Kate Wood, NerdWallet Published 5:00 a.m. MT Jan. 24, 2020

If you want to get real with your real estate, here are 5 home renovations that dont add resale value. Buzz60

You spent the holidays binging HGTV, and now visions of shiplap accent walls and freestanding soaking tubs are dancing through your head.

Don't let your desire to upgrade your home downgrade your home's market value. Before you make a renovation fantasy a reality, consider whether the project will pay off when you're ready to sell. Plenty of home improvements add value, but others like these five can hurt it.

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If you love to cook, a high-end kitchen could be the ultimate gift for you. But if you think a massive overhaul will majorly impact resale value, you might be in for a surprise. An upscale kitchen renovation recoups just 54% of its cost in added value, according to Remodeling magazine's 202 Cost vs. Value report.

"If you do marble countertops and high-end appliances, you could spend $100,000, and it doesn't necessarily mean your house is worth an extra $100,000," says Beatrice de Jong, a consumer trends expert for Opendoor, a San Francisco-based direct home buyer and seller.

Smaller kitchen upgrades could yield a bigger payoff. Chris Arienti, broker and owner of Remax Executive Realty near Boston, suggests keeping updates reasonable: Think granite rather than marble, and GE instead of Sub-Zero.

A bold statement wall can say the wrong thing to potential buyers if the workmanship is questionable. Streaky, chipped or low-quality paint can knock $1,700 off a home's sale price, according to Opendoor data that looked at home offers made from June 2018 to June 2019.

"A good paint job is not easy," says Sarah Cunningham, a real estate agent with Ethos Design + Remodel in Boise, Idaho. "It is all in the prep work, and most people don't want to do the prep work." Hiring a professional to paint can help ensure a more attractive result.

Knocking down a wall to create an oversize master bedroom or stealing closet space to build out a spa-style bathroom may sound dreamy. But how about as a selling point? "If you go from five bedrooms to four, and you can make it work, no big deal," Arienti says. But he cautions that losing a bedroom in a smaller house could mean a lower selling price.

As for cutting into closet space, residential building codes don't mandate that bedrooms have closets. But, Arienti says, "Once you take the closet out of a bedroom, to a buyer, that no longer looks like a bedroom."

Carpet can be especially unattractive to first-time home buyers, who may be used to landlords updating carpet between renters, de Jong says.

"In general, people are grossed out by [carpeting]. It can make a room look a little bit dated."

It can also ding your sale price. Carpet as the primary flooring in a house drops the value by $3,900 and carpeting in the master bedroom causes a $3,800 plunge, according to Opendoor. Conversely, a 2019 report from the National Association of Realtors estimated that sellers could recoup the entire cost of refinishing hardwood floors. New wood flooring could actually add value, with sellers getting $1.06 for every dollar spent according to NAR.

It doesnt matter if its infinity edge or above-ground: Any pool can be seen as a drawback by buyers who don't want to deal with maintenance or insurance. Even in Florida, a pool doesn't add value, Liede DeValdivielso, a real estate agent with the Keyes Company in Miami-Dade, said via email. If you're thinking resale, it's not worth it you'll never recoup the cost, DeValdivielso said. But if you'll use it and enjoy it, put in a pool.

How to decide if a renovation is worth the cost

To ensure you're making an informed decision:

MORE: 5 Proven Ways to Increase Home Value

MORE: How to Tap Your Home's Value

MORE: HELOC: One Way to Pay for Home Renovations

Marianne Sierk and Robbie Mortillaro bought a home for $275,000 outside Baltimore. It fit their budget but needed work. Here are the lessons they learned from renovating themselves. USA TODAY

Kate Wood is a writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: kwood@nerdwallet.com.

NerdWallet is a USA TODAY content partner providing general news, commentary and coverage from around the web. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.

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Don't downgrade your house's value: 5 home improvements that may not pay off when you sell - The Coloradoan

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A developer wants to convert a tiny storage room in a residential building in the Green Quarter into a living room / bedroom.

At just 21 square meters, however, this would be almost half the minimum recommended size for a studio apartment that meets the standards used by the Manchester Council.

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The average Travelodge hotel room is 28sqm.

Developers have applied for planning permission to remodel the storage room on the ground floor of the Jefferson Place apartment block on Fernie Street.

A floor plan presented to the city council shows that the apartment would contain a small bathroom, a kitchenette and a bed.

The floor plan of the proposed apartment

The application, which was submitted by Broompark Management Limited, based in Prestwich, describes the proposal as changing the use of an unused storage space into a studio apartment.

