I’m a Contractor: Here Are 6 Expensive Renovations I’d Never Do To My House
Written by
Laura Bogart
Edited by
Molly Sullivan
Commitment to Our Readers
GOBankingRates' editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and services - our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our products and services review methodology.
20 Years
Helping You Live Richer
Reviewed
by Experts
Trusted by
Millions of Readers
Contractors and home renovation experts are in the business of understanding what a home needs to reach its full potential. Translating a homeowner’s vision for an aesthetically pleasing, safe and functional property into reality has given these experts a clear sense of the kinds of renovations that can boost a home’s value.
It’s also clued them into the repairs and renovations that aren’t worth the money you put in. With all their exposure to other people’s dream homes, these contractors have a sense of what their own nightmare renovations might be — at least in their own homes.
GOBankingRates talked to Brandon Walker, superintendent at ASAP Restoration LLC, as well as Korey Gregory, construction supervisor at ASAP Restoration LLC, to learn more about the work that they’d skip if planning their own home renovations.
Bidets
While Walker acknowledged that bidets “seem really cool in episodes of European television shows,” he noted that what seems cool in an episode of TV doesn’t always translate to the realities of American home structures. He said that bidets don’t seem to fit in the bathrooms of most American homes.
“Not only does it take up a lot of bathroom real estate without giving back much bang for the buck, but it also requires a lot of additional plumbing and construction work to install that most bathrooms aren’t already prepped for, so the ROI never comes back,” he said.
Swimming Pools
You might think the prospect of lounging by the pool after a hard day — or even a not-so-hard day — would entice future homebuyers to snap up your house. Surprisingly, you’d be wrong.
While your home’s location can play a factor, Gregory said that the majority of property owners who have taken the time and expense to put in a pool won’t see returns equal to those costs when selling their homes.
“There are also astronomical costs for maintenance, water and electric bills until you sell the home, which aren’t usually something that people add up beforehand,” he said.
Carpeting
Walker has a very clear opinion about what he wouldn’t do with the floors in his own home.
“I wouldn’t put carpeting into my own home or an investment property because it never looks as good as tile or hardwood floors, and it serves the same purpose as a large throw rug with more maintenance and higher costs,” he said.
He’s not alone in his opinion, adding that, in his experience, most people prefer the look of hardwood or tiled floors. People longing for the softer texture of a carpet can simply put down a rug, “without ruining the look of an entire room with brown shag.”
Oversized or Undersized Vanities
If asked to build his ideal bathroom, Gregory knows one thing he’d stay away from — a vanity that doesn’t fit the space.
“Vanities should fit the space that they are going into, and trying to pigeonhole a specific kind of vanity into an existing bathroom just because of the size or style never works,” he said. “It always makes the space look smaller, improperly organized, or just overwhelming.”
He was clear that space — not style — should dictate what you do with your vanity.
Converted Attic
While the idea of a converted attic may seem highly functional at first, Walker said that it generally doesn’t yield all the actual living space you’d hope for. He added that converting your attic is almost never worth your time and money.
“It may be worth more than the house next door that doesn’t have a converted attic space, but it likely won’t be worth enough to warrant doing this as a means of increasing the value of the home,” he said. “If the people living in the home need the space, then a conversion like this makes sense, but it isn’t well-suited to profitability in a sales environment.”
Built-Ins
Since the average homeowner isn’t exactly looking to showcase their pad on HGTV, they don’t need all the showstoppers like built-in cabinets or entertainment systems. According to Gregory, that’s a good thing, since these features aren’t worth the expense.
“The next homeowner won’t necessarily be in love with turning the guest bedroom closet into a museum-style shoe display case,” he said.
He added that built-in entertainment systems are centered around the size of your TV, which is almost certainly not going to be the same size as a potential buyer’s TV.
More From GOBankingRates
