Where to Start with Renovations
I am the owner of a floor-through condo in Carroll Gardens. It’s a top floor unit and I’ve owned it for 11 years. I’m finally in a financial position where I can start to consider upgrading the place (it was built in the mid-1980’s and has the original bathrooms, kitchen, floors, etc. All of these…
I am the owner of a floor-through condo in Carroll Gardens. It’s a top floor unit and I’ve owned it for 11 years. I’m finally in a financial position where I can start to consider upgrading the place (it was built in the mid-1980’s and has the original bathrooms, kitchen, floors, etc. All of these were nice in the 1980’s but look a little tired and dated today.
The way I see it, there are 5 possible projects I can invest in, knowing that I see myself owning the place for at least 6 – 10 more years. I’m looking for advice on which order to do things and/or which project will hold the most value at resale.
A. Replace Master Bath off of larger bedroom. Con: The smallest square footage and the one that is least likely to be seen by friends/visitors. Pro: I’ll get the most use out of it.
B. The main bathroom: Pro: Friends will be impressed and construction will be the least disruptive to my day-today life. Con: It’s used mainly by the cats and the occasional guest.
C. Redo the kitchen: Pro: The cabinets are awful (I hate them), the stove and fridge are at least 20 years old. The countertop is beige formica. Con: We have an open-plan kitchen-livingroom and it will be hell to live through the work. And I could probably spend as much on the kitchen as I paid for the condo 11 years ago.
D. Install central air and get rid of three wall units. Pro: I have roof rights, so I have a place to put the compressor and the apartment has high ceilings, so ductwork won’t be a problem. Con: I don’t know anyone who has done this yet so I don’t know what I’m getting myself in to.
E. Invest in a roof deck. Pro: The roof is mine, I might as well use it. Con: Why should I think I want to sit on the roof now after 11 years in the apartment.
I’d be really grateful for any comments you have on where I should start. I’d love to do it all at once, but that’s not practical.
If you are interested in what resale value you will get you can go onto zillow.com and add in improvements and they will tell you approximately how much you will recoup in a sale ( i know this is available for houses not sure about condos) But is you are interested in what you would enjoy the most and you plan to stay there for a while it sounds like from your post that you are most interested in the master bath (although if the place was mine I would definitely go for the roof deck – but i am a sucker for outdoor space)
The kitchen! You hate the cabinets – even a completely cosmetic redo here (new fronts, or paint) would help, and new appliances, while expensive, would lower your monthly electrical bill if you buy EnergyStar.
Kitchen and master bath first. DO NOT install a clawfoot tub as the only shower. A regular tub/shower is OK but the sole clawfoot is too problematic for curtain/water control. A clawfoot tub with a separate shower stall would be great. Shower stalls with frameless glass enclosures plus a tub or whirlpool add the most to bathroom value; as do two sinks if there is space.
80’s kitchens look bad 20 years later only because most 80’s kitchens especially those in Brooklyn are very cheap laminate junk.
You can walk into a good quality kitchen dating back to the 1920’s (I had one in L.A.) and it still looks fabulous.
It is ALL about the quality. And taking care of it.
You’re living there another 10 years. Treat yourself to a new kitchen and enjoy it. Life’s too short to spend a decade in an old rundown kitchen waiting for resale! I’m actually laughing now.
Agree with 7:28- go for a classic renovation of the kitchen now rather than later. You may as well enjoy it for a few years before you sell.
Also, if you do a classic bathroom renovation (Victorian, typical white or black and white), it will not go out of style in ten years, after all it is Victorian…
Both kitchen and bath renovations are less expensive if you keep the original location of the fixtures.
Whatever you decide to do, enjoy your house.
Go with the DECK!!!! Summertime is coming and there is nothing better than bbqing on your own deck. You might find that having the option to be outside after work is a nice way to relax.
BBQ nut here – I just priced out decks for my place. Sketch and Hammer is about $38/sq foot. Decks R us in Staten Island quoted about $32/sq foot.
If deck is no good, redo the Master bath. A proper throne makes a man feel like a king!
If you plan on living there for another 10 years, the renovation you do now of the bathroom/kitchens might be dated/worn by the time you sell. It won’t be as old as the 80s kitchen and you’ll get 10 years of use of the space which will mitigate the cost but it won’t have the “wow’ of a new kitchen/bath.
So for resale, I’d say the roof deck is your best bet. Its like adding square footage.
But from a quality of life perspective, the kitchen probably has the biggest impact in terms of improvement and overall updated look.
you’ve owned the place for 11 years? take an equity loan and do the kitchen and both bathrooms.
have the entire place painted and re-do the floors.
buy some new furniture.
enjoy your beautiful new home.
I disagree with Left Hook. You don’t have children so there’s no reason there would be excessive wear and tear on your kitchen. Kitchen is the number one most important room to update. Plus you should do renovations you can enjoy. Don’t just think about resale when you plan to live in your place another 6-10 years. Choose quality materials that aren’t too trendy and it will still be a beautiful kitchen 6 to 10 years from now. If you’ve ever been inside a high-end kitchen that’s 10 years old you’ll see what I mean.
An all new master bathroom is more important than doing the guest bathroom. But you could still also update some things in the main bathroom without doing a total gut job in there. Scrape and replace all the grout around the old tiles which will refresh them, put in a new sink and new fixtures on the sink and shower, and install a new toilet.
I would not do a roof deck for resale value – only do it if you are dying to have one and you would use it and enjoy it yourself. Reason being is if you put it in now that IS something that would probably need replacing in ten years just because the roof might need new patching or something in ten years and everything would have to come up.