how to remodel renovate improve your home house kitchen bathroom basement

Written by Sylvain Côté, President of Absolute Remodeling Corp, July 1994. Revised September 1997

hat will houses be like ten years from now? What will people want them to be? While ten years may seem a little far to worry about it now, today's smart homeowners will want to stay informed. The main reason to do so, is that the house you own today may no longer fit your needs tomorrow, perhaps simply because there might be one (or two!) new family members.

No matter what an owner may intend, statistics shows that the average person moves once every six years. A house therefore must be regarded as an investment, not just simply as a home, with one eye on the real estate market. Contractors and homeowners alike would prefer to believe that every dollar spent on a house automatically adds to that home's value; unfortunately, that is not the case. Different projects will bring back different amounts of dollars.

So which improvements will attract a potential home buyer and therefore give you the best return? What remodeling project will be a good investment in your family's quality of life now?

What is a good value in home remodeling? For most, it's the best quality at the cheapest price, period. But the fact is, there's a lot more you need to consider:

The Product • Cost at time of purchase • Long term performance • Maintenance
• Health effects • "Green" product (environmentally friendly)

The Work • Functional layout • Attractive • Skillful craftsmanship • Code approved

At least four more factors should be added: • The location • The property • The neighborhood (don't over improve your house compared to nearby houses)
• Demand (subject to uncontrollable circumstances, like ongoing and upcoming trends, economy, supply, etc.)

The following is a very partial list of items that are currently in demand and promise to stay that way for the rest of the 90's and the next decade.

General Design & Layout
• Airy, bright rooms (particularly kitchen, bathrooms and family rooms) • Kitchen, dining room and family room visually open (now being labeled as kitchen/eat-in/family space) • Large master bath • Home Office • Guest room • Media room • Exercise room • "Play room" • Bigger laundry room with plenty of counter space and "a place where the ironing board can stay up at all time" • "Super organized" walk-in closets
• Three-car garage (also well organized)

• Window walls (windows, windows and more windows) • Skylights • Glass blocks
• Vaulted ceilings and exposed beams • Curved walls and archways • Fireplaces • Phones jacks in every room • Wood floors in almost every room.

Kitchen: • Mini office workspace (equipped with computer) • Island • Walk-in pantry • Double sinks • Stainless steel or restaurant grade appliances • Ceramic, granite or tumbled marble countertops and backsplash • Earth tones ceramic or Mexican tiles flooring • Wood floors.

Bathroom • Larger, much brighter (with the help of skylights and/or large architectural window and/or glassblocks) • Separate tub and shower • Double bowls vanities
• Jetted tubs for two • Custom tiled walk-in shower with built-in bench • earth tones tiles.

Master Bedroom • Slightly smaller to accommodate his-and-hers larger closets and dressing areas • Parlor • Separate sitting room with TV and/or workspace • Fireplace.

Exterior • Stucco, stone, brick or cedar siding • Fiber cement, tile or slate roofing
• Redwood or cedar decks • tree fencing

Electrical • Home automation • Halogen recessed lighting & track lighting • Commercial ceiling fans • "Decora" style switches, dimmers, outlets and jacks • Solar powered exterior lighting.

Mechanical • Earth coupling heating and cooling pump • Central heating & cooling
• Heated floors • Central vacuum

Framing • Engineered wood products • Steel framing

What's Out:
For different reasons the following items, or even rooms, are not-so-good investments: • Wall to wall carpet • Vinyl tiles • Vinyl sheet ("linoleum") • Wallpaper • Paneling
• Flush hollow core doors • Storm windows and doors • Through the windows air conditioners • Ceiling tiles • Suspended ceilings • Marble countertops • "Solid surface" countertops

When it comes time to remodel, if you have all the right "ingredients", you're not going to spend a single dollar; you'll be investing it.

Your house is your most valuable asset; treat it right, it will become your best investment. And even if you end up not ever selling your home, you will still make a good investment: in your family's quality of life now!

Written by Sylvain Côté, President of Absolute Remodeling Corp, July 1994. Revised September 1997

	HOW TO REMODEL