We just gutted our bathroom which is smaller than yours and did a complete re-do. Once a new vanity with new granite is installed and with new tile using the Schluter system and Ditra with new walk-in shower, the cost will be about $17,000. I think a completely new lighting system would do a lot for your bathroom.

Take it from someone who is about to lose her a$$ on a resale — don’t touch that bathroom. New lighting, yes. We, too, had perfection standards. We redid the house of our dreams. Now we have to sell to move nearer my mother. Yes, I could have lived with the bathroom by just removing wallpaper and painting. The kitchen wasn’t great, but it was fine. If you will be there less than 5 years, leave it. Otherwise, you might as well drop a few thousand dollar bills in the sink and set it on fire. I don’t love your bathroom, but I have seen uglier “after” bathrooms in some Houzz pics.

Well. Have at it hon. Just don't whine when you DO go to the next home, and it needs as much or more work, and you don't have the resources.

Three years in prison is an eternity. Three years with that bath is not. If it is to you, you have your answer. Kaching.

Is that aqua wall a new paint option? i think the current cream colors work well together but you could lighten the wall paint to something the color of the backsplash or lighter.

You haven't posted a picture of the kitchen but if it resembles the bathroom, I doubt you would see any return on $30,000 spent to remodel it.

Add an additional $20,000 or more for remodeling the bathroom if you change the shower.

The rooms are not your taste but objectively anything you do would probably just reflect your taste rather than be a significant upgrade to a prospective seller. Your bathroom is certainly "livable" to the majority of prospective buyers especially in a slow market when price is going to be determinative. And who is to say that your "taste" is someone else's taste - while I don't particularly care for brown granite, I also don't care for the ubiquitous white subway tiles.

I understand that you are tired of moving into homes that aren't exactly to your taste - put any money you might spend on remodeling into an account and when you move into a home that you plan to live in for the foreseeable future, use that money to remodel into the home of your dreams.

Keep the granite. If you're only going to be there 3 years make your design decisions to go with granite. Never heard of anyone replacing granite with laminate. Maybe in Bizarro World. Think smart, not emotional.

You’re already losing money on the changes. Go ahead and spend the rest of the 15-20K to really redo this and make it to your current 2015 gray black and white already fading in popularity taste. When 2022 rolls around and 2015 is very well in the rear view mirror, and you’re out that 15-20K with zero increase in home value? Perhaps that lesson will stick with you. There’s no lesson like an expensive personal mistake if you can’t learn from the good advice or the mistakes of others.

Or maybe, for you, the personal pleasure that an “updated” 15-20K bath gives you is more important than the new car, or a semester of college for an offspring? Everyone is different, with different budget thresholds.

When YOUR home increases in value, so too does the price of the next house, generally. If "you're good" on all the other important stuff, have at the kitchen and the baths to your taste and resources. You asked a question and you got answers based on it. There you go, right? The pluses and minuses of military careers: more people and places........less permanence and more moves. Is what it is .

GreenDesigns - Given the colour of the cabinets currently, we figured black would be an easy colour to do. It's not my first choice, but it would save us from completely replacing the cabinets. The photos above are EXAMPLES, and so is the white subway tile I mentioned. Given that this is going to be a resale, we thought doing something generic would be appealing to a wider audience of buyers, especially when we are in a small community where most homes are not updated, and the style here is very behind-the-times. The example black and white photos I posted above are apparently considered "really nice" to people in this area, despite being very 2015 according to you. If you have suggestions of other colour options for the vanity cabinets, I am all ears GreenDesigns. Feel free to post tile suggestions also. Almost anything other than the brown would make me happy.

We are trying to find a balance between what we would do (if we stayed here forever) vs. what will be appealing for resale and what we can live with. It looks like we will be replacing the countertops with quartz as suggested above. Fortunately, my husband is able to tile so this bathroom won't cost us nearly as much as if we had to hire out all of the work, and we have a plumber friend. There's no way we would spend $20k on a bathroom when we will be selling in a couple years.

To say that your home will increase in value does not reflect what the validity of an economic decision to remodel.

Given that the kitchen and bathroom - at least as shown in the pictures - is entirely within the realm of what most prospective homebuyers would be fine with - any remodeling is not going to increase the price of the home versus what rising property values in the neighborhood would have done - there would be no return of investment based on money invested because those rooms are already acceptable and within the norms of the neighborhood.

Now if the money is completely discretionary, go at it because it's a life style choice and how someone spends discretionary income is personal. But between the time frame for actually remodeling - between planning and executing - how long would you actually get to enjoy the new stuff?

For me, if I had a lifestyle where I moved every three years, I would just look upon the homes as quasi-rentals and wouldn't improve them anymore than I would a rental. As others have posted, I would either save the money for my dream remodel in a more permanent abode or spend the money on stuff that can be moved that is either beautiful or functional - I love my expensive mattress and adjustable bed :-).