Cheetham Hill Council member Naeem Hassan described the plan as unacceptable.

He said: We need more accommodation, but it has to be an appropriately sized accommodation.

I am not interested in this type of accommodation. I will object to it.

It is unacceptable. They are just greedy people trying to make more money.

Whats next? Will people start remodeling their garages?

According to the state standards for technical housing construction introduced in 2015, the minimum size for a studio apartment is 37 m.

However, these standards are not legally binding. If there is a shortage of housing or if an apartment has access to municipal facilities, builders can apply to the local authorities for permission to build smaller houses.

Councils cannot reject land based on its size alone.

The circled grille will be replaced by a window when the apartment wins the bid

The average size of a house in England and Wales is 90m.

It is not clear whether the apartment is for sale or for rent.

A 33 sqm one-room apartment on the first floor of another block in the Green District is currently being sold for 130,000.

The Manchester Evening News contacted Broompark Management and was informed that no one was available to comment.

A spokesman for the Manchester Council said: The local planning authority must define a planning application taking into account local and national planning policies, site-specific aspects and the merits of the proposal.

Minimal room standards are an important yardstick to ensure that our residents have access to sufficient living space which has a clear connection to the quality of life and is therefore a key concern for the citys municipal planning authority

A decision is made as to whether the application has considered all relevant aspects and after a public consultation as part of the planning process.

Get the latest news first in the free Manchester Evening News app download it here for your Apple or Android device. The MEN email newsletter also gives you an overview of the most important articles that are sent daily to your inbox. Subscribe here. And here you can follow us on Facebook.

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Could this be the smallest apartment in Manchester? Developer wants to convert TINY storage room into studio apartment - magviral

Most homeowners have struck roofing issues at some point in their own lives. From small leakages to cracks, roofs suffer from lots of common issues that require immediate care. To help you in resolving your roofing problems we have listed 10 common problems that every homeowner suffers on Roof Replacement.

Roofs Leakage is one of the most commonly faced problems among homeowners. They can arise in a large number of issues. From shingles, slates to tiles, all these issues can weaken your roof. This issue cannot be resolved with waterproof metal since they could crack after a length of time flashing. In worst cases, water may start dripping from the roof. Roof leaks tend to happen in the following places:

Its tough to keep an eye on each one of these areas. The only means to save yourself from repainting roofs is really to follow preventative maintenance measures. It is possible to consult the service of a roofing company to possess biannual testimonials for all these issues. A roofing company does more than inspect the problem; they can resolve the issue until its a nuisance for your family members.

Sets from foot traffic into local wildlife may leave scratches, puncture marks, and sometimes even enormous holes in a roof. When it is perhaps also a contractor walking over the shingles or drilling holes in the eaves, the damage can build up, exposing it into moisture or affecting the timber.

The installation of a roof may increase the probability of problems radically and lessen the life span of the roof. Here an experts guidance must let you know whether the setup is correct or not. Inadequate and faulty installation falls beneath the individual mistake category. When the roof wrongly installed from the start, that increases the possibility of common roofing problems. The general issues involved in the process of installation contain rooting, which installs improperly. Flashing is perhaps the gutters that eventually leads to a pool of water or that the material employed for sealing around vents and pipes or poor drainage either at the HVAC is as. Installed flashing can bring about off the blowing of their roof material throughout situations that could multiply the frustrations associated with roof maintenance into the list of problems.

Flashings are the major components used to seal roof system edges, perimeters, penetrations, walls, slopes, drains, and every area where the actual roof covering is disrupted or terminated. The primary function of rooting would be to help seal any voids from the roof system where water can enter, making these prime areas because of flow causes if not checked regularly.

The material is aluminum or galvanized steel and, depending on the type of roof you have, is likely in the area, round the chimney, and sometimes even around dormer windows or skylights. Oxidization and weather are for flashing deterioration, the most frequent culprits. However, it is possible that rooting can quickly appear loose. Professional roofing contractors cut and shape their flashing out of sheet metal, but flashing pieces now come preformed and can be applied without much difficulty using caulking or roof cement.

If your roof gutters are jammed, broken, or otherwise faulty, water might be backing up into the roof. In that case, it might eventually flow into the eaves, where it can lead to decay. Preventing such damage involves routine checking your gutters for debris, and for the broken parts. Installing screens on the gutter openings also prevent limbs and leaves from getting into your system.

The soffit is a French word which actually means formed as a ceiling and the Latin word for to correct underneath. The exposed surface below the area of the roof or the finished surface below the fascia is popularly known as the soffit.

