Homebuyer's Guide

POSTED: Sunday, Jul. 13, 2008

Where to put your remodel dollars

Here's a look at the best way to spend money on your remodeling projects.

Paint

Painting rooms is easy, simple and, in most cases, you can do it on your own over a weekend, remodeling consultants say.

It's also the best way to update and add value to a home with sometimes less than a $100 investment.

But when considering paint color, avoid white, remodelers and real estate agents agree.

Lynden real estate agent Andy Garcia says a house with white walls reminds people of a rental property -- the very thing first-time buyers are trying to change about their life.

Many people paint neutral colors such as beiges and browns, attempting to remove any personal style from their house. But Jan Hayes, a residential designer with Domistyle Design, says rich colors and pastels are more likely to make people imagine themselves in the home.

"Buyers might remember the tomato-red kitchen," says Hayes. "The one that is bright and unique might stick in their head."

Colors are tricky, so Hayes often does color consultations for homes to set a color palette that's warm and inviting.

Kitchens and bathrooms

"We find that kitchens and bathrooms still sell a home," says Thea Stephens, a residential designer with Bellingham design firm Domistyle Design.

Stephens says minor renovations, including new countertops and floors, almost always pay off immediately for homeowners. Major renovations, including kitchens costing upwards of $60,000, take several years before home values catch up to the cost of the renovation, she says.

The high price tag for a kitchen that needs to be overhauled can also keep potential buyers from biting.

"A bad kitchen can unsell a house," Stephens says. "In an older home, if the kitchen has never been remodeled, a buyer will know that the kitchen is the most expensive remodel you can do on a home."

Stephens recommends working with a designer since kitchens are so expensive to remodel. A professional can not only fit the style to the house, but also choose classic designs and materials that give it a timeless look.

Stephens says she cautions against following trends for kitchens. She emphasizes you want a design that will last for many years. "Something that's so popular now is a one-inch glass mosaic tile. Everybody does this now," Stephens says. "But the glamour is wearing off and soon it's going to look dated."

Master suites

Second only to kitchens and bathrooms in top home remodeling choices is creating or upgrading a master suite.

Many of today's buyers expect master suites, even in some of the classic homes built before the advent of bathrooms attached to a bedroom.

Stephens says if you've got a four- or five-bedroom house, sacrificing a bedroom for a master bath connected to the home's main bedroom could pay off in the end.

Changing a floor plan

Moving walls to open kitchens up to living rooms is one of the most popular remodels. It has a major effect, taking an older home and redesigning the floor plan to fit modern tastes and lifestyles.

"Allowing mom to be in the kitchen and see where kids are playing in the living room is a popular change to some older homes," Stephens says. "And people like the open entertaining concept."

Doors and trim

Upgrading old, worn-out doors and trim can give an aging home a whole new life.

"If you've got hollow-core plywood doors, adding doors with a wood veneer with natural grains can have a dramatic effect," says Eric Babbitt, owner of Babbitt Construction and Design of Bellingham.

Additions

Additional square footage can be a huge selling factor for a home. But building more square footage can also be so costly it might not pencil out at resale.

Hayes says additions work best when they are not a simple box tacked on to the home, but an architecturally integrated design that looks like it's always been there.

Flooring

Tearing up carpet and replacing it with a laminate or wood floor, changing tile to stone or stone-like products, and even just replacing carpeting goes a long way in updating a home.

"Look for products with the widest appeal, but that also look good to you," says Jeff Isaacson, general manager of Aqui Esta Tile & Stone in Bellingham. Many of the newest ceramic tiles look like natural stone products but at half the cost, he says.

Flooring should complement the rest of the home's interior, so don't just pick pale neutrals because that's what you assume buyers would want, Isaacson says.

"Some people say they just want a beige, but they surprise themselves and find something darker that gives the room a whole lot more personality," he says.