8 Lies Home Renovation Reality Shows Tell (Plus One Truth!)

4 Types of Home Renovation: Which Ones Boost Value?

Homeowners often undertake major remodeling projects to upgrade their residences before putting them up for sale. After all, renovations always send the sale price soaring, right?

Unfortunately, not.

More often than not, upgrades fail to pay for themselves. Read on to find out how to renovate strategically and which projects really add value to your property.

Key Takeaways There are four types of renovation projects: the basics, curb appeal, best bang for the buck, and passion projects. Not all of them provide a high return on investment.

The basics include a roof that doesn’t leak, functioning gutters and downspouts, a dry basement, a reliable furnace, solid floors, and walls and retaining walls that are in good repair.

Curb-appeal features include a well-manicured lawn, low-cost landscaping, fresh paint inside and out, clean carpets, and new address numbers.

Best-bang-for-the-buck amenities include new siding, kitchen renovations, and new windows.

Passion projects include swimming pools, tennis courts, hot tubs, wine cellars, and game rooms.

The Difference Between Investors and Owners

There are important differences in the way investors and owners approach home renovations.

Updating an investment property is a sound strategy—if it’s done the right way. Successful fix-it-and-flip-it professionals are investors focused on one goal: “Buy low, sell high.” When they purchase run-down homes at bargain prices, they know that a little sweat equity goes a long way toward making a real estate investment profitable, so they cut costs by doing most of the repairs themselves.

This kind of investor also carefully chooses remodeling projects that will result in the most value for the least amount of effort and cost. The first step of this process is to assess the other homes in the neighborhood to avoid over-improving the property. For example, if none of the other houses have crown molding and high-end countertops, adding these amenities to a fix-it-and-flip-it project is unlikely to result in a significantly higher selling price.

Owners, on the other hand, often take a less strategic approach when sprucing up their homes. As a result, they can end up putting significantly more money into a project than they will get back out of it when they sell. While it’s certainly a smart move to make a few improvements, it is unwise to overdo it in the expectation of a return at resale.

How do you know which upgrades are worth the hassle and expense—and which aren’t? To make the most of your remodeling budget, it pays to understand the typical return on investment from four types of renovation project: the basics, curb appeal, best bang for the buck, and passion projects.

1. The Basics

The basics are the things that every buyer expects when they purchase a home. This includes a roof that doesn’t leak, functioning gutters and downspouts, a dry basement, a reliable furnace, solid floors, walls that are in good repair, retaining walls that work, and functioning plumbing and HVAC systems. Potential buyers of any home—even first-time buyers—have a checklist that includes all of these amenities. In upscale properties, the basics might also include a certain number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and multiple-car garages, and any other features common to the neighborhood.

This doesn’t mean you have to upgrade all of it. You can focus on regular maintenance and smaller, cheaper improvements that keep everything in good working order. Adding the basics to a home that lacks them doesn’t add value; it merely brings the property up to the standards of the rest of the homes in the neighborhood, ensuring that you can ask a comparable price.

On the other hand, while you do want your house to stand out from the competition, you shouldn’t make upgrades that greatly exceed the neighborhood standard. Not only will you end up losing money, but you may also scare off potential buyers. In short, before you invest tons of money in an elaborate renovation project, consider what the competing properties in your neighborhood have to offer. Find out how similarly priced homes in your neighborhood measure up and make improvements based on your specific marketplace.

2. Curb Appeal

Curb-appeal projects make the property look good as soon as prospective buyers arrive. While these projects may not add a considerable amount of monetary value, they will help your home sell faster—and you can do a lot of the work yourself to save money and time.

Never underestimate the power of a positive first impression—from a well-manicured lawn, low-cost landscaping, fresh paint inside and out (at least the front door), clean carpets, and new exterior fixtures (e.g., address numbers). Lighting is another important feature (exterior and interior), but it can break the bank—or overrun your circuitry—if you overdo it. While you want the house to look bright and inviting, consider installing simple lighting for a modern upgrade.

Err on the side of plain vanilla, though. Now is not the time to incorporate bold design choices into the décor. Opt for subtle, tasteful designs that will appeal to a wider audience. If you need help with these projects, you can consult an interior decorating professional. Just make sure you lean toward inexpensive choices.

Avoid bold design choices in your décor. Subtle accent walls and tasteful backsplashes will add much more to your home’s appeal.

3. Best Bang for the Buck

Projects that add the most value at resale are the favorites of fix-it-and-flip-it professionals—and they should be high on a homeowner’s list, too. While these upgrades will not recoup all of their cost, some will come close.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) cites wood flooring (new or refinished), kitchen renovations (new countertops and state-of-the-art appliances), upgraded bathrooms, and basement or attic conversions as projects with some of the highest return on investment, often recouping 80% or more of their cost at resale. Certain exterior work—including roofing, siding, doors, windows, refurbished decks, and energy upgrades—also delivers a lot of bang for the buck at resale.

