Making improvements and upgrades to your home can be a make-it-or-break-it undertaking. Some improvements can be far too personalized and actually detract from your home’s overall value. Cheap upgrades have a similar long-term negative impact. Other upgrades, while expensive, can greatly increase the value of your home while also offering you the aesthetic or practical benefits you desire. In today’s post, we feature three luxurious upgrades to consider for your next remodel.
Metal Roof
Metal roofs are fairly popular in Fremont County, and for good reason. The long, harsh winters, the long, hot days of summer, and the abundance of wind make for an environment that can be unfriendly to traditional shingle roofs. Having shingles that warp, crack, or blow away in the wind leads some homeowners to take the plunge into metal roofing. Although metal roofing is more expensive – depending on the product it could be upwards of 25-50% more expensive than asphalt shingles – it lasts much longer. Metal roofs typically have a 50-year rated lifespan, compared to 15-20 years for traditional asphalt roofing.
The long-term value of a metal roof is also much higher than an asphalt shingle roof, with metal products increasing a home’s value by 1-6% more than an asphalt roof replacement. About 86% of the cost of a metal roof is recouped over the lifetime of the material, compared to just 63% for an asphalt shingle roof. So while the upfront costs are more expensive, in the long run, metal roofing provides more bang for your buck.
Radiant Heat Flooring
Who doesn’t want warm feet during our Wyoming winters?! Radiant floor heating has grown in popularity over the last few years and is becoming less and less a luxury and more of a must-have in new home construction. If you’re thinking of remodeling your bathroom, seriously consider adding underfloor heating to the list of to-dos. The cost of installing radiant floor heating will vary depending on a number of factors, including the size of the room, the type of flooring, and the size of the tubing used. But homeowners can expect to spend anywhere from $0.85 to upwards of $1.50 per square foot to have toasty toes. However, in bathrooms, where the square footage is pretty small, radiant floor heating can be a nice luxury without an enormous added expense. An additional bonus of underfloor heating is that it is extremely energy efficient, so you’ll save a little bit each month on your heating bills.
Solar Panels
The old, clunky, and ugly solar panels of the 1980s are no more. Today’s solar panels are easily integrated into roofing, siding, and even windows, making the photovoltaic cells much less unattractive. Like other items we’ve listed here, there is a significant upfront expense associated with going solar. The cost of installing a system in Wyoming is estimated at just over $29,000. However, the federal government offers a tax break of 30% of qualified expenditures for solar systems, which helps reduce the initial pain to your checkbook. The long-term financial benefits are there as well: it is estimated that on average, homeowners in Wyoming can save nearly $60 per month on their utility bills by installing a solar system. The savings over 20 years adds up to more than $13,500 in utility costs. And don’t forget the added value of your home either. Research shows that solar systems can add nearly 4% to a home’s sale price.
Conclusion
Making upgrades to your home is a good idea, so long as those upgrades are done with quality products that add value to your home. The remodeling ideas we’ve listed here may be costly, but the added value in the long-term make them excellent choices. If you want to remodel your home but aren’t sure what features would make the most sense, give Wind River Realty a call at 856-3999! Our agents are always happy to help!
Image Credits:
New Roof by madjalapeno via Flickr Creative Commons
Zero Energy House – Front View by Sarah via Flickr Creative Commons