Also, of course, a kitchen remodeling project is a significant financial investment. Depending on the square footage and value of your home, you might pay up to 25% of your home’s value for a kitchen remodeling project.
Why would you want to create a major inconvenience that costs 25% of your home's value?!
Well, the hassle is temporary, and for most homeowners a new kitchen is a sound financial decision--although, perhaps not strictly for financial reasons.
A new kitchen is not merely about resale value; a new kitchen can alter the feel of your home, reduce your stress, and increase your happiness.
Before you make the decision to remodel, however, you want to make sure your reasons for remodeling are sensible. Below we discuss Three Reasons to Remodel, and we offer our verdict on each: common sense or foolish blunder?
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| Wow! Look at those new cabinets. Pictures of remodeling kitchens, like this MKBD project, often inspire homeowners to think about remodeling, but if you want to remodel your kitchen, make sure your reasons are sensible! |
1. You want to increase your home's resale value
Many homeowners state resale value as their number one reason for choosing to remodel. If you follow this reason too, you might want to take a close look at the numbers.
According to Remodeling, the most recent "Cost vs. Value" report for nationwide home improvements shows a 79.3% cost recoup for "minor" kitchen remodeling projects (cost: $19,226), and an 59 % cost recoup for "upscale" kitchen remodeling projects ($113,097).
Considering your expense, then--"minor" or "upscale"--the return on investment (79.3% or 59%) might seem like a losing proposition. In reality, the "value" of a project is not simply about the immediate resale value.
If you plan to live in your house for at least five years or more, you will reap "valuable" benefits from your new kitchen: the joy and ease of cooking, cleaning, and eating in a new space.
VERDICT
If you plan to sell your house immediately, remodeling for resale value is a foolish blunder.
If you plan to live in your house for five years or more, remodeling for resale is common sense.
2. Your kitchen is out of date
We're just going to go ahead and offer our VERDICT here upfront:
Remodeling an out-of-date kitchen is common sense.
First, an out-of-date kitchen might pose some safety concerns. Cracked tiles or warped floor boards invite injury. An outdated refrigerator might pose food safety hazards. And electrical outlets might not be grounded properly--a potential fire hazard.
Please read: "Kitchen Safety: What You Need to Know."
Second, of course, an out-of-date kitchen poses aesthetic concerns. Do not undervalue the role of aesthetics in every day happiness. If you feel your kitchen is old and stodgy, you will not enjoy the time you spend in the kitchen. Perhaps, you will avoid the kitchen.
Third, an out-of-date kitchen is often inefficient: outdated appliances can cost you money. Technological advances have made appliances much more energy efficient; a new dishwasher, for example, can cut your water and energy usage in half.
3. You want to change your life
Plenty of homeowners believe that a kitchen remodeling project will change their lives. Is this a fantasy? Well, in our experience, it depends.
We've met a few homeowners who seek the wrong type of change. You'd be surprised how often kitchen remodeling company must also play the role of family psychologist. Can a kitchen remodeling project save your marriage? Probably not.
And yet, if your intentions are more reasonable, a a new kitchen remodeling project can certainly be a life-changing event. A new kitchen will definitely transform the look and feel of your home. And as we noted above, a new kitchen can make life easier, relieving stress, and increasing happiness.
By making your life easier, too, a kitchen remodeling project can even help you be healthy. Your new kitchen will inspire you to cook more, and home cooking is the healthiest option.
VERDICT
If you want to save your marriage, a kitchen remodeling project is a foolish blunder.
If you simply want to increase your happiness and ease your stress, a kitchen remodeling project is common sense.
FREE In-Home Remodeling EstimateIf you plan to live in your house for at least five years or more, you will reap "valuable" benefits from your new kitchen: the joy and ease of cooking, cleaning, and eating in a new space.
VERDICT
If you plan to sell your house immediately, remodeling for resale value is a foolish blunder.
If you plan to live in your house for five years or more, remodeling for resale is common sense.
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| Beyond resale value, don't underestimate how the dramatic appearance of a new kitchen--like this Hatboro-area project--can influence potential home buyers. |
2. Your kitchen is out of date
We're just going to go ahead and offer our VERDICT here upfront:
Remodeling an out-of-date kitchen is common sense.
First, an out-of-date kitchen might pose some safety concerns. Cracked tiles or warped floor boards invite injury. An outdated refrigerator might pose food safety hazards. And electrical outlets might not be grounded properly--a potential fire hazard.
Please read: "Kitchen Safety: What You Need to Know."
Second, of course, an out-of-date kitchen poses aesthetic concerns. Do not undervalue the role of aesthetics in every day happiness. If you feel your kitchen is old and stodgy, you will not enjoy the time you spend in the kitchen. Perhaps, you will avoid the kitchen.
Third, an out-of-date kitchen is often inefficient: outdated appliances can cost you money. Technological advances have made appliances much more energy efficient; a new dishwasher, for example, can cut your water and energy usage in half.
3. You want to change your life
Plenty of homeowners believe that a kitchen remodeling project will change their lives. Is this a fantasy? Well, in our experience, it depends.
We've met a few homeowners who seek the wrong type of change. You'd be surprised how often kitchen remodeling company must also play the role of family psychologist. Can a kitchen remodeling project save your marriage? Probably not.
And yet, if your intentions are more reasonable, a a new kitchen remodeling project can certainly be a life-changing event. A new kitchen will definitely transform the look and feel of your home. And as we noted above, a new kitchen can make life easier, relieving stress, and increasing happiness.
By making your life easier, too, a kitchen remodeling project can even help you be healthy. Your new kitchen will inspire you to cook more, and home cooking is the healthiest option.
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| Ahhh! A gleaming new kitchen--like this North Wales kitchen--can certainly change your life--in small, but important ways! Just don't expect to save your marriage! |
VERDICT
If you want to save your marriage, a kitchen remodeling project is a foolish blunder.
If you simply want to increase your happiness and ease your stress, a kitchen remodeling project is common sense.
If you have any questions about your next remodeling project, please feel free to call MKBD for an individualized consultation. Let's talk the kitchen backsplash and more! Call now! 215-355-4747. Better yet, check out our Free In-Home Remodeling Estimate on this very blog!
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