Are you thinking of making summertime improvements to your home? Depending on where you live, certain major improvements are worth doing in terms of adding value to your home, others just don't make it worth the expense.
Pools -- worth doing? An inground pool can add an average of 8% to the value of a home. However, that is only an average. Geographically speaking it all depends where you live as to whether it's worth investing between 25K and 50K and upwards for what is mainly a seasonal enjoyment. With any pool, it's not just the pool itself, but the patio/deck, electrical, chemicals and other upkeep/repair costs that come along with installing and owning a pool. An above ground pool is a cheaper alternative, but it can actually lower the value of your home by 1.9% if a potential buyer feels it needs to be taken down. Do your homework on this one!
Deck -- worth doing? YES! composite decking will recover 66% of it's value, wooding decking can recover 72.8% and generally costs about 5K less to do. If your home currently doesn't have a deck, this would be a good investment and will add to your outdoor enjoyment of your home.
Patio -- worth doing? YES! depending on the layout of your neighborhood, a patio may be more desireable than a deck. If you have a flat level lot, or a one level home, a patio will add outdoor living space and will create a very usable entertaining space. Depending on the material of choice, a patio can start for as little as $11 per square foot for brick. Other popular choices for patio materials are concrete and flagstone.
Outdoor kitchen -- worth doing? This major home improvement is very weather dependent and geographically speaking probably wouldn't make much sense in New England. However, for the discerning homeowner of a luxury property this option may be a must. An outdoor kitchen in the properly located home can return almost all of the investment costs.
Gazebos -- worth doing? YES! If you have the space a gazebo will create a lovely outdoor room to be enjoyed during the warm spring and summer evenings, while allowing you to experience the crisp fall air as well. Returns on this type of improvement are sketchy.
CENTURY 21 Travis Real Estate