the most heavily criticized room in the house, yet often the smallest and costliest, and therefore the most neglected,” says Wesley Spencer, architect and director of Rara House.

“There are endless worries associated with an un-renovated bathroom. Are there plumbing issues? Is there rotting? Will the floor heights match after removal of the original fittings? These are the type of issues a new home owner would not be prepared to face if they are already mortgaged to the nines and require registered building professionals.”

A complete bathroom renovation can be between $15,000 and $50,000 depending on the room size and quality of finishes selected. However, as the bathroom encompasses several elements, renovations can be tailored to suit a vendor’s budget.

For a luxury property, Soderstrom suggests installing a combined wall-hung vanity unit and hand basin (costing between $1500 and $2500) and a new shower screen (between $1500 and $2000 for a 10mm frameless corner shower base screen).

“A large mirror or even a mirror on an opposing wall instead of tiles can make a small-to-medium-size bathroom feel so much bigger and brighter,” Soderstrom says.

For a high-end $40,000 to $50,000 bathroom renovation, Shrimpton estimates a minimum return of $80,000 to $100,000.

For a more restricted budget, modestly updating the tapware and storage space is a simple way to modernize the bathroom.

“Don’t go overboard with the fixtures … Not everybody needs a built in toilet brush holder and even if they did, having all these items built in takes the fun out of deciding where to put things,” Spencer says.

“People need an element of exploration and excitement when inspecting a home … don’t deprive them of that by dictating every small aspect at no benefit to you.”

read more at: http://www.domain.com.au/advice/a-roombyroom-guide-to-renovating-for-profit-20160329-gnqb1d/

disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

Remodeling? Cost vs Value. Study reports biggest return

Insulation Tops the List

The average 64.2% cost-recouped percentage for all 30 projects in all 100 markets hides vast variations between projects and between markets. This year’s highest return came from one of two newcomers to the report—an attic insulation project.

Make sure you have a qualified appraiser. Lenders randomly assign an appraiser to determine the appraised value of a home.
However, solar/energy efficient homes are not a typical home – it is a high performance building with unique features.  Fannie Mae,
Freddie Mac and FHA guidelines require appraisers to be competent in the property type they are appraising.   Contact the appraisers at www.scappraisals.com they are Appraisal Institute Certified Green Appraisers.

As insulation jobs go, this task is fairly simple: Blow loosefill fiberglass insulation into a 35×30 attic space until you get an R-30 insulation value. Our cost consultant concluded that such a project would cost an average of $1,268 nationwide. Real estate pros, meanwhile, estimated the project would increase a home’s retail value by an average of $1,482. That’s a $116.90 return for every $100 invested, making attic insulation the only project out of the 30 that averaged out nationally with greater than a 100% return. On a market-by-market basis, installing insulation more than paid for itself in 60 of the 100 markets.

Last year’s No. 2 bang-for-the-buck project, manufactured stone veneer, again came in second with a 92.9% return. It was followed by the midscale garage door replacement at 91.5%, a steel entry door replacement (last year’s No. 1) at 91.1%, and the upscale garage door replacement at 90.1%.

read more at: http://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2016/trends

disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

6 Questions to Ask Before You Add SQ. FT to your home

1.Should you build an extension or move to a bigger house?

“People tend to go for extensions because they like where they live, they like the neighbours, the kids have grown up in the area and selling and moving has its own costs with stamp duties, buying and selling and relocation costs,” Robert Drechsel, director of Sherbrooke Design and Construction in Melbourne, says. “You can spend $150,000 before you even get something. That’s a good foot in the door to getting what you want in an extension,” Drechsel adds.

2. What is your budget? Continue reading