Can you define what mid and high level mean to you? And what you’re renovating....

@Indecisiveness mainly concerned with kitchen and bathrooms. We are putting in hardwoods throughout and doing full interior painting but my biggest concern is kitchen and bathrooms. I want to get some nice Viking appliances because I love to cook and custom cabinetry but not sure if they’re a good investment for a home in an area where the max sale is just a little over 1 million.

@Sabrina Alfin Interiors thank you for the advice!

You're welcome!

As noted above, in 15-20 years most buyers will consider your kitchen and baths ready for a re-do. If Viking appliances and custom cabinets will make you happy, go for it!

None of us really knows when we'll sell. In the short term a good reno will make your house sell more quickly and add value, although less than the work costs.

@latifolia thanks, so basically don’t worry about resale costs unless I’m reselling pretty soon?

I agree with the above. Do a nice renovation for yourself to live in for 15 -20 years. As for Viking, they used to be great - no more. A great investment in a kitchen would be splurging for a Sub Zero fridge. Great for you, and they're great for resale. Look into other high end appliances other than Viking. Wolf, Thermador, Blue Star are all well known high end brands you will enjoy for many years.

Rarely do Houzzers suggest considering resale when you're looking to live there long term. If you had said you were selling in 5 years or so, the advice would differ. Please yourself and stay within your budget.

@Design Girl thank you for these suggestions, will absolutely look into them! Our counter depth French door Maytag fridge died only 1.5 years in and even after getting a new compressor installed under warranty, still freezes everything towards the back of the fridge so I wanted to splurge on some high end appliances in the new home.

@decoenthusiaste okay thank you!

You never want to be the most expensive home on the block because you'll never see the money back. Good quality certainly, but many of the "wants" that get added to a project as compared with "needs" never see a return.

Research appliances, in particular stoves. I went to the Boston showroom for Wolf to get an idea of how it actually works as they have a real kitchen and working appliances! (Sub-Zero too, part of Wolf). My last stove was Viking and I never liked it....10 years ago, maybe they’ve improved! The convection oven was jet engine loud and took 30 minutes to come to even temperature. I have Wolf now and love it! 10 minute oven preheat ....like it should be! I got a Best hood insert which I saw and heard in person at the showroom, and it has a custom vent cover. It works great. Just be sure to size it appropriately as it need to be slightly larger than the stove/cooktop that it is venting, then it will work properly. Do your homework and don’t just go with the appliance store recommendation....I feel that they sell what is on their push list.

Renovations almost always cost more than they add to the sale price of your home, but they also make your home function better and bring you joy. You will have the joy of looking at your new bathroom, kitchen or flooring for 20 years. You will have the joy of cooking on a wonderful stove for 20 years (or the life of the stove). You will have spent money for these things that cannot be spent again, so it can't go toward a vacation to Spain, to your child's education fund or toward a new car. Only you know your priorities and only you can determine the best way to allocate your spending.

@BeverlyFLADeziner what are some things that never recoup costs? I know things like well placed built-ins are nice, fireplaces, obviously any sort of layout work that improves the functionality of a room. But what about something like quartz countertops vs marble. Or custom cabinetry vs store bought Shaker cabinets. Or Cle Tiles vs just something bought at a local floor and tile store. Do those higher end finishes ever recoup costs?

@plf12652 thanks i will do some more research on Wolf (those red knobs!). And good to know about the appliance store.

And design changes over 7-10 years so changes have to happen!

15-20 years you'll be there? good heavens, renovate for you! like Sabrina said.

Things will change considerably. You don't have to put in gold toilets, but do put in quality materials with quality install.

My husband and I have done some very expensive remodels in our home. however, the cost to us is negligible because we do 90% of the work ourselves. the master bath/bedroom we did a few years ago, would have cost anyone else in the neighborhood over 100K. we spent 1/4 that amount.

But remember, you're the one living in it now. you remodel for you and what makes you happy, not what you think the next buyer wants, or what they'll pay for it!

life is short. you're not even guaranteed 20 years. Do what you want and spend what you want.

https://www.remodeling.hw.net/cost-vs-value/2020/