4. Passion Projects

Passion projects are investments that homeowners make in activities they love without regard to cost, including anything from swimming pools and tennis courts to hot tubs, wine cellars, game rooms, and even ponds. However cool these amenities might be, they are very expensive for the homeowner to install—and most prospective buyers (without your passion) are unlikely to pay more for your house to get the tennis court.

For example, a swimming pool rarely adds value to a home. Not only does it cost a small fortune to have an in-ground pool installed, but many home buyers also view a pool as a high-maintenance hassle and a year-round safety hazard—and it's useable only a few months a year in most climates.

There’s certainly no harm in adding these features to your house, but don’t expect potential buyers to be willing to pay a premium to get them when you are ready to sell. And be wary if the renovation means replacing a commonplace feature. If every other home in your neighborhood boasts a two-car garage, you should probably think twice about converting yours into a game room. Do you really want to be the only house in the area with no protected place to park?

Other conversions that might not recoup their investment at resale include:

Transforming a bedroom into a studio

Removing walls to enlarge a space (Unless there is a practical purpose, such as creating flow between the dining room and the kitchen, think twice about removing a wall.)

Eliminating a bedroom to extend a room

Remodeling the basement (Unless it's a full conversion to a real living area, stick to smaller improvements, such as upgraded storage capacity.)

Which Renovations Add the Most Value to My Home? Certain home renovations deliver a considerable bang for the buck, often recouping 80% or more of their cost at resale, including full kitchen renovations, wood flooring, and upgraded bathrooms as well as roofing, siding, doors, windows, and energy upgrades.

How Do I Improve the Curb Appeal of My Home? Features that improve the curb appeal to every prospective buyer that approaches your house include a well-manicured lawn, low-cost landscaping, fresh paint (the front door at a minimum), and new address numbers.

Why Do Swimming Pools Add No Value to My Home? Swimming pools rarely recoup their cost at resale. Not only do they cost a fortune to install, but they are also considered a high-maintenance nightmare and a safety hazard by many prospective home buyers.

The Bottom Line

Whatever the project you are considering, remember that your primary residence is not just a house; it’s your home. If you plan to live there for many years, add the amenities that you want to have, regardless of their impact on resale. When it’s time to sell, do the basics to get the property up to par for the neighborhood and add some curb appeal—but don’t bother undertaking several major projects strictly to increase the purchase price.

Elaborate custom upgrades may appeal more to you than to potential buyers. It’s best to make small, décor-neutral renovations that improve the functionality of your home. And remember, even with the real estate renovations that are known to add value, the chances are good that you will spend more money than you will get back at resale.

10 Tips to Renovate your House Beautifully yet Economically

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You are renovating because you want your house to look more beautiful and feel more comfortable. Consider your home renovation plan as a business plan or as your special project you are starting from scratch.

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If you hire an architecture he plan for you, but if you want to save money the first step is to take charge of the project and do it to yourself. In this article we are sharing some DIY ideas on, how to renovate your house on budget?

The key to renovating your house on budget yet beautifully is primarily to plan the entire process effectively. The following sections will demonstrate how you can divide your entire renovation plans into sub-plans, according to the space you have and renovate your home effectively. If you are looking to find out top 10 ways to renovate your house beautifully yet economically then read below:

Divide and Conquer

As mentioned earlier effective planning is the key to effective renovation. If you are renovating yourself then you need to focus on both the bigger picture and the smaller parts. You might have heard the phrase “whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, you can apply the same strategy to your home renovation project and devise a renovation plan for each area in your house. If you hire an architect for renovation, he will assess your requirements and then renovate accordingly. In this case since you’re in charge, you will brainstorm your requirements, write your end goal for each space in the house and decide the overall goal, and then move on to:

Budgeting

Since you want to renovate your house economically it is important for you to decide the total expenditure requirements/limit. It is important to remember in budgeting that you cannot overestimate your budget, keep your budget underestimated and then move on to researching for things you need.

Research

You will be surprised at the number of options you have once you start your research. The beautiful lamp that you liked at a high end store can be purchased at a lower price from elsewhere as well. So, when renovating your house on budget please remember that if you research to find the furniture you like, paint you want or the decorations you would like in your house, you are likely to find most of the supplies at an inexpensive price. Take advantage of online shopping, thrift stores and second hand furniture shops and see how far you will go. For step by step instructions on how you can decorate your house beautifully yet economically please read below:

Doors Create the First Impression

The first impression of your house is your door. If you are unable to change the door completely and if your existing door is in a good condition then you should repaint your door. Your doors could also affect the lighting of your room, and you could benefit from this great technique interior designed Amy Lau uses, “When dealing with a dark room, whatever color is used on the walls, I paint the ceiling, trim, and doors the same color but 50 percent lighter. Too much of one shade can overpower a space.” So, when renovating on a budget if you are repainting your door try to use different shades according to the concentration of light in your house to optimize the lighting of your house the way you want to.

