When it comes to home renovations, homeowners fall into two categories.
“This renovation is for me and my family”
“This renovation is for me and the resale of the home”
Disclaimer: this post is for homeowners not “home investors” of any kind. I’ll just slightly touch on the insanity of house flipping because it hurts my heart too much. If your goal is to make as much money as possible on your home sale while loading the next buyers up with endless maintenance and repairs, than you should close this window right now. If you goal is to make a living flipping houses than you should really stick to your day job.
Let me start by noting that our company provides ‘forever home renovations’. We’re not interested in renovating a home just to increase resale value. or keep up with design trends-and our clients aren’t either. They don’t particularly care about how much more value a kitchen renovation will provide them when they go to sell their home (even though it’s quite a bit!) because the renovation is a gift to themselves, something personal and special. They want an emotional connection to their sanctuary, with improved function and style, not to keep with the Jone’s or make a quick buck.
In this country and in Vancouver especially, houses are treated like commodities WAY more than they should be. A home isn’t a stock portfolio, and if you start treating your house like one, the results will be less than desirable.
When a home is renovated by someone who cares about the way they live in the home, it takes on a beauty that is indescribable compared to a renovation for the sake of making a profit. Homes renovated for families are warm, private, comfortable and have special details that make you feel happy to be there. If you’ve ever toured through a show home you know exactly what I mean. And if you don’t, you should probably binge watch the first season of Arrested Development this weekend.
Renovations are a gift to yourself and your family and you should look for a contractor that feels the same way. As soon as a franchise type contractor tries to put your project in a box or starts recommending how you should live in your home, it’s time to run. A good remodeling contractor will ask questions about your day to day life, about comfort, long term maintenance and your day to day life before recommending anything.
Final thought: When you’re starting down the path of renovating your home, or even tackling a small project remember this:
Trends come and go, but your preferences will always be timeless.
