2000 Cost vs. Value report

The "Cost vs. Value Report" is the result of interviews with 300 real estate salespeople and appraisers representing 60 different market areas. They were asked the percent of cost they thought would be recouped on each project if the house were sold within a year.

Bear in mind that return on investment in remodeling can vary widely depending on the home and neighborhood. 

Real estate professionals who participated in this study say popular projects such as kitchen and bath remodels remain a solid investment for homeowners.

Family room addition
PROJECT DESCRIPTION In a style and location appropriate to the existing house, add a 16-by-25-foot room on a new crawl space foundation with wood-joist floor framing, wood siding on exterior walls, and fiberglass shingle roof. Include drywall interior with batt insulation, tongue-and-groove hardwood floor, and 180 square feet of glazing, including windows, atrium-style exterior doors, and two operable skylights. Tie into existing heating and cooling.

Minor kitchen remodel
PROJECT DESCRIPTION--In a functional but dated 200-square-foot kitchen with 30 linear feet of cabinetry and countertops, refinish existing cabinets and install new energy-efficient wall oven and cooktop, laminate countertops, mid-priced sink and faucet, wall covering, and resilient flooring. Repaint. Job includes new raised-panel wood doors on cabinets.

Two-story addition
PROJECT DESCRIPTION Add a 24-by-16-foot two-story wing, over a crawl space, with a first-floor family room, a second-floor bedroom with full bath, and 11 windows total. Include a prefabricated fireplace in the family room and an atrium-style exterior door. Floors are carpeted, and walls are of painted drywall. The 5-by-8-foot bathroom has a fiberglass bath/shower, standard-grade toilet, wood vanity with ceramic tile sink top, ceramic tile flooring, and mirrored medicine cabinet with light strip above. Bathroom walls are wallpapered. Add new heating and cooling system to handle addition.

Bathroom addition
PROJECT DESCRIPTION Add a second full bath to a house with one or one-and-a-half baths. The 6-by-8-foot bath should be within the existing floor plan in an inconspicuous spot convenient to the bedrooms. Include cultured-marble vanity top, molded sink, standard bathtub with shower, low-profile toilet, lighting, mirrored medicine cabinet, linen storage, vinyl wallpaper, ceramic tile floor, and ceramic tile walls in tub area.

Bathroom remodel
PROJECT DESCRIPTION Update an existing 5-by-9-foot bathroom that is at least 25 years old with a new standard-size tub, toilet, and solid-surface vanity counter with integral double sink. Install new lighting, faucets, mirrored medicine cabinet, ceramic tile floor, and ceramic tile walls in tub/shower area (vinyl wallpaper elsewhere).

Exterior painting
PROJECT DESCRIPTION Repaint post-1980 two-story wood-sided home. Pressure-wash exterior siding and trim surfaces with hydro sodium chloride to remove mildew and algae. Scrape all peeling paint and feather-sand with electric sanders. Re-caulk all open joints. Spackle open splits in wood surfaces and sand. Re-glaze window mullions. Apply one coat wood primer to the siding, trim, windows, doors, and shutters. Follow with one coat satin acrylic latex paint.

2000 Cost vs. Value report

Excerpts and Data from Remodeling Magazine 2000.

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