Vented soffit has small pockets that provide air circulation so that it can cycle to the vents and also draw moisture and heat away from home. It plays an important function in helping to ventilate the loft and prevent rot in the sheathing and rafters. As its a cost-effective and more water-resistant material, soffits are made up of vinyl. It helps regulate the temperature and through the remainder of your home which makes it a more comfortable place to live. Look for holes, cracks, and rust to prevent a simple entry for creatures and insects or water.

Shingles roof provides excellent protection but is more prone to curling and discoloration. Aspects of broken or missing shingles can leave timber vulnerable to other harm, holes, and rotting. When this type of roof is not ventilated correctly during setup, they can also buckle.

The discoloration is a symptom of a roof leak, and the spot can grow into a gaping hole on your ceiling. A lack of ventilation, high nails, or installed fasteners causes curling. They look and are an open-source for water seepage. In case you have missing water, snow, and ice are hitting on your roof square on, and it is a direct approach to rot. Check your roof often and also make repairs or replace shingles when it looks necessary. To know more about which roof shingles is better for your roof, check out this video.

Shrinkage results when the veins at the roof, causing crazing or fractures in the top layer. Blistering, splitting, surface erosion, and ridging of shingles may lead to more significant issues. Its an unfortunate truth, yet substances with time tend. The material present under the tiles or shingles of the roof is precisely where that will take place. A frequent reason for shrinkage is aging. However, moisture or roofs, perhaps not installed improperly, can also bring about shrinkage. It will cause cracking causing acute fissures or crazing. If there is just really a minor blister, it will not be an immediate concern besides closure observation, yet what needs quick attention is blistering.

Snow and ice can cause a mess on any roof. That is because it melts down. You can get a surprise when it re-freezes. That is since the ice underneath your roof may push facing the flashing or shingles and also lift them, leaving openings by which more ice or water may input.

The only way to make certain winter conditions are damaging your roof would be to program and autumn maintenance and inspection. This way, you will not be caught stuck or invisibly in a situation that demands emergency roof restoration.

Improper repair is one of the offenses because this means that the homeowner hired someone to find the task done. Regrettably, there are not much things that you can do to block it except ensure that which you hire is trusted. Corners which cuts by many dishonest contractors. It will be quite a long time before anybody finds what they did, and since they will still get taken care of completing the job.

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Why there is a need for Home Improvement? - RecentlyHeard.com

MADISON, WI. Jan. 23, 2020 During a series of events on Friday,Administration Secretary Joel Brennan, Workforce Development Secretary Caleb Frostman and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes are sharing Governor Evers message of rural prosperity that was highlighted in Wednesdays State of the State address.

The secretaries are visiting Stevens Point, Crandon, Shell Lake and Cumberland to listen to members of the community and showcase agency initiatives aiming to address worker training and retention, rural economic development, transportation and health care.

Governor Evers State of the State Address focused on investing in rural communities, reducing student debt, and nonpartisan redistricting.

The people of Wisconsin expect their elected officials to work together on the challenges facing our state, said Secretary Brennan. Meeting with different companies in rural Wisconsin is a great way for our agencies to share the governors message and collaborate with the people in the community.

The projects visited today demonstrate how state agencies, with the help of the private sector, can connect the dots between education and employment, health care and quality of life, and diversity and economic growth, said Secretary Frostman. The Department of Workforce Development is eager to showcase how successful businesses and communities leverage state resources to attract, develop and retain talent here in Wisconsin.

Secretary Hughes added, One of the best parts of my job at WEDC is seeing firsthand the innovative approaches Wisconsin businesses and local leaders are taking. Im so pleased that Secretaries Brennan and Frostman will be joining me, especially as WEDC and our agencies explore new ways to help our rural communities grow and thrive.

The secretaries will visit:

Stevens Point:Marten Machining

Marten Machining has been involved in DWDs Youth Apprenticeship (YA) program for more than 20 years. Throughout this time, Marten Machining has been a huge advocate of the YA program, and this fall the company started using Registered Apprenticeship to train machinist apprentices.Marten Machining also utilized the new YA to RA bridge program to transition one of the new machinist apprentices from a youth apprenticeship into the current Wisconsin Registered Apprentice Program.

