Kitchen Generally the Place to Start
Remodeling is never a job to take lightly. The cost, the mess, the effort, and the time it all takes make remodeling a serious piece of work. The question invariably arises as to what sort of rooms will add the most value to a home when remodeling a house. Kitchens tend to rank first with bathrooms a close second.
There can be exceptions to this rule. Many quite spacious homes built in an earlier era only came with one bathroom despite having three, four or even more bedrooms. If the kitchen in such a place is already large and attractive, the best sort of remodeling job for such a house will be a remodel that includes adding another bathroom. Similarly, there will be cases where the kitchen is already well appointed and fashionable according to current tastes, but the bathroom or bathrooms look atrocious. In this case, remodeling them will add more value to the home than will additional work on the kitchen.
In either case, one would be wise to avoid using contractors connected to a bath or kitchen shop. Such firms will gear their suggestions towards what the shop has to offer.
Kitchens then bathroom not only add the most value to homes, they are also the most expensive rooms to renovate. Each will have special requirements in terms of plumbing, waste disposal, and utility lines. Their counter spaces, cabinetry and drawers add to costs. Kitchens also contain several expensive appliances while bathroom have fixtures such as showers, bathtubs, toilets, and perhaps spas, and saunas that run up prices. Both rooms also tend to have specialized types of flooring designed to handle spills and overflows from sinks and tubs.
Getting the Most for Your Dollar
Realtors generally suggest that if your budget only allows for the remodeling of one room, that room should be the kitchen. If the home has gone an extensive amount of time without any remodeling, it will likely be the room most out of date. Tastes in what constitutes an attractive kitchen tend to change more rapidly than for other rooms. Bedrooms in particular remain traditional in form. Bathroom tastes do alter, but this is more a reflection of rising affluence. People expect more in a bathroom these days and so they like them larger than they used to be. If the size can not be enhanced, a more efficient use of space can be achieved through remodeling.
The stainless steel look is considered quite chic in a kitchen today. Granite counter tops are also a welcome addition. Home buyers tend to spend the most time inspecting the bathrooms and kitchen. They will likely be the most concerned about the look of the kitchen. This tends to remain true even in the case where the prospective buyers have little interest in cooking. They will still understand the value a good looking kitchen has in selling a home. Even though they are buying, they will still think in terms of how the house will sell.