Paint Affects Lighting

As mentioned earlier painting affects lighting and when renovating your house you might opt for a new paint. In that case if you are already on a budget purchasing different colored pallets might seem counterintuitive. If you are on a tight budget then opt for a black and white palette, it will give your house a modern sophisticated look and you will have the guarantee that you can never go wrong with white or black.

Small Rooms don’t have to Look Small

If you are renovating to make a small house look bigger than an inexpensive and beautiful way of achieving that goal is to use mirrors. It’s an inexpensive technique but it’s used by one of the most famous architects of his time, Sir John Soane, who used mirrors in the breakfast room of his London house.

Kitchens and Storage

If you are decorating/renovating your house then you are probably trying to de-clutter and maximize your storage as well. Utilizing your kitchen to its maximum capacity can help you minimize your storage problems. In order to do this on a low budget you can either DIY kitchen cabinets or storages from recycled material at your house, or take advantage of thrift shops in your area.

No one knows your kitchen space better than you do and your storage needs building DIY storage kitchen cabinets will not only help you save money and reuse old materials at your house but it will also ensure that you’re building exactly what you need. If you already have cabinets which are enough for storage then you don’t need to replace them you can just repaint them to make your kitchen look as good as new.

Light Comes through the Windows

According to Marc Appleton, “half the experience of living indoors is seeing the outdoors” So when remodeling your house install large windows. However, you might not have the budget to change your windows in that case play around with paint and paint your windows a shade lighter than the rest of the room to maximize the light coming through the windows.

Bathroom Renovation

You would be surprised at the number of inexpensive yet quality products you can purchase to renovate your bathroom. If you are looking to install new toilet fixture you can check our Toto Toilet, and if you are not planning to install any new items, you can fix up your existing toilet by changing the paint, changing cabinet paints and by fixing the pressure of shower etc.

Floor Renovation

If you are on a budget then floor renovation might seem expensive, and if you cannot find a flooring installation under your budget then you should invest in renovating everything else according to your floor design.

The key to renovating or redecorating your house beautifully yet inexpensively is to devise a goal for yourself, and paint an entire picture of what you want and then step by step renovate each part of your house like mentioned above.

8 Lies Home Renovation Reality Shows Tell (Plus One Truth!)

Are you addicted to home renovation reality shows? You’re not alone.

Who doesn’t like to fantasize about an easy home renovation that only takes a weekend and delivers perfectly finished results (complete with clean sheets and fresh flowers)?

The popularity of reality shows that reveal dramatic home renovations has skyrocketed, turning HGTV into one of the most successful cable networks. From Trading Spaces to Property Brothers, there is no shortage of fixer-upper programming to binge on.

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There’s nothing wrong with indulging in the aspirational fantasies served up by these “reality” shows. In fact, they can offer creative ideas and inspire you to finally take up your own project.

The problems start when viewers develop unrealistic expectations of their own real life renovation process.

Want to remodel your bathroom in a day? Planning to DIY that new wood flooring? Think you can order the kitchen of your dreams at a bargain price?

Think again.

8 Home Renovation Fantasies Seen On (Reality) TV

Unfortunately, the overnight transformations on a shoestring budget shown on TV are far from reality.

A properly planned home renovation executed by trustworthy professionals can absolutely be a dream come true. But if you want to avoid the nightmare of budget overages, drawn-out timelines, and shoddy workmanship, don’t fall for these reality TV lies.

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Reality Show Lie #1: The Job Always Takes Longer Than They Say

In a statement issued by HGTV, they admitted that they “may abridge and adjust timelines to help manage production and time constraints.”

Translation: They fudge the timeline to suit the story they’re telling.

Reality shows may make it look like you can have a new kitchen in 24 hours, but the truth is that’s physically impossible. Shows depicting super speedy renovations likely have a professional crew working round the clock for days or weeks to get the job done.

Reality shows make it look like an entire home can be remodeled in a month by leaving out many critical steps involved in the real-world process.

From meeting with architects and contractors to selecting materials and finishes, significant planning and preparation goes into a proper renovation. Not to mention the time required for inspections, humane work schedules, and letting the paint dry.

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Reality Show Lie #2: How Much Does it Really Cost?

Sorry to break it to you, but you can’t compete with reality TV home renovation budgets.

These shows receive heavily discounted labor and materials through partners and sponsors. On top of that, they’ve become notorious for using cheap materials and rushed labor to drive down costs.