At some point, I would imagine, you will settle down and how nice it would be to be able to remodel your long term home without having a strict budget so that you would be able to splurge on stuff.

jbtanyaderi Haha yeah, kind of feeling that way! But it's hard to come home everyday to a space you don't enjoy :(

Helen - thank you for your thoughtful and helpful comments. We have made significant income over the last 4 houses we have remodelled, so far we've never lost money, and are in a good position financially. This move was supposed to be a new build - but the interim rental options were pretty terrible, so we opted to find another home to renovate. It is difficult not to make changes to the homes we've lived in - a few years feels like a long time to us. We have begun investing in furniture like you said, and my husband is almost finished his "toy" collection (boats, snowmobiles, etc.)! The rest of the house is just going to be painted, new molding and doors. We just had the electrical work done. The flooring will stay as is. So we just have the kitchen and bathroom to contend with. Will post kitchen photos.

I don’t like the floors or the white appliances but overall, nice cabinets.

I just want to validate your opinions about the current bathroom ... i love your inspiration photo! we remodeled a few years ago and the bathroom now has black vanity, dark charcoal floors, white counter white bath white tile (sort of larger rectangles with a slight ripple surface)... it feels so fresh! BUT the black vanity and dark floor show everything... always needs upkeep on the cleaning.

I agree brown beige tan feels almost oppressive, and I don't like it for a bathroom. I hope you can find a better paint color! I did like the before mirrors but not the before sconces

I think new paint, shower curtain, and backsplash would give a decent facelift. I suggest just adding white an a pale greenish blue.

We just bought a house with a kitchen that has ugly everything but it's all in good shape and is granite, tile, decent cabinets etc. Hopefully I will just get used to it after we move in but it's so brown and pink and the opposite of what I actually like.

I think your new kitchen doesn't look too bad, it reads fairly neutral and the cabinets are pretty. The oak doesn't scream dated at all and the dark floors really ground the space! You could change out the backsplash and hardware but the rest seems fine to me.

Good luck, take your realtor's advice.

Your existing kitchen cabinets are beautiful. I would not paint them. The white appliances are a little jarring.

What is the kitchen flooring? Stone, ceramic tile, or something else? It's the real attention getter in the kitchen. The cabinets are nice looking.

@Tb I am just curious if any of your military colleagues do RV living. There are some luxury models out there like Pleasant-Way and Leisure (built on a Mercedes-Benz chassis) that are popular for full-time RV living, so you could spend time off work at a nearby lake house or other vacation home. I did something like this for about 3 years and have seriously considered going back to it. Probably not an option if you have kids or pets.

If you've flipped houses consistently at a profit you obviously already know what you're doing. Sounds like you could find the budget easily for new quartz and then do the rest yourselves.

Consider new doors for the kitchen and then painting the built-in boxes to match. You might be surprised that it could save a lot of work and possibly break even financially.

If you're open to other colors than black, it looks like your existing dark bathroom cabinets could possibly work as-is if you put other elements in to lift up the design to a place where you are happy with it.

A new build for a three or four year stay in a "not on fire market". ................You know when I'd do that ? This side of never: ) It takes OVER a year to plan and build a great house.

When I'd spend a nickel painting those cabinets? Same thing. In fact, I wouldn't change the tops. I'd get a new backsplash, new appliances in stainless, change the hardware, paint etc,. Why? It's the typical breakfast and peninsula layout of decades ago. And without a knockdown of walls it will still BE that.

Nobody can tell you how to spend your money. I will tell you that what seems like a veritable ton of money at thirty five or forty, seems less so at sixty. ........all too often.

uhhhhhhh. Drywall patching...please. No covering holes with bigger mirrors: ) Good grief.

apple_pie_order the kitchen flooring is tile, I don't love it, but it's okay for now.

Inspo Inspo not that I know of. Lots of people we know have RVs or vacation homes etc., we actually are (slowly) renovating our Airstream, but usually we jet off somewhere for our vacations. Love the idea though - would be amazing to live out of our Airstream instead of buying and selling so often, though it's too cold in Ontario to do so! Most of our friends just buy at each location. YES! That's what I was thinking for the cabinets, also thought of taking the cabinets down near the window/stove area and putting up shelving, undecided though. I'd ultimately just like to change the layout which would involve having to change the countertops. We will see though, I hate the kitchen countertops less than the bathroom one. I am really driving myself nuts going back and forth with everything.

I really appreciate everyone's feedback!

JAN MOYER - the build was going to be at a different location where the homes were selling for $100k more than people had paid to build, and it was waterfront. But that was a different area than where we ended up buying. I'm not sure where you live, but at our last location, people are building and making a profit selling after 2 years. Of course we are going to patch the drywall, haha! The dry waller hasn't been here yet. I don't think people are reading the comments with my photos, this home is under renovation right now. It's kind of blowing my mind that people say don't do any renovations if you are moving in 3 years, we've never had an issue, we watch the market carefully. And AGAIN, our agent didn't say don't do renos, she said just watch the budget.

First while you've made money on all your resales, that doesn't mean you'll continue to do so. Even now there are signs the market is starting to slow down. You certainly don't want to be behind the 8 ball. I could see redoing IF your cabinets and everything else were outdated, etc, but they are not. They are just not to your current taste.

