To Renovate or not To Renovate… is it even a Question?

Our front entrance is a disaster. It’s a catch-all and has driven me crazy from the minute we moved into our home 4 years ago. It’s an entrance from the garage AND front door. It’s the stairway up to the boys’ bedrooms, it’s the basement stairway access AND the hallway to the guest bathroom. It’s a LOT of things. Well traveled and a complete dumpster fire. When we moved in, I purchased a few items online to get us through- a bench with some storage drawers, a shoe storage/hook & storage wall type of unit. It’s not functional for a family of 5. Aside from us needing a system (and needing to train our kids that we don’t need FIFTY pairs of shoes piled up in the entrance and making it a competition to see how many coats we can fit on each hook), it just doesn’t look pretty.  I am the only girl in the house so I am out numbered, but I LOVE to host and it just isn’t a space that works efficiently for us. So I made the call. I have a friend that is a designer and i invited her over to get some vision (along with some of my Pinterest posts that I had already found for some inspiration) and to come up with a plan that would be sensible, functional, and pretty (yes. I said pretty- because gosh dangit, I deserve it).

The plan came back yesterday and it is BEAUTIFUL. I’m SO excited. It’s bold, it’s got so much storage I want to cry… AND… the quote came back 3 times the amount we had hoped it would be. Once I was able to bring Jerold back to life after he passed out (he actually handled it better than I thought… though I DID choose to tell him while we were in front of his work colleagues- follow me for more marriage advice), we had a really great discussion about it. Throughout the day I’ve been reflecting quite a bit on what we discussed and I’ve come to a few conclusions. Conclusion 1- when it comes to my own home, I lose all sense of reality and practicality. I want what I want when I want it. No reasoning. I remember the last home I purchased a home on my own as a single mom, Jerold (my now husband, then “friend”), came along to the showing to walk through it as a second set of eyes. All I saw was the island that my kids could pull up to while I baked with them. The yard was so close to a park, and the basement  gave us way more space to host friends for sleepovers. When I left, I had decided I would buy it. As I spoke to J about it, I realized I had literally done NONE of the services and due diligence items that I would do if I was working as a real estate agent for anyone else. I didn’t remember what kind of furnace it had– I don’t even know if I had looked in the furnace room… and that’s LITERALLY one of the first places I go to at showings! So, in true form with this proposed reno, I have been so caught up in how “cute” it will be and the idea of wallpaper that I hadn’t looked at any of the practical items. Conclusion #2- I don’t really have a conclusion 2. I just thought it would sound better.

Let’s analyze this potential reno the same way that I would advise you, a potential client when they ask me whether it’s “worth it” to move forward with a renovation– it is one of the most popular questions I get asked and one of my favorite things to talk out with families. It is extremely common that I will go over to a client’s home, do a walk through of their place and give comments on little things they can do to increase their value or just give “yes” or “no” answers on whether certain projects are a good idea or not. I truly believe that real estate agents are incredibly underused. These are free services because it makes my job easier if it ever becomes time to sell your home down the road. And even if not, we had a good time and we got to talk about things that we both love! Here are the questions I ask everyone that is considering a renovation or home project… and that I have been forced to consider this week:

1. budget.  Do you have the money for this? Does this make sense for your current financial situation? How is this getting paid for- what’s the plan? If you are refinancing your home for a major renovation, you’ll want to make sure that you are doing the things that will increase your homes value, not just because you feel that it’s time or because you read or saw somewhere that someone else thought it was a good idea. It’s not worth doing a renovation if you cannot afford to see it through to the end or if it will cause stress on your relationship. Be realistic and don’t guess on the numbers. Get quotes from multiple people and companies. Allow for something to go wrong so that you have a buffer. And if you don’t have the budget right now, that’s completely ok! Maybe you can do one or 2 things such as changing out your light fixtures or updating the pulls/hardware to give it a look that you are happy with until you can move forward with the bigger plan.
2. purpose/value. What is the reason for the renovation? Is this something to increase the value of your home so that you can sell it or is it a long term home and you’re doing something because you it will make you love you home even more. Very often I am asked “will I get my money back if I do                     “. Some of these are easy yes or no’s… bathroom and kitchen’s are easy yes’s- depending on what level of finish you go and what you choose to do. But even if it’s a no, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. You own a house to live in and you should enjoy it while you’re there. A pool doesn’t give you a great return on investment and lowers the number of buyers interested in purchasing it. Does that mean you shouldn’t put one in if you’re planning on staying and enjoying years of your kids’ summers with it? Or if you’re in a job where you don’t get away to the lake or on holidays and will use that pool at every possible chance? Not at all. All of these items need to be considered. The same goes for a finished basement. Typically right now you’re getting 50 cents on the dollar back for a finished basement. Does that mean that you should put your kids down there with some sheets and foam floor pieces or force them to share a room upstairs? Not at all. If it’s going to be used and your family will benefit from it that’s a judgement decision that will help you figure it out. You will likely be staying there longer term and paying down your mortgage over the time that you’re enjoying it which will help get that cost down over time. If you ARE in a home short term and are skilled, sometimes I will advise clients to finish out the bathroom, give the framing a head start or some of those items dependent on your situation and the market.
3. realistic. Is your vision a pristine white home with white couches and white area rugs while your reality is slobbery (yet lovable) animals (or husbands haha), messy toddlers and you can’t make it through a lunch without slopping on your shirt? This is an over-exaggeration, but you know what I mean. If you are getting rid of storage where are you putting the items in those places? If your style is minimalist but you have a LOT of stuff, where will it go? If you want a kitchen with open shelving, do you have nice dishes to display or will you need new dishes as well? Give it some thought. Is the color you have chosen trendy and one that you will hate in a year? Yes it is just paint, but it’s a TON of work.
4. do it right the first time.  If you have thought through all these points, I have one more piece of advice that my husband has taught me over the years. Don’t just do it halfway. Wait until you can do it the right way and go all in. Commit. If you want it to last, use the nicer product and if you can’t afford that, hold off an extra month or 2 until you can. Don’t rush it just because you want it right now. You will not regret waiting for that kitchen installer or company to have time for you rather than just going with the option that is available right now. There could be a reason why they are available and the other guy has a wait list.

So, will we be moving forward? Maybe. But there will be a few adjustments and concessions. Jerold pointed out a few practical things that I hated to admit at the time that make sense to me– a second or third opinion and set of eyes is never a bad thing. I’ve been hung up on turning our storage space under the stairs into cute pull out shoe storage bins. The price- astronomical because it’s incredibly involved and custom. But it’s cute. I hadn’t even considered not doing it. Jerold pointed out that we have a full double closet right across that is completely unused and we can convert that WAY easier into shoe storage. I’m shaking my head right now when I think about why I couldn’t have thought of it. Anyway. That’s all for now. I’m sure you’ll be updated along the way!

Happy renovating! And if you have ANY questions or want me to pop by with a second look or opinion shoot me a text! I’d LOVE it! Do NOT clean your house for me… I’m used to chaos. You should see my entrance. 😉

-Abby