Reality TV shows would have you believe that contractors can churn kitchens out for $10k a pop.

There’s no way around it; quality floors, countertops, appliances, and furniture that will last doesn’t come cheap.

Reality Show Lie #3: DIYers are Doing it Themselves

Remember watching the regular folks on Trading Spaces DIY their way to total home makeover? That was all clever editing.

DIY projects shown on TV are actually being supervised and largely executed by pros behind the scenes.

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One participant on Trading Spaces Family had this to say: “On screen, they show just the families working, but behind the scenes there’s like 6-10 other people that come in the room to expedite the process.”

This may be one of the most dangerous lies perpetuated by home renovation reality shows.

An untrained person should not be attempting their own demolition, construction, or electrical work. At best you’ll end up with subpar workmanship, at worst you could seriously injure yourself or a loved one.

Reality Show Lie #4: The Fancy New Furniture and Décor isn’t Yours

If you’re a fan of the show Fixer Upper, you’ll be familiar with the beautiful Magnolia Market furnishings, rugs, planters and more that fill the finished homes.

Unfortunately for the show’s participants, they’re only on loan long enough for cameras to capture the grand reveal.

Home Town host Erin Napier revealed that the gorgeously restored Southern homes they work on are filled “with goods from all our favorite local shops.” The homeowners usually don’t have enough room in their budget to keep the goods.

Instead, they get a “cataloged binder” of every item and its price should they decide to buy it.

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Reality Show Lie #5: Everything You’ll Need is in One Store

On TV, couples make one whirlwind trip to the home improvement store to pick up everything they need — usually after the renovation has started.

The harsh reality is that sourcing materials can take weeks and items frequently need to be ordered from distant suppliers.

Any contractor worth her salt will tell you that you need to start this process well before renovation begins. Ideally, the materials have been gathered and delivered before workers arrive so the process isn’t delayed by waiting for lumber or fixtures to arrive.

What’s more, making your selections in a single trip is ill advised. You have to live with your cabinets, carpet, and paint colors for long time. Rushing this phase only leads to regrets.

Reality Show Lie #6: You Can Wing it

The hasty home renovation process shown on TV would be an absolute disaster in real life.

While reality TV hosts seem to swoop in, immediately grasp the homeowners’ vision, and start knocking out walls in the same breath, this is pure fantasy.

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Winging it is a surefire way to ruin your budget and run into frustrating complications and delays. This is repeatedly proven in real-world renovation projects when people — both DIY and professional — attempt to make it up as they go.

Winging it forces you into last minute decisions and often leads to a haphazard finished design.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Solid planning and preparation is a homeowner’s best insurance when embarking on a renovation.

Reality Show Lie #7: You Don’t Need to Go on Vacation While Your Home is Transformed

Some home renovation reality shows prefer to keep the home renovation a surprise for participants. A couple or family may go off on a relaxing vacation for a week and return to a new, barely recognizable space.

The big lie? That a home renovation doesn’t have to disrupt your life at all.

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A proper renovation should be carefully orchestrated to minimize disruption and keep your day-to-day schedule as normal as possible. Still, you may need to live for weeks without a functioning kitchen or bathroom, and share your space with workers, tools, and materials.

Even if you can afford to vacation for weeks, it’s best to stay close enough to keep an eye on the project and communicate with contractors.

Reality Show Lie #8: It’s Not all Smiles and Hugs at the End

After the big reveal and emotional reactions, the cameras leave and viewers don’t get to see what happens next.

We’ve already revealed that most of the furniture and decor is quickly stripped away, but it gets worse. There is a growing list of former reality TV participants who were left with shoddy work to repair and redo on their own.

One person on Designed to Sell reported that their “custom” pillowcases were merely fabric duct taped to pillows. And in a more extreme example, a couple on Catch a Contractor ended up with 200 gallons of raw sewage in their home after rushed workers forgot to connect a pipe.

In shows like Extreme Home Makeover, families sometimes end up with a newly built home they can’t actually afford. Mounting taxes and utility bills have even led to foreclosure for some participants.

The Truth? Expert Renovators Can Bring Your Fantasy to Life

The renovations we see on TV may be mostly smoke and mirrors, but in real life it is possible to get the results you want without nasty surprises.

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We love to see spaces given new life on TV because we all have areas of our homes that we hope to transform. Watching designers update a kitchen with new flooring or completely revamp the layout of a home can spark great ideas for your own home renovation project. It can even teach you about smart use of space, creative ways to save money, and design trends.

The key is to take your inspiration to someone who can guide you through the actual steps required to do the job right.

The next time you’re inspired by Flip This House or Design on a Dime, remember to keep your renovation dreams grounded in reality.