THE WASHINGTON POST.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2021EZ14
The Home You Own
BY SCOTT SOWERS
Whether you’re seeking to
tackle your first project on the
fixer-upper you just bought or
pursue a remodel to get the home
ready for selling, your biggest
concern may be what will yield
the big gest payoff.
Should you construct an up-
scale kitchen with high-tech ap-
pliances and glitzy countertops
and backsplash? Should you cre-
ate a home theater in that dark
and neglected basement? Or
should you knock down walls on
the first floor of your Arts and
Crafts-era bungalow and create a
conte mporary open-space lay-
out?
If you’re seeking the most re-
turn on investment, the answer to
all three questions is no. Accord-
ing to an annual ranking of proj-
ects in Remodeling Magazine,
you might be better off this year
spending your money on improv-
ing exterior features. Only one of
the top five projects is interior.
The rankings are used by many
remodelers and real estate agents
to help guide homeowners on
which improvements yield the
most value.
For nearly 20 years, Remodel-
ing Magazine has conducted a
comprehensive study of 22 re-
modeling projects, ranking them
by highest return. The list is
based on several factors, includ-
ing interviews with agents, exist-
ing-home sales, local gross do-
mestic product and housing
starts. The database ranks the
projects nationally as well as by
region, city and Zip code in 150
metropolitan areas.
Here are the five remodeling
projects, ranked nationally, that
will bring you the most return on
investment:1. Garage door replacement
A new 16-by-7-foot garage door
costs an average of $3,907, with a
93.8 percent return.
You may be wondering why, of
all projects, would a new garage
door yield the best return. Well, a
two-car garage door can be quite
large, helping color buyers’ initial
impression of the home when
they first drive up.
“ ‘Curb appeal’ and ‘first im-
pressions’ are strong concepts in
real estate because they have a
big impact on how much money
prospective home buyers are will-
ing to pay for a home,” according
to Remodeling Magazine. “If they
start out thinking the house looks
good — is in good shape, has
‘good bones’ — they begin to fit all
the new information they learn
once they walk through the front
door around these positive im-pressions.”
Conversely, a ratty garage door
can sour their view of the home,
thereby reducing the amount
they’d be willing to pa y, even if
the interior is fabulous.
When tinkering with the el-
ements that make up curb ap-
peal, try to zero in on problem
areas.
“Even if you’re not a profes-
sional you can tell what isn’t
working or doesn’t look right to
you,” says Damian Trostinetzky,
architect-partner with RT Studio,
based in North Bethesda. “It’s
usually easier to figure out what
doesn’t work. Try to respect the
existing house and your neigh-
bors. The cheapest way is to
enhance the features of the house
that are already there, rather
than change it.”2. Manufactured stone
veneer
Adding a layer of manufac-
tured stone veneer to your exteri-
or costs an average of $10,386
with a return of 92.1 percent. The
numbers consider removing a
300-square-foot continuous band
of existing vinyl siding and re-
placing it with adhered manufac-
tured stone veneer. The total
includes 36 linear feet of sills, 40
linear feet of corners and one
address block.
Trostinetzky says he believes
that even when taking on fairly
simple, straightforward exterior
projects it’s good to consult a pro.
“DIY culture is great, but when
you’re making an investment,
and you’re making an investmentno ma tter what, hire a profession-
al. Everything you do is going to
be expensive.”3. Minor kitchen remodel
A major remodel to create an
upscale kitchen costs an average
of $149,049 and yields a 53.9
percent return, according to Re-
modeling Magazine. However, a
minor kitchen renovation comes
in at $26,214 with a 72.2 percent
return.
The minor kitchen renovation
includes replacing cabinet fronts
with shaker-style wood panels,
drawers and hardware, as well as
new appliances and countertops.
Ileana Schinder, an architect
based in D.C., has designed and
built a n umber of accessory
dwelling units in the D.C. area.
The experience requires working
in small spaces and within tight
budgets.
