Few things are as exciting as remodeling your house. Who hasn’t swooned over glass tile, or groovy wallpaper, or some other cool idea for updating your home? However, this doesn’t mean you should buy into every renovation idea that catches your eye.
The reason: Many seemingly hot trends aren’t as “timeless” as you might think and same goes for a lot of the advice you might hear on how to make these upgrades happen. So before you sign that punch list, check this list of outdated remodeling tips that may have been fine to follow last year, but are currently on the outs.
Focus On The Kitchen
Kitchen’s are important and who doesn’t love a chef’s dream kitchen? However, the kitchen is no longer the room where you should be investing all your time and money since they don’t bring the highest ROI. For a better resale value today, focus on your outside space. Investing in your garage’s curb appeal, like a new door, will help you get more return on investment than your kitchen.
Always Go For Granite Counters
Speaking of kitchens, granite has been the gold standard when it comes to countertops for decades, but it’s not the winner it used to be. It was just a matter of time, but granite countertops are becoming old school. The reason: Buyers are looking for lower-maintenance kitchen counters that lack granite’s need for regular sealing. Quartz, on the other hand, is nonporous and harder than granite so it lasts longer. Sustainability points also go to this material. Quartz countertops are recyclable and often include recycled materials.
Bright White is Best
If you’re a fan of color, it’s finally your time to shine. The all-white space is a thing of the past. However, just because it’s time to tone down the white doesn’t mean it’s completely gone. Black and white are classic colors, unlike other colors that come and go. In combination, black and white will forever remain classic but it shouldn’t be overdone. This rings particularly true with your tile choices. Those black and white tile designs that have been “in” for decades are finally seeing their way out.
If you are thinking of doing a renovation, stay away from black and white tiles in kitchens and baths. Brighter colors are in style now.
Additions Are Always a Good Idea
No one likes to feel crowded, especially in their own home, but that doesn’t mean you should jump right to adding more square footage to your home. In fact, doing so has started to take on a negative vibe. In an era where consumers are focused on minimizing carbon footprints, adding oversized master suites and nonessential living areas is outdated. Current advice would direct the renovation toward maximizing functional areas that exist within the home and even to repurpose underutilized space to increase the efficiency of the structure. In other words, it’s time to figure out how to work with the space you’ve got.
Just Rip The Whole Thing Out And Start Over
You’ve seen it on all the home improvement shows, right? The best part of any renovation is demo day. However, be careful where you aim that sledgehammer because nowadays, salvaging what’s there can be trendy. Now the thinking is to conserve the charm and intent of a space and make more minor improvements. Something like a pink tile, pink toilet, pink tub bathroom can be updated with great wallpaper and new vanity to feel vintage and filled with character, but with a modern twist that helps it feel not so dated.
Use a Loan to Pay For Fixes
Not too long ago, homeowners wouldn’t blink at the thought of refinancing to pay for renovations, Recent history, however, should make you reconsider. Memories from 2008 should install caution as to how much to borrow, a potential for rising interest rates, resale value, and other events that could disrupt your financial situation. Proceed with caution and second-guess the total cost commitment.
it will be hard to enjoy your freshened space if it puts you in a tough financial situation. Instead, homeowners today have learned the value of saving for a project and finishing it without a mountain of debt.