Please do NOT paint those beautiful kitchen cabinets. People pay a premium for oak cabinets in such good condition. Not only that, but oak cabinets are coming back in style. Probably the only thing I would do with your kitchen is paint the walls, replace the backsplash and eventually replace the white appliances with stainless, because the white sticks out like a sore thumb.

Note that painting cabinets, unless you pay for a professional $6000 job will never look as good as what you have.

As for the bathroom, if you want, paint the cabinets black but keep the stone. It will appeal to a large number of buyers with the other changes you're making. Don't waste your money on quartz.

I know how frustrating it is to not live in your dream house but eventually you and your hubby will most likely settle down in one area and be able to buy or build your dream house. Invest your money for that day. Trust me when I say it will come sooner than you think and then you'll be able to do whatever you choose without having to worry about resale.

If your house were a disaster, I would agree that you should fix, but most people would consider what you have as the redone look. Add color with fabrics, rugs, walls etc. Things that are removable and/or easy to change. Be very creative to achieve somewhat of the look you like.

I don’t think people are saying “don’t do any renovations if you are moving in 3 years” - they are saying extensive renovations aren’t worth doing in your case because your bathroom and kitchen are appealing to most buyers ”as is” (with perhaps some minor cosmetic changes and updates). Renovations can absolutely be worth doing if they are smart renovations.

I agree with the majority above: don't make big changes for a short-term house.

In addition, consider the environmental aspect. You're talking about changing out a natural stone product just for looks.

"we actually are (slowly) renovating our Airstream, but usually we jet off somewhere for our vacations".

"We have begun investing in furniture like you said, and my husband is almost finished his "toy" collection, (boats, snowmobiles, etc.)! "

Which makes me wonder.......... why are we talking about it? : ) Seems rather a non issue of have what you like and have at it. Why was laminate ever EVEN a blip on the screen?

I personally don’t see anything wrong with the bathroom granite or the kitchen granite.

I think once you paint or refinish the bathroom cabinets in a lighter color that compliments the granite - you will like them more (or at least hate them less). The taupey brown and cream are neutrals and I agree with melle_sacto that a pale greenish blue and some crisp white would compliment what you have going on.

Also, one big mirror would have a nice, clean and contemporary look.

The kitchen cabinets are nice. I agree that updating the backsplash and appliances is all this kitchen really needs. There are so many beautiful choices for backsplash. You’ll need to keep it light with the dark floors and granite. A light marble with some darker veining would be one nice option - either tiles or a solid slab.

Good Luck! Post pics:)

Jan laminate was asked because I felt like asking. I wanted to do quartz or granite, but also thought it was worth asking what people thought.

Tb - I do think your home as is will be appealing to a buyer. My condo was as well but I hated it! I am in the middle of a complete reno. I hated coming home to a place I didn’t love. I know the remodel is increasing the value of my home tons. I am in the minority that thinks renovations increase the value of your home. If I have beautiful finishes, new appliances etc and my neighbor does not. My home will sell faster and for more. I have a perfect example that I used in another post and got slammed for it but the truth is the truth. Within the same week, in my building a beautiful high end freshly renovated 1/1 on the second floor sold for $100k more that a 2/2 original top floor unit. Nobody believed me so I posted the sale price and date from Zillow and still ridiculous people said updates dont matter!! Now that Ive done some updates with exactly what I wanted, I love being in my beautiful home. I know I have increased the value of my home way more than I’ve spent. Life is too short to come home and hate your house!

@Tb I just wanted to say as a perspective to all the laminate comments - and yes, I did see you've decided against it - that there really are some beautiful laminate options out there, in particular the new Wilsonart Soft Silk series that has been out since early 2018. There are even formed edgings now to mimic real granite which make it difficult at first glance to even see if the surface is real stone or not. The problem comes in with sink type, as laminate requires a drop-in sink which consigns you to older styles of sinks. Compounding that is the fact that by the time you pay for fabrication of a laminate countertop, you are approaching low-end granite in price. Granite has come down in price over the years so that now it is at a commodity pricing. Even granite is considered an outdated surface by some standards, though it is still preferred for longevity and heat resistance over quartz. Quartz is the countertop material of the moment, and you won't go wrong with resale value upgrading to a quartz top. My recommendation is to find a fabricator with a scrap piece that is large enough for your area, as you'll save a lot of money getting a scrap over cutting a new slab unless you use the same slab for both bathroom and kitchen. Final comment on laminate, with the rise of granite becoming commercially available in the last couple of decades and the overall move to solid surfaces for countertops in general, laminate is no longer considered a modern material. The few uses where I would personally consider it appropriate would be for a low-value home where someone wanted a do-it-yourself top and didn't mind a drop-in sink.

Thank you so much for your family’s service! I have never thought about how moving all the time would affect a military family’s ability to invest the time and money into a home to make it the style they really want. I can understand why you would want to stop waiting for the next move to get the home you want!

The problem here, as mentioned at length above, is just that it’s hard to justify these expensive changes if you’re going to be moving so soon considering this these finishes are as likely to appeal to a future buyer as what you are planning to change them to.

Your ideas are great! But other than painting to freshen the space and new appliances and a new backsplash in the kitchen (think fire clay), I would skip changing anything else.

Thanks again and good luck!