Buyers and Sellers, take note! Renovation money spent wisely now can reap big rewards in the future. As agents, we feel really lucky when a house presents nicely and has had the benefit of a proper architect or designer. However, there are good renovations and there are bad renovations.
For want of a nail…
We once had a seller who fondly spoke of a napkin he had framed with the initial sketch from a builder who put an addition on his house. Builders should not be confused with architects. You get what you pay for. That’s not to say that all design/build firms are hopeless. But in this case, it didn’t work out so well. Other local homes with additions roughly the same size had reliably sold within a specific price range. This particular house was such an oddball that buyers didn’t know how to react, and it sold for a good 25% less than counterparts. That’s some serious money. For what might have run @ $5,000- $10,000 at the time of construction (in architectural fees), these sellers sacrificed close to $200,000 25-years later. For want of an architect, a fortune was lost.
Destroy Renovations
This is our term for “fixes” that sacrifice the charm of an original home. When solid wooden doors in a hundred-year old house are swapped for hollow Home Depot specials, or when original brass doorknobs and hinges are replaced with something shiny and cheap. You’ve seen the flips with plastic overhead fan/lights instead of the quaint lighting fixture that preceded it. Don’t get us started on the siding salesmen who, as kit house expert Rosemary Thornton likes to say, “had their way” with the exterior of an unsuspecting and taste-free homeowner’s abode. Examples are too numerous to cite, but maybe these photos will help illustrate our frustration.
There are, on the other hand, numerous examples of beautiful expansions, renovations and even modernizations that work respectfully and often lovingly with the original character of the house. This recent addition to a home in the Takoma Park Historic District, done by a local design/build firm for instance, showcases this very well. (Click on the picture below for a description of the project.)
We can help!
We don’t just sell houses. We’re also passionate about architectural integrity and historic preservation, namely of our city’s homes, and are available for consultations (free!) if you are trying to figure out what best to do (or avoid) when renovating or expanding your older home. We know what buyers are looking for and we know what sells. If you’re not sure that your home really needs an expensive X, Y or Z, we can certainly offer up an opinion.