Marten Machining is a family-owned business that started in Alan and Deb Martens garage in 1984, and continues to experience growth and innovation. Their current planned move into a new 50,000-square-foot facility will add space for additional employees as well as future manufacturing equipment.Marten Machining partners with local area high schools in Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids, Rosholt and Amherst, as well as technical collegesMid-State Technical College and Northcentral Technical Collegeand campuses in the UW System to help provide students with opportunities to pursue careers in manufacturing through scholarships, youth apprenticeships, internships and flexible scheduling to work around their classes.

Crandon:Hometown Trolley

With help from WEDC, Hometown Trolley has developed a $20 million-a-year manufacturing business with more than 50 employees in the heart of Crandon. The third-generation, woman-owned company started out in the 1990s making hand-crafted replicas of turn-of-the-century trolley buses for tour companies and shopping districts. The companys line has expanded to include custom-made tour buses, with sales of both products throughout the U.S., Canada and South America.

Shell Lake:Indianhead Medical Center

WEDC is assisting the City of Shell Lake with a $250,000 Community Development Investment Grant to the Indianhead Medical Center (IMC) hospital and the attached Shell Lake Clinic. IMC is a privately owned 25-bed critical access hospital with a 24-hour emergency room that has aided the community since 1947, and today offers services such as medical testing, consultation and rehabilitation, general surgery, urology, cardiology, podiatry, orthopedics and radiology. The WEDC grant will support construction of a new 9,000-square-foot clinic building, an ambulance garage, remodeling of the emergency room and operating room, and other improvements.

Cumberland:City of Cumberland

The Department of Administration (DOA) is assisting the City of Cumberland with upgrades of its agingsanitary sewer system, the oldest components of which date back to the 1960s.The system has many pipe joint failures, service connection failures and manhole leaks, while inflow and infiltration issues have increased water treatment costs and health concerns.DOA is providing $1 million in assistance through the Community Development Block Grant Program, which will cover about 60% of the total project cost.

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WEDC: Secretaries Brennan, Frostman and Hughes travel to highlight Governor Evers State of the State initiatives - Wisbusiness.com

The Entry Lobby of the Asian Art Museum. Photo by Tim Griffith.

As the decorative aluminum Art Deco doors of the Seattle Asian Art Museum open to the public this February, visitors will likely feel a strong sense of familiarity.

At first glance, it seems not much has changed: the gold-filled Entry Lobby remains fit for a party thrown by Jay Gatsby, the connecting Fuller Garden Court still acts as the museums bright and spacious centerpiece, and galleries filled with Asian art await in nearly every direction.

Despite these constants, the museum Seattleites once knew has dramatically changed. Over the course of a 24-month-long renovation and expansion led by Seattle-based architectural firm LMN Architects, not a single inch of the Asian Art Museum went untouched.

With the addition of a 2,650-square-foot art gallery and much-needed structural upgrades, the citys historic museum is ready to serve the public for decades to come.

Designed by Paris-trained architect Carl F. Gould of Bebb and Gould Architects, the Art Deco building first opened in 1933 as the original home of the Seattle Art Museum. That same year, the museums founder, Dr. Richard E. Fuller, donated the building situated in Capitol Hills Olmstead-designed Volunteer Park to the city. In 1989, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

After the opening of SAMs downtown Seattle location, the site was reopened as SAMs center for Asian art in 1994.

For nearly 90 years, the museum went without an update. Although three small expansions took place between 1947 and 1955 to accommodate SAMs growing collection, the building had never been renovated.

Before closing in 2017, the museum operated with its original 1933 boiler and mechanical electrical systems. It had no air conditioning or humidity controltwo necessities for ensuring the displayed arts protectionand was not in compliance with seismic codes and ADA accessibility standards.

With the museums long and illustrious history, preserving and restoring the buildings 20th-century features was equally as important to lead architectural firm LMN Architects as was bringing the building up to code.

Our goal was to have someone walk through the museums doors and not be able to tell what we had done, said LMN architect partner Sam Miller. We wanted to give the building a new life for the future but keep the original historic space, and visitors experiences of the space, the same as before.

Founded in 1979, LMN Architects is responsible for over 700 projects across North America including the University of Washington Paul G. Allen Center for Computer Science & Engineering, Benaroya Hall, McCaw Hall, the Seattle Central Library and the Washington State Convention Center.

LMN Architects was first brought in to renovate Seattle Art Museum some 15 years ago. As the firms work on renovating SAMs downtown headquarters came to a close, museum executives set their sights on remodeling their Volunteer Park location.

The museum conducted preliminary studies with LMN Architects, surveying the building for structural and mechanical issues. Following a brief hiatus in 2008 as a result of the global recession, the project found new life with the appointment of Kimerly Rorschach as SAMs director and CEO in 2012 and an expansion was incorporated into the planned renovation.

