Home Remodeling Projects Can Shape Your Dream Home

Remodeling is one way to get the home you want, need and can afford. That doesn’t mean you buy a house and immediately launch full-scale remodeling projects. It means you choose a home that meets a few of your highest priorities and that will accommodate your changing needs. While you’re house hunting, check out the potential for home remodeling projects that will help your home evolve with you.

Why Anticipate Remodeling?

Future changes like empty nests, parents moving in or a growing family can necessitate remodeling, says Rose Quint, assistant vice president for survey research at the National Association of Home Builders. That’s why you want flexible or multiuse space. If the primary bedroom is on the second floor, you may want a room or space that could become a first-floor primary bedroom.

The age of a home is also a factor, Quint says. “The median age of an owner-occupied home is 42. These older homes require repairs and maintenance.” Remodeling may be part of functional aging for the home and the homeowner.

Here’s how to get started in finding a home that will lend itself to remodeling projects.

Get Professional Advice

Talk to your real estate agent about your plans so they can be on the lookout for features you might need. If a certain remodeling project is years away, you can still check on whether it’s feasible and even how much it might cost, though prices will change.

“An architect may agree to do a couple of sketches based on a photo for a nominal cost,” says Donald Ruthroff, an architect and founding principal of Design Story Spaces in the San Francisco Bay Area. “You can bring them to your builder or remodeling professional and say, ‘This is what I’m looking for.’

AI is also making inroads in helping buyers and homeowners reimagine space, says Ruthroff. You can put a floor plan of an existing house into an AI program and generate a design. “It’s not going to be perfect, but It can help you communicate with a design professional about what you want.”

Identify What You Can’t Change

Watch out for features or conditions that you can’t change, like these three:

Location: Think carefully when choosing between a bigger, nicer house in a secondary area and a mediocre house in a higher-value neighborhood, says Jessica Edwards, a REALTOR® and broker with The Carolinas Finest at Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage in Wilmington, N.C. Over time, a higher-value area will gain more value.

Natural light: Pay attention to where the sun rises and sets. If you don’t, “parts of your yard can be so hot that you can’t spend time there,” Edwards says.

The footprint of the house on the lot: If you might want an addition, look at property setbacks, the distance required between your house and your property line, Edwards says. If bumping out the front of the house is the only way to get the addition you want, you may need a major gut renovation.

Popular Remodeling Projects You Might Consider

Our experts say homeowners have been choosing these five remodeling projects:

Some homes have a main floor bathroom that’s essentially a powder room with a shower. Homeowners sometimes want to remove the shower because it isn’t used and maybe replace it with a closet, says Elizabeth Lord-Levitt, a residential designer and real estate broker in Denver.. “I tell them, ‘You’re devaluing the house because you’re taking away a three-quarter bath and making it a half bath.” Personal preference outweighs resale value for some homeowners, she says.

BEFORE:

Photo credit: Elizabeth P. Lord Residential Design LLC

AFTER:

Photo credit: Elizabeth P. Lord Residential Design LLC

The homeowners wanted to convert a main floor bathroom into a powder room, even though they knew that removing a nonfunctioning bathtub would decrease the home’s value. They swapped the vanity for a larger one and added a large storage closet for linens. White wainscoting brightened the space, and a faux marble mosaic floor added focal point.

Older homes are more likely to have a designated formal dining room, which some homeowners say are only used twice a year, Lord-Levitt says. Eliminating the dining room and expanding the kitchen into that space can increase resale value. Other popular choices for dining room conversions are an office or a bedroom with a closet. Either can increase the value of the home, she says.

”There’s this idea that ‘I have to have an island,’” Ruthroff says. Some kitchen spaces, particularly for remodels, don’t accommodate an island. You have to have walking space on either side that’s comfortable. If you take half of that walking space and slide it over to a wall, you have a peninsula. You get the same functionality.”

Unfinished basements offer opportunity. A great situation is a house that’s in a good location, but the value is lower because of the square footage price, and there’s an unfinished basement, says Lord-Levitt. Homeowners can finish the basement with bedrooms or a bar and TV space down the road for instant equity.

BEFORE:

Photo credit: Elizabeth P. Lord Residential Design LLC

AFTER:

Photo credit: Elizabeth P. Lord Residential Design LLC

This basement was underused because it was dated, with an inefficient layout of compartmentalized rooms and minimal light. The upgrade removed walls, opened up a staircase to the rooms and added a window to create an open feel. With a kids’ nook for arts and crafts and toy storage, the basement now appeals to kids and their parents.

BEFORE:

Photo credit: Peter Loyd-Vuolo Photography

AFTER:

Photo credit: Peter Loyd-Vuolo Photography

Who says laundry can’t be fun? These homeowners wanted to maximize their large laundry room by making it multipurpose. They added bar space to handle overflow from the kitchen when they entertain. The repurposed room optimizes proximity to the back yard and kitchen and lets in natural light through a new glass sliding door.

Outdoor space has become important to buyers and homeowners who want to extend their indoor spaces, Edwards says. That includes covered patios, cooking and entertainment spaces, and pools. “Years ago, a pool didn’t help the value of your house. Now, at least where I am, a pool is a positive.”

Wellness has become a big priority for homeowners, Lord-Levitt says. “They’re putting in saunas and steam showers to make their homes more spa- like.” A steam shower wouldn’t require more space, but you’d need to tile the ceiling and often put a vent outside the door, she adds.

Regardless of your preferences or future needs, a house with remodeling potential might be more affordable for you than some other options. The potential for the right home remodeling projects can keep your household happy long term while boosting your resale value.

Lynn Ettinger has written about real estate and business for more than two decades. Her award-winning work has been published by media outlets and organizations including “Bloomberg Tax,” “Crain’s Chicago Business,” and Deloitte.

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