Whether it’s something as simple (but surprisingly effective) as a new coat of paint or a big-time expansion of your square footage via a major addition, remodeling can make an existing home—even a historic one—seem downright new. And it’s a popular route to take: In 2023, 51% of U.S. homeowners spent $25,000 or more on home-renovation projects.
Indeed, as Kermit Baker noted in a 2021 article for the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University (JCHS), “spending on home improvements and repairs has grown to equal the size of the new residential construction market in recent years.”
At Visser Living, we offer both custom home building and top-quality remodels for customers throughout Southwest Michigan. Is a Kalamazoo home remodeling project right for you?
Why Remodel Your Home?
At the most fundamental level, remodeling boosts the value of your home. That’s true from a bare financial perspective, as when someone putting a house on the market pursues upgrades, enhancements, and/or additions to heighten both its attractiveness to prospective buyers and its asking price.
A large proportion of remodeling projects accompany the sale of a house for this reason. But a lot of remodeling takes place shortly on the heels of buying a house, too.
Bring Your Vision Into to Reality
Homeowners often remodel as they seek to alter the property they’re living in — whether it’s new to them or they’re long-time owners — to better match their wants and needs.
Those wants and needs, of course, can change over time, so remodeling is also the go-to tool for people intending to stay in their current homes for the long haul to modify them to fit new or future requirements and dreams. Whether it’s for a baby on the horizon or an aging parent or other relative moving in, you may wish to morph an existing room into a bedroom, or add an entire new wing. Maybe you’re planning to do more remote work, and wish to furnish a basement or convert a guestroom to create a home office. All of these changes can improve functionality and potentially add value to the home.
Go Green to Save Some Green
Perhaps you want to upgrade the energy efficiency of your home, or replace outdated fixtures, heating/cooling systems, or other components with more modern setups. Needed repairs—a leaky roof, a crumbling foundation, peeling exterior paint—are often the impetus for a more ambitious remodel. All of these sorts of goals suggest the benefits of remodeling when it comes to extracting more value, utility, energy efficiency, and enjoyment from your home.
Revitalize an Older Property For Years to Come
Remodeling is also essential as a practical means of extending the lifespan and usefulness of older properties. As Baker notes in the previously referenced JCHS article:
“[…] home improvement projects are the primary mechanism for adapting homes to changing household preferences and needs. As our population growth continues to slow and the average age of our stock of homes increases, the importance of the remodeling industry in meeting our national housing needs has become even more apparent.”
Common Remodeling Projects: Top Areas to Look For Value
We’ve hinted at some common remodeling scenarios already. In terms of specific areas of the home, kitchens, bathrooms, basements, roofs, heating/cooling systems, and outdoor areas (such as decks, patios, and landscaping) are high-ranking targets of remodeling.
A USA Today HOMEFRONT analysis that looked at such recent reports as the JCHS’s 2024 Q1 Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity, the 2022 National Association of Realtors Remodeling Impact Report, and the 2024 U.S. Houzz & Home Study suggests kitchens, guest bathrooms, primary bathrooms, and living rooms lead among the most renovated rooms.
And when it comes to home exteriors, the U.S. Houzz & Home Study showed roofing, windows and skylights, exterior paint, and gutters/downspouts were the most popular remodeling projects.
Speaking of outdoor spaces, remodeling in the form of adding decks, patios, gardens, gazebos, firepits, and attractive hardscaping is a way to enjoy the fresh-air side of your home more extensively—a great choice here in Southwest Michigan, where, if you ask us, our long summer days and lovely fall weather ought to be taken full advantage of!
Turn to Visser Living for Southwest Michigan Home Remodeling
Here at Visser Living, we’re not only leading Kalamazoo home builders: We’ve also undertaken countless home remodeling projects throughout Southwest Michigan for more than six decades.
Whether it’s increasing your home’s property value ahead of a sale, adapting it to changing household needs, or tackling overdue repairs and upgrades, look no further than our ultra-experienced team for the finest quality home remodeling in Michigan! Get in touch with us today, and let’s start dreaming and planning together.