The project was not without controversy, however. In 2017, a group called Protect Volunteer Park launched a campaign against the museums planned expansion on the basis that it was not approved by Seattle voters and violated the original vision of the park. Despite these protests, the Seattle City Council approved the plan and the expansion broke ground in March 2018.

By the end of the two-year renovation, LMN architects remodeled 53,000 square feet and expanded the building by 13,000 square feet for a total cost of $56 million.

Along with a new 2,650-square-foot gallery, the museums expansion includes additional programming space, a dedicated education space, an Asian art conservation studio available for public viewing, a community meeting room, a new art elevator, and a glass-enclosed Park Lobby. Altogether, the extension spans all three floors of the museum.

The buildings original exterior sandstone faade was cleaned and preserved while the translucent film on the Entry Lobbys Art Deco metalwork was removed to allow for more natural light. Three fountainsone outside, two insidewere restored along with two Olmstead-designed outdoor pathways surrounding the museum.

The sites expansion also reinforces the buildings relationship to the park without disturbing its natural setting. The Park Lobbys panoramic views showcase the parks green landscape and bring visitors eye-to-eye with a towering beech tree.

You can either take those sorts of condition and think of them as a challenge or you can take them as a really terrific opportunity, said LMN Architects partner Wendy Pautz on designing the expansion around the tree. The Park Lobby is built so that you feel like youre up in the canopy of trees. From there, you share a very different relationship with nature than you do anywhere else in the park.

Daylight played another crucial role in the museums expansion and renovation. In the original building, skylights were used to illuminate nearly half of the museums galleries. While this proved aesthetically pleasing, the artwork displayed in the galleries was prone to damage by excessive exposure to UV rays and sunlight. As a result, the overhead skylights were often blocked off to protect the art.

To mimic the daylight that once flowed throughout the galleries, LMN Architects introduced artificial skylights that can be adjusted by temperature and intensity depending on the needs of the particular gallery. These lights recreate the sensation of daylight from above without jeopardizing the art. And Seattle-raised and now Brooklyn-based Kenzan Tsutakawa-Chinn has a new lighting installation that covers the ceiling of the Garden Court area.

For 23 years, the Asian Art Museum occupied a building that was designed to house a different museum. Now, with a massive renovation and expansion led by LMN Architects, SAMs extensive Asian Art collection can be prominently displayed.

Although the art hanging on the gallery walls is sure to attract plenty of visitors, the museums historic architecture is a work of art in its own right.

To work on a historic building like this is a real privilege, and its something we take very seriously, said LMN Architects partner Sam Miller. This building is a part of Seattles legacy and we hope the public will see that we treated it with care and respect. We only made it better.

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At the Seattle Asian Art Museum, everything is a work of artstarting with the museum itself - The International Examiner

The median spending on kitchen upgrades increased among homeowners who recently began or completed this work, according to the home design site Houzz. At the same time, homeowners were reducing the scope of their work.

In its 2020 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study, analysts found that the national median cost for a major kitchen remodel completed in mid-2019 was $35,000, a 17 percent increase over comparable remodels completed in mid-2018. Median spending on minor remodels held steady at $8,000.

"It is remarkable to see median spend on kitchen remodels grow by double digits for the third year in a row," said Nino Sitchinava, principal economist at Houzz. "Combined with a two-year decline in the scope of kitchen remodels, spend increases confirm our findings of significant price inflation in the home remodeling industry due to changes in international trade policy. Homeowners are dealing with increasing product prices by substituting materials, as indicated by slower growth in the use of engineered quartz and a decline in the popularity of engineered flooring materials, highly impacted by tariffs on imported materials from China."

The report found some indication that homeowners were scaling back the extent of the work they were doing. While 89 percent of respondents upgraded their countertops, this was down from 94 percent two years earlier. Similarly, the share of respondents upgrading their sinks fell from 90 percent two years ago to 83 percent. Compared to the previous year, homeowners were also significantly less likely to upgrade their backsplash, wall finish, windows, or exterior doors.

Homeowners were also more likely to work within the space of their existing kitchen. Forty-six percent modified the layout of their kitchen, down from 50 percent in the previous year. Thirty-five percent increased the size of the room, down from 42 percent in the previous year.

The reduced scope of kitchen renovations also meant fewer homeowners were pursuing an open floor plan. Forty-six percent said their upgraded kitchen was more open to the home's interior, down 7 percentage points from the previous year. However, 64 percent of those who opened their kitchen to the interior said they did so by eliminating wall separation, a year-over-year increase of 6 percentage points.

