10 Remodeling Projects To Bring Value To Your Home

Top 10 projects

Here are Remodeling's top 10 projects. You'll notice that these are not ambitious, vanity jobs. All are projects that replace worn or aged home components, bring parts of the home up-to-date or add living space without expanding the home's footprint:

1. Replacing exterior siding with upscale fiber cement. Siding pays back a whopping 78%, on average, of the $13,461 average cost. The most cost-effective thing you can do to your home this year is to replace old siding with new, higher-end fiber cement.
2. Replacing an entry door with a midlevel 20-gauge steel door is an inexpensive upgrade at $1,238 on average, but it pays back 73% and greatly improves curb appeal.
3. A midrange attic bedroom remodel involves popping out a dormer for a 5-by-7-foot bathroom with shower, insulating and finishing the walls and ceiling, adding four windows, extending the heating and air conditioning and improving wiring and lighting. The payback is 72.5% on the $50,148 expenditure. More living space is being sought as adult children are driven back to their parents' homes by the shaky economy and as older parents join the households of their adult children. An attic remodel is the cheapest way to add space and a bathroom within the house. A basement remodel is the next most cost-efficient way to add living space, although code requirements for headroom and exterior doors make that project more complicated and more expensive
4. A midrange minor kitchen remodel paid back 72.1% of the $19,588 investment. Included are new laminate countertops and new sink, faucets and appliances. The floor is untouched and cabinets are kept in place but refaced with new hardware added. In today's tough times, kitchen and bath remodels are pale imitations of the lavish vanity projects from the housing boom. Most consumers are shunning the expensive spa baths and chef's kitchens that involve moving electrical services, plumbing and walls.
5. A midrange garage door replacement may not be high on many wish lists; it's one of those jobs that you do because it's needed. But it adds curb appeal and function, and it pays back 71.9%, on average, of the $1,512 average cost.
6. A high-end garage door replacement recoups almost as much: 71.1% of the $2,994 average cost.
7. A new wood deck earns back 70.1%, on average, of its $10,350 cost at resale this year.
8. New foam-backed vinyl siding replacement keeps the house warm and pays back 69.6% of its $14,274 average cost. The average project involves 1,250 square feet of siding, including trim.
9. New midrange replacement vinyl siding upgrades the look of the home and pays back 69.5% of the $11,729 average price.
10. Upscale vinyl replacement windows have a 69.1% payback on the $14,328 cost. The project involves replacing 10 double-hung 3-by-5 windows. The new windows are low-emissivity glass and are insulated with simulated wood-grain trim.

Increasing your homes value by having a green thumb

Today it's gonna hit close to 70 degrees here in Denver and tonight it's gonna snow!!!!!!! I absolutely love living in a place where the weather changes day to day or even hour to hour. I grew up in southern California where there are no seasons and the same rang true in Hawaii. The tricky part about this weather is when to put winter stuff away (ie shovels, jackets, snow tires) and when to bring out the gardening supplies kiddie pools and fishing poles (although I did ice fish this year but that'll be in another blog). Gardening is one of my favorite spring time activities because there is nothing like planting fruits, vegetables, and herbs to eat throughout spring. Not everyone realizes this but that bountiful garden, flowers, and bushes you maintain year to year bring what we call "curb appeal" to your home So now you ask yourself what is "curb appeal"? Well "curb appeal" is what's gonna make a buyer choose your house to that one down the street that needs a new lawn and has no landscaping. One of the first things a buyer will see is the outside appearance of a home and a well-maintained landscape and manicured lawn is a great first impression. It is much easier said then done maintaining your yard takes a lot of hard work and time but it is very rewarding if done right. Make sure to talk to your local nursery about planting times and plants which are native for your region. Do research on when vegetables need to be planted and harvested for a bountiful harvest. I promise if you put in the time and research it takes to give your home "curb appeal" it'll payoff in the end