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Renovating your home? Prioritize enhancements that bring joy now, plus profit later
Real estate and design experts offer their advice on creating a dream home that will pay off in the end.
A home’s value is often thought of as an objective statistic, tracked by closing prices and tax assessments. But its worth along the way is harder to measure when taken in units like weeknight dinners and Sunday mornings.
Is it possible to marry the two and do renovations that both enhance the quality of life while living in the home and add value to a future sale? Experts in the field say yes.
Kitchen and bathrooms
Kitchen and bath projects accomplish improvement in both “enjoyable daily use” and long-term value, said Hans Nagrath, a Boston-area managing director for Compass real estate who also works in interior design and construction.
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“A functioning, stylish kitchen is also the single most important renovation you can do, because it elevates the whole house,” he said. It’s the starting focal and function point of many homes and can put a buyer at ease who can save the effort of picking their own fixtures and finishes.
“A primary bathroom really sells a house,” said Nagrath. “The kitchen is the heart of the home, but the bathroom — especially the primary bathroom — is like the indulgence of the home.”
Mudroom
Many New England homes lack storage, said Nick Falkoff, general manager of Auburndale Builders. Mudrooms provide efficient utility without the commitment of a larger project.
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“People tend to love them, and they show really well,” he said.
As a renovation project, they lack plumbing and electrical requirements that can often drive up initial costs — and they are useful immediately to those entering the home.
Anticipate future failures
Falkoff said it’s worth trying to eliminate anything that might emerge later as a problem.
“If you’ve got a bad roof, that’s going to show up on any home inspector’s report,” he said. “So just remove that as a negotiating thing.”
Other examples could include water damage or items ready for maintenance.
Renovations that check both boxes — useful now and valuable later — aren’t always the items sellers might expect. First, address “weak points” in a house that might get flagged in a home inspection, said Falkoff. After that, imagine “nice-to-have” features, such as in-law suites or accessory dwelling units that might turn up in a buyer’s wish list.
Starting with less glamorous but more basic improvements serves a dual benefit, said Neil Harvey, president of Shrewsbury-based Harvey Remodeling. Some quick fixes will mask problems later — don’t tile over old wood flooring that will need replacing, for example. That runs counter to a flipper’s mentality.
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“It’s valuable later in the sense that you’re not building on past mistakes,” he said.
When taking on renovations such as a bathroom refresh, think deeper. For example, Harvey said, copper piping can last 30 to 50 years, so before tiling over everything, consult the age of your systems, and consider upgrading hot and cold supply and drain lines.
“While you have things open, you don’t want to go spend $30,000 to $100,000 on all kinds of tile work … only to find out you have to rip out something because you’ve got a pinhole leak in one of your plumbing supply lines,” he said.
Flexible spaces
Many of Falkoff’s clients have opted for adding spaces that could be used as a bedroom, home office, or kids’ study area. That malleability comes in handy when a future owner moves in.
Basement renovations offer a good return on investment, he said.
“Bringing in light and putting in new fresh air systems can make an old space feel new, and that can add a lot of value to a house without a lot of cost,” said Falkoff. Basement renovations also can add to square footage counts.
Landscape, flow, and finishes
“It’s all about two words: ‘cohesion,’ and ‘flow,’” said Nagrath. For instance, picture a walk-through that traces nicely painted siding past tidy paths of mulched beds and a paver patio as a gateway to the indoors. On the contrary, mismatched paint and finishes can overwhelm a buyer.
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To maintain or sell a home, a fresh coat of paint goes a long way, even if it’s the same color, said Thais Pandolfi, who co-owns Hopkinton-based Renovation Home Improvement with her wife, Alyssa. Swapping old carpet for wood flooring has an aesthetic and hygienic bonus, said Pandolfi, and new kitchen cabinets are a more accessible alternative to a full kitchen gut.
Simple landscaping and well-maintained grass can help, she said.
“If you can get a couple of shrubs or plants in there that really make the space pop out, those kinds of simple things can really do the trick.”
More Real Estate
A personal touch … but not too much
“It should be a reflection of your personality,” said Nagrath — but not to the exclusion of the would-be buyers’. Striking that balance now means a homeowner will still get to live among their own vision — and maybe a little less griege (a blend of gray and beige). Guide interior design by following the home’s natural aesthetic; does it have modern or Victorian influences?
“That doesn’t mean go in and put, you know, pink countertops and odd-colored cabinets, but it’s kind of like you’re drawing from the inspiration of what kind of house [it is],” said Nagrath. “I think people get so caught up on trends … [but] maybe you don’t get creative on the things that are more permanent.”
It’s about striking the right balance on a spectrum of customization.
“You’re trying to make it as universal as possible,” said Pandolfi.
Consult the numbers
According to the Journal of Light Construction’s Remodeling 2025 Cost vs. Value Report, which assesses data from building projects and realtors, a garage door replacement in New England could garner 268 percent of its installation costs in a subsequent home sale, while the addition of a primary bedroom suite might return just 18 percent of its construction and design costs.
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But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t add that suite, said Harvey. He sees that happen more often in smaller homes where families want more space, or older couples who are enjoying where they are for a while.
“That’s not done from a resale perspective,” he said. And those figures are highly contextual based on geography and surrounding homes.
If your garage door is already in good shape, redoing it isn’t going to magically inflate your resale value.
“You already had it,” he said.
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