Nearly every renovation94 percentincluded an upgrade to the cabinets. Sixty-eight percent replaced them entirely, while 27 percent opted for a partial upgrade. These options included refinishing cabinet exteriors (64 percent), replacing some cabinets (25 percent), or replacing the doors only (18 percent).

Islands were also a popular choice, with 61 percent renovating this feature. One in three homeowners added a new island, while 22 percent upgraded an existing one. The islands were typically a large focal feature in the room, with 32 percent measuring more than seven feet long. Ninety-eight percent said the island had storage capacity, with 79 percent saying it incorporated cabinets and 70 percent saying it included drawers.

Fifty-eight percent said they used their island as a dining area after the renovation. Forty-nine percent said it was used for entertaining, while 45 percent said they frequently socialized at this feature.

Engineered quartz continued to gain popularity as a countertop choice. Fifty-one percent said they used this material, up from 48 percent in the 2019 survey and 43 percent in 2018. Twenty-nine percent opted to use granite, down from 30 percent in the previous year and 34 percent in 2018.

Full-wall backsplashes were becoming a more popular choice. Sixty-three percent had the backsplash extend up to the cabinets or range hood, while 11 percent extended it up to the ceiling. Ceramic or porcelain tile continued to be the most popular choice for backsplash material, with 57 percent using it; the next most popular choice, marble, appeared in just 10 percent of renovations.

There was a steady increase in the use of vinyl flooring, which appeared in 14 percent of renovations up from 12 percent in 2019 and 10 percent in 2018. Hardwood and ceramic were the most common flooring choices at 29 percent and 23 percent, respectively.

More than half of homeowners55 percentreplaced all their kitchen appliances as part of their upgrade, while 31 percent replaced only some of them. The dishwasher, refrigerator, and microwave were the most commonly updated appliances.

Interest in high-tech options declined slightly. Twenty-five percent of updated appliances included high-tech features, down from 30 percent in the previous year; wireless controls were the most popular high-tech appliance option, followed by color touch screen displays and built-in apps. Fifty-one percent of faucets used high-tech features, down from 57 percent in 2019; the most popular options included water efficiency, no-fingerprint coatings, and touch-free activation.

Nearly every respondent94 percentsaid they used the kitchen for cooking after the upgrade, while 70 percent said they dined there and 60 percent said they used the room for baking. One in three homeowners said they felt they were living a healthier lifestyle after the renovation.

The 2020 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study was based on survey respondents from nearly 2,600 Houzz users between June 19 and July 2. These homeowners were planning a kitchen renovation, in the midst of one, or had recently completed one.

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Report: Scope of kitchen renovations shrinks even as spending increases - theday.com

After more than 30 years in their Plymouth home, John and Arlys Edson were thinking about a change.

They were tired of their closed-off, dated kitchen, especially as John, an amateur chef, looks forward to spending time cooking after he joins his wife in retirement. They wondered if it was time to downsize to a smaller home with the open layout they desired.

They began looking at a variety of townhouses. But nothing they visited not even places that were newly built felt right.

"We love our neighborhood. We have great neighbors, walking paths right out our door. We have a park, we back up to a lake. We were kind of spoiled," said Arlys, a retired teacher and corporate trainer. "We just never could duplicate our location."

The Edsons, who are in their 60s, decided to stay put in their four-bedroom home, which was built in 1986 and remodel the kitchen instead.

"Really, when we looked at the cost difference between doing this in our existing home, which has the wonderful location, versus buying a new townhome somewhere else in more of a high-density neighborhood, we decided we wanted to do the remodeling," Arlys said. "From a financial perspective, we feel that this was a really good decision for us."

And now that the project is complete, they couldn't be happier. "We just walk around, and we're like, 'Oh, my gosh, how could this be? We should have done this 20 years ago,'" she said.

The Edsons' remodel, which involved taking out walls and opening up their kitchen to their living room, was finished last month and downsizing is off the table, for now.

A growing number of Americans are making similar decisions as they approach retirement. Many couples once aspired to first own a home, then have kids and move to a larger one, only to later downsize into a more modest house and put any potential earnings left from the sale of the bigger home into their retirement savings. But baby boomers today are working until later in life, and often are welcoming their adult children back to the family home for extended periods. A shortage of less-expensive, smaller homes across the country, including in the Twin Cities area, also makes downsizing less appealing.