When analyzing what will get
her clients the biggest return in
the kitchen, she starts with the
basics. “I look for things that are
already there and free, like natu-
ral light,” she says. “Then the
circulation, how does the space
connect to adjoining spaces. How
do you get in and out of the
kitchen? From that you can orga-
nize how the kitchen works.”
Tweaking a kitchen starts with
analyzing the relationship be-
tween the sink, refrigerator and
stove, which should form a “work
triangle” with each leg measuring
between four and nine feet. From
there, examine prep space, cabi-
nets and appliances.
“Consider the working surfac-
es, quality of the equipment and
storage capacity,” says Schinder.
“Don’t start backward by saying I
want an island. If you don’t know
where the island will go, it will
become a problem. Start with
what is good and free then start
paying for solutions that are not
there.”
If an island doesn’t fit, she
recommends a stainless-steel
chef’s table as a movable solution
for creating prep space. To im-
prove circulation, Schinder
searches for non-load bearing
walls that can be removed or
room openings that can be wid-
ened.
Consider turning doors into
windows or vice versa. Changing
wall colors or texture is always
the easiest fix. “Paint is cheap, or
you can apply wallpaper, a back-
splash or a light fixture, all those
things you can do yourself,” she
says.
Staying on budget is especially
tough in kitchens and bathrooms
due to all the home’s systems
coming together into one rela-
tively small space. Trying to stage
the work properly is especially
tough for amateur remodelers.
“Every piece of the kitchen is
crucial,” says Schinder. “It’s a
weird conga line where every-
thing has to be done correctly and
in the right order. The stuff is
cheap, the connections are what’s
actually expensive.”4. Siding replacement
With an average cost of
$19,626 and a return of 69.4
percent, the process examines thereplacement of 1,250 square feet
of existing siding with factory-
primed and painted fiber-cement
siding. The numbers include all
4-by-4 (one inch) and 5-by-4 (1¼
inches) trim pieces also made of
fiber-cement or PVC.
Fiber cement is also known as
cementitious siding and is sold
under a number of well-known
brand names. It’s become quite
popular because it requires no
maintenance and it’s nearly inde-
structible.
“It won’t warp, cut, rot, or
[separate]. I don’t know what the
life expectancy is but technically
it should last forever because it’s
really made from cement,” says
Chris Landis, architect and co-
owner of Landis Architects/
Builders based in D.C. The ma-
terial can do anything that wood
can do and mimics its grainy
appearance even upon close in-
spection. It comes from the facto-
ry primed or already painted with
a baked-on finish.5. Window replacement
Replacing windows with new
vinyl ones comes in at an average
cost of $19,385 and a 68.6 percent
return. The figures include re-
placing 10 3-by-5-foot double-
hung windows, with insulated,
low-emissivity, simulated divid-
ed-light units.
Window frames can be made
from wood, vinyl, aluminum and
fiberglass. Vinyl offers a number
of advantages, including low cost
and low maintenance. It also
comes in a variety of colors and it
can be painted.
Wind ow replacement helps
your house look better, makes
windows more usable and can
greatly reduce energy usage espe-
cially if you’re comparing against
old- style, double-hung, single-
pane units.
“You get be tter insulation with
the window itself but also old
windows where there’s a s ash
cord on the side, that’s really just
an air pocket with two layers of
wood with a cast-iron weight
inside it,” says Landis. “In a full
tear-out all that gets insulated,
too.”
If your home is in a designated
historic area, keep in mind that
replacing existing wood-frame
windows with vinyl may not be
permitted. “There are a number
of manufacturers with preap-
proved windows for historic ar-
eas,” says Landis. “I t’s a process
and your window installer needs
to get a permit and go through it.”
For more home improvement
ideas, check out these websites:
Houzz.com, Ibby.com and
Build.com.
[email protected]Prioritize the renovations that will add the most value
JANICE CHANG FOR THE WASHINGTON POSTAccording to an annual ranking of projects in Remodeling Magazine, you might be better off this year
spending your money on improving exterior features. Only one of the top five projects is interior.