Are you feeling frustrations with your existing home but don’t necessarily want to move? It may be time for a home remodel. Here are nine signs that you’re ready.
You love your home and its location and neighborhood, but maybe it’s showing its age with outdated fixtures and cabinetry in the kitchen or a layout that hearkens back to the 1970s. Or perhaps your circumstances have changed and you have new household members—a baby or an elderly parent joining your family unit.
You know you need to change something. But how do you know if you’re really ready to do it (as opposed to just selling and moving)? And where do you even start with a home remodel?
Here’s a home remodeling checklist to help you decide if it’s time to start renovating your house and interviewing home remodeling contractors:
1. Your home exhibits clear signs of deterioration.
Sometimes a home remodeling is a necessity. It might be that there are structural issues as a result of deterioration like a leaking roof, rotting floorboards on a front porch, or fireplace and foundation repointing needs. Or it could be that your carpets are showing a decade or more of wear and weathering, or tiles are detaching in a kitchen or bathroom.
Home deterioration issues shouldn’t be neglected, as they can not only lead to more expensive problems down the road (like a roof, foundation, or porch failure), but they’re probably also impacting your happiness with the home and ability to resell it down the road.
2. You have the funds to do it.
Renovating a home requires a financial investment, especially if you’re planning a significant remodel like a kitchen renovation or an addition. If you have sufficient equity in your home, you may be able to cover the costs of renovation with a home equity loan. Talk to your financial institution about your options for financing a remodel.
3. You plan on staying in the home long enough to see a return on investment.
If your kids are in high school and you think you’ll downsize after they graduate or you have a job that requires regular relocation, remodeling might not make sense.
If you’re thinking about a major home renovation that requires substantial financial investment, be sure you’re not only going to enjoy the benefits of that remodel for years to come, but that you also have a chance of recouping some of the costs when you sell. If you spend $100,000 to upgrade your kitchen and then decide to sell your house two years later, you’re not going to get much of that investment back when you sell.
However, some remodeling options have a high return on investment, including installation of custom garage doors and creating a custom stone façade with manufactured stone veneer.
4. You need more space.
Perhaps your family (or lifestyle) has grown since you bought your current home, or maybe your kids have gotten old enough that they want more privacy and the house just feels too small for everyone in it.
If it feels like your family members are all crawling on top of one another, it’s probably time to enlist an architect to help you either plan for a change in layout (like opening up walls to create larger living spaces), or make a home addition (if you have space on your lot to do so).
5. Your home feels out of date.
Maybe it’s the 30-year-old bright brass fixtures in the bathroom, or perhaps it’s the linoleum in the kitchen. Is your living room fireplace a throwback to the 1960s? Does your kitchen feel like a cave because of dark-stained cabinets?
If you feel like your home needs to catch up with the times, then chances are a remodel is in order. Whether that’s a complete kitchen redo with upgraded cabinets in airy white, or brushed nickel fixtures, or a living room upgrade with a modern stone veneer fireplace remodel and a layer of new carpeting and fresh paint in contemporary colors.
Not only will remodeling your house for a more modern aesthetic make you feel happier in your environment, it also will help you retain (or maybe even boost) your residence’s value.
Related Reading – Green Building Materials: 5 Sustainable Resources for Your Next Project
6. Your space isn’t functioning properly.
Do you get frustrated every time you cook a meal because you don’t have sufficient counter space in your kitchen? Do you feel like you’re overwhelmed with clutter and don’t have sufficient storage room? If your home environment isn’t functioning well for everyday life, you might consider hiring an architect to help you figure out why and what you can do about it.
Maybe you need to open up your kitchen and put in a bar for more storage and workspace. Perhaps you need a walk-in closet or two or a built-in entertainment center around the fireplace in your living room.
If your space isn’t complementing your lifestyle, it may be time for a renovation.
7. You’re not using all the space that you have.
Perhaps you have a guest bedroom that hasn’t seen a guest in 10 years. Or maybe your dining room sees a set table only once a year for a holiday gathering. If you have significant unused space in your home, consider how you might make it more functional.Perhaps you can pull down a wall between a master bath and a little used guest room to create a large master suite with a deep soaking tub or luxurious shower.
Or maybe if you open up the space between your dining room and kitchen, you can gain not only more kitchen space but an eating area that’s clearly joined to where you are cooking, making for a better entertaining space as opposed to a formal dining room where you rarely eat.
Related Reading – Architectural Trends: Looking Back and Predictions for 2018
8. You’re emotionally attached to your home even though it’s not meeting your current needs.
If you have a strong emotional attachment to your home and neighborhood, renovating your house is probably a better idea then selling and moving. Perhaps you live in a close-knit neighborhood surrounded by people you’ve come to trust. Maybe your kids are thriving in the local school. Or perhaps this is the home where your children were born, and it holds emotional significance for you.
Whatever the reason, if your home is tugging your heart strings, it’s probably better to talk to an architect and get some home remodeling ideas to help the house better suit your current lifestyle than to make a move elsewhere.
9. You can tolerate a temporary disruption in lifestyle.
Renovating a house is messy and time-consuming, especially if it involves a kitchen remodel or home addition.
Can you tolerate your home being a construction site for three to six months? If you’re getting a kitchen remodel, do you have workable and affordable options for cooking and eating while the project is underway?
Make sure you and your family members understand the temporary inconvenience involved, and be certain you’re all on board with the benefits to be gained from the disruption of a home remodel.
If your frustration levels with your current residence are too high, or a remodel isn’t an option (because your building lot is too small or there just isn’t a way to rework a space to your liking), then it might be time to consider a move or a custom build. In that case, check out our Custom Home Building Checklist for guidance on how and where to start!