Instead, many empty nesters are looking to remodel their current homes, according to a national 2019 Chase Bank survey of more than 700 baby-boomer homeowners. More than half of the respondents said they did not ever plan to move from their family home, while 88% said they plan to renovate.

Downsizing delayed

Downsizing is still happening, but later, studies suggest. An analysis of census data by online real estate company Trulia found that in 2016, the age where it became more common for senior households to downsize into a multifamily home vs. moving to a single-family home was 80. In 2005, that tipping point was happening by age 75, according to the analysis.

For the Edsons, who have an adult daughter and enjoy hosting relatives, their current home's biggest draw was its location, and the fact that it offers extra space to be able to welcome family. The nearby walking path also allows for easy, accessible exercise.

"We're very active and doing lots of things. I just don't want to end up with a sedentary lifestyle," Edson said. "You know, 60 is the new 40."

Mary Maney, an interior designer and certified kitchen designer with Crystal Kitchen + Bath, said that she works with many baby-boomer homeowners who have decided to stay put and make improvements.

"The majority of our clients are 60 and older, and we do basically 99% remodels," said Maney, who designed the Edsons' kitchen project.

A typical client is someone whose kids have been gone for quite a while, who has looked around at moving options and decided to stay. "Basically they come back to, 'I like my neighborhood, I like my house. I don't want to take on homeowners association fees. I'll just stay where I'm at, and live here for as long as I can,'" she said.

For her company, the average kitchen remodel starts at $75,000, including cabinets, countertops, lighting, plumbing, "the whole gamut," Maney said.

"Lighting is important," she said. "It's funny how poor lighting is in most homes that we remodel. You've got a single fixture and one over the sink, and that's it. As you age, you definitely need more of that."

Most of her clients aren't making changes with an eye to selling, but are thinking about their own future in the home, she said. "I would say, easily 75% or higher are doing it just for themselves."

'We love where we are'

After their youngest left for college, Sue and Mark Read considered downsizing from the Deephaven home they had built 27 years ago.

Sue had an idea of what the next stage of life might look like, and at first, it didn't necessarily involve remodeling her current kitchen.

"I think you kind of romanticize changes at this point in our life, where you're close to retirement, and you think, 'Oh, wouldn't it be great to live in a neat little house down by the lake, and we can walk to get coffee,'" she said. "We thought, 'Let's move into Excelsior. Let's move downtown. It will be great.'"

But as they considered a move and checked prices, they worried about bringing mortgage debt from a new house into retirement. They realized that they actually loved their current location, on 1 acre of land, yet near the city, in a neighborhood they enjoy.

"We love where we are. It's a great neighborhood. You know, we've got a mixture. We have old people, and middle-aged people, and we've got a neighborhood baby now. We're happy about that," Sue said.

Sue, who moved around a lot as a child, also realized that she wasn't ready to uproot from the place where so many family memories had been made.

"My parents moved for one of the last times when I was in college. I hated the fact that I never had a place to come home to. And I didn't want to do that to my kids," she said. "It was important to me that we didn't pull up their home, even while they're still in college. They don't live at home, but they don't own their own homes."

The Reads decided to stay, but make a few changes. Their plan started with simply changing the knobs on their cabinets but in the end they hired Maney to remodel the entire kitchen, replacing flooring, cabinets, countertops and appliances.

"We made the decision that we would put money now into doing the things to make our home more aesthetically pleasing for us," Read said. "Everybody asked us, 'Are you doing this for resale or for yourselves?' Well, for ourselves."

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Instead of downsizing, Twin Cities baby boomers are remodeling their homes to stay longer - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Located on one of the most picturesque wooded settings in Hidden Valley Estates.

What: Gorgeous, custom-built home

Where: 13221 Hidden Valley Drive, Homer Glen

Amenities: This well-maintained home boasts four spacious bedrooms, a large main floor office/optional fifth bedroom and new roof (September 2018). There is granite, an island and stainless steel appliances in the spacious kitchen. Also, there are hardwood floors, a beautiful family room with custom fireplace (wood burning and gas starter), a lovely dining room with wainscoting, separate living room, upgraded master bath with separate shower and dual sinks and a large deck looking out to 100-year-old oak trees. Full, finished lookout basement with rec room, gym area and work area. Two hot water heaters (40 and 50 gallon), back-up sump pump. Quality built home by Riordan & Murphy, who also completed the bathroom and kitchen remodels. Three floors of living space. Conveniently located just minutes to schools, Interstate 355, Interstate 80, commuter train and more.

