A sweet reader named Kim wrote in recently and said:
…I love what you’ve done with your home, and the changes you guys have made. We are ready to make a few changes to our house. So here’s my question: What do you feel are the best investments over all? My husband and I are disagreeing over where a homeowner will see the most return in changes made. Any advice for spaces where we should start? Anything we should stay away from? I would love to hear your thoughts…
This is a tough question to answer, because we feel like the answer will be different for everyone based on their situation. Everyone’s set up in the world of homes is unique. What is the style of your home? The age? Where is it located and what is your market like?… just for starters. But today, we’re going to share our spaces that made the biggest difference for us, and a few of our favorite lessons learned from it all:
Where to invest in your home with no regrets.
1. Do it for you.
Our top favorite redo, has been our bathroom. It made a huge difference in the feel of our home, and we believe it added a lot. When beercanmoldpocalypse hit, we were completely overwhelmed by the monstrosity of it all. Sure, we could have restored it back to the very same thing, but once that tub and shower and {not exactly our fave} tile was coming out, we knew we were in the point of no return.
We got all creative, and stuff. And we have absolutely loved it.
We were asked to share our bathroom recently with a wider audience. Hint: it wasn’t one that usually focuses on interiors. The reception, in general, was good. But a few people came out of the woodwork with comments like, “I like the before better” and “that flooring looks like a gas station”. Yay nonexistent filters via passionate Facebook users with vague fuzzy cat photos as their profile pic!
Two thoughts:
1. Y’all be fancier than us Alabamians. Please show us your gas station, because we’ve been shopping at the wrong place.
2. We went for classic, with a twist. And I’ll take carrara marble tile, a seamless shower and clawfoot tub any day of the week over the before. The naysayers can keep their builders beige paradise bathroom.
Bless it.
My point? It’s not for everyone.
That being said, don’t make choices trying to please others. It’s an impossible task.
And we’re saying this now, even though it’s painful: Don’t make changes in hopes that you’ll actually get a return. Sometimes ya win, sometimes ya lose. It’s a great motivator, but don’t let it be your only motivator.
Do it, first and foremost, for you. Not your grandmother, not your mother in law, not your neighbor, not the future owners of your house or the randos that shop at some fancy shmancy gas stations. You.
We’re a standing testament to that.
Our home has been for sale for a few months now. Because of where we live, this is pretty average. It’s already listed well below value, and the people who buy our home will get an absolute steal off of all our elbow grease. If we’re honest, that stings a little. But it’s just the nature of the beast when it comes to real estate and all things location. It all comes down to the market you live in. You never know what it’s going to do. It’s unpredictable.
So make changes for you because you want them. Don’t update things just because you’re putting your home on the market. Enjoy them while you have them. If you get a return, then it’s an added bonus. In the meantime, at least you were able to make changes that you love.
It’s important to think about wise investments. We are all for them. But if you make choices based first and foremost on what you want, you’ll never regret the outcome. Enjoy your home while it’s yours.
2. Allow yourself to make small, