Advantages to remodeling your home

There are many advantages to choosing to remodel instead of moving to a different home:

• You can stay in your comfortable neighborhood near friends, church and familiar shopping centers.
• Moving often means relocating farther from work. By remodeling your home, you can keep your convenient commute to work.
• Children can stay in familiar schools with good friends.
• You can update a home with new amenities while maintaining the charm of an older home.
• Many times there are only a few areas of your home you want to change. You can choose what you want to upgrade and what you want to keep.
• You can creatively design your home to meet your particular lifestyle.
• You can work with your remodeler to design unique, one-of-a-kind plans.
• You will increase the value of your home.

Now more than ever, homeowners are tearing down walls to make their homes brighter, more open and more compatible to their lifestyles. Homeowners remodel to update outdated homes, to add a kitchen/family room, to add a bonus room for teenagers to keep the them at home, to bring in views of the outdoors and natural light, and to add a bath so parents don't have to share one with the children.

In addition to updating interiors, some remodeling projects are important to the structure of the home. One of the most common remodeling jobs is roof replacement. Other projects include replacement of siding, storm doors and windows, and insulation. All of these enhancements add to the comfort and energy-efficiency of your home.

Professional house remodels bring big return on investment

One of the first questions people ask about any remodeling project is whether the project will substantially increase the value of their home if and when they choose to sell it. A general rule is that any remodeling project that will bring a home up to the level of the others in the neighborhood is a worthy investment.

Not coincidentally, many of the popular trends and good remodeling investments mirror the trends in new housing, such as a master bedroom suite, exercise room and media room. Potential buyers compare remodeled homes with those that are newly built. So, it makes sense the most sought-after amenities follow similar patterns with new housing and remodeling. Minor kitchen remodels where the homeowner adds a few amenities and resurfaces worn and obsolete tiling, counter tops and cabinets not only raise a home's value, but they may mean the difference between selling or not selling the home.

Remodeling master suites has been one of the most popular projects in recent years. These suites can include everything from skylights to exercise facilities, a hot tub and state-of-the-art video and sound systems. Another popular remodel addition is a second full bath to house with only one. The average home has two-and-one-half baths. So, adding a second full bathroom to a home with only one is likely to pay for itself.

The following is a list of the nine remodeling projects that provide the best return on investment (listed from biggest return to least return). This list assumes the project is professionally constructed.

1. Minor Kitchen Remodel
2. Bathroom Addition
3. Major Kitchen Remodel
   
4. Master Suite Conversion
   
5. Family Room Addition
   
6. Exterior Remodel
7. Deck Addition
8. Sun Space Addition
   
9. Home Office Addition
   

The Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties believes:

• Homeownership should be in reach of every American.
• Each house should be well designed, constructed and located in attractive communities.
• Each home should be built under the free enterprise system.