Listing Price:$475,000

Listing Agents:To view this property or for additional information, please contact Judy Glockler, the Glockler Group, at (708)-529-5839, judy@cbexchange.com, GlocklerGroup.com

Agent Brokerage:Coldwell Banker Residential

Originally posted here:
Home of the Week: 13221 Hidden Valley Drive - The Homer Horizon

Do you feel like homebuying preferenceschange like the weather? Youre not alone. Just askNino Sitchinava, an expert from Houzz. In less than a year from when she gave an in-depth, data-driven presentation at John Burns' 2019 Housing Design Summit, her team has already seen major changes in what people want to see in a home. With access to social media, homeowners are able to grab inspiration at the touch of a button, changing the speed at which trends come and go. One of the popularhome styles of recent years, the farmhouse, is on the decline. Modern contemporary is hot, and bold accent colors are making an appearance in what used to be stark white kitchens. But there is one trend Sitchinava says is going to last: Homeowners are spending big on remodels.

Builders can finally rely on data as well as opinion to make multi-million dollar design decisions, resulting in improved profitability.

At last years Housing Design Summit, the head of architecture at one of the largest builders in the country shared that consumer design preferences were changing more quickly than ever, attributing most of the reason to the Internet, and specifically Houzz and Pinterest. This was causing consternation for his salespeople, who were having to respond to customer requests for more up-to-date designs and materials.

Also at the Design Summit, Nino Sitchinava from Houzz laid out the most data-rich presentation of design trends I have ever seen. In this podcast episode, Nino shares an update on those trends, with one of the hot trends she mentioned last March already on the decline!

As a gift to you, here is a link to her presentation last March. Be sure to attend this year, where her teammate Liza Hausman will keynote.

Here are a few of Ninos insights from the podcast:

Read More and Listen to the Podcast

See more here:
How Have Home Design Trends Changed in Just One Year? - Professional Builder

By: BIGGBY COFFEE | 0Shares 17Reads

January 23, 2020 // Franchising.com // East Lansing, MI - Southeast BIGGBY COFFEE locations are excited to partner with the Novi Home Show for their 2020 show at Suburban Collection Showplace Friday, January 24Sunday, January 26.

With the snow falling and temperatures dropping, its the perfect time to think about cozying up your home! At the 2020 Novi Home Show, visitors will get the opportunity to experience the latest kitchen, bath, window, door, flooring, and cabinetry designs; attend design seminars; connect with Michigan crafters and businesses; and snag some good deals from ABC Warehouse, Big Georges, and Witbeck Home Appliance Mart. While strolling through the show, sip on a free hot BIGGBY coffee while you dream up your dream home.

All Southeast Michigan BIGGBY COFFEE locations have coupon discounts for the Home Show and are even giving away free tickets to the Home Show on their Facebook page at Southeast Michigan BIGGBY.

Not only will there be hundreds of exhibitors ready to talk siding, landscape, kitchen and bath remodels, waterproofing, and more, this year, Laurie Smith from TLCs Trading Spaces will be there giving insider design tips and tricks and talking the most popular trends today.

This is a longstanding popular event that many of our customers attend, Karissa Canfield, owner of BIGGBY COFFEE New Hudson said. We love an opportunity to get out in the community and are excited to meet our customers at the Novi Home Show.

For a $2 off coupon and a chance to win free entry to the Novi Home Show, stop by any Southeast Michigan BIGGBY COFFEE location and ask your barista how you can get involved!

BIGGBY COFFEE, East Lansing, Mich.-based, was started with a single store on March 15, 1995. One year later, and on the cusp of opening a second location, Bob Fish and Michael McFall, on a handshake and $4,000, decided to franchise the concept. BIGGBY COFFEEs cultural values of Make Friends, Have Fun, B Yourself, and Share Great Coffee help coffee-lovers and the coffee-curious alike benefit from a less pretentious and fun approach to the standard gourmet cafe paradigm. Besides connoisseur-worthy drinks with pronounceable names like Teddy Bear and Caramel Marvel, BIGGBY baristas provide a unique experience focused on brightening their customers day and supporting them in building a life they love. The Big B on the orange background caught on, and today BIGGBY COFFEE has more than 230 cafes across many states including Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Florida. In 2018, BIGGBY launched an Area Representative Program and currently has 8 Area Representatives in 6 states.

Nicholle Robertson517-294-3487press@biggby.com

SOURCE BIGGBY COFFE

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BIGGBY COFFEE Partners With The Novi Home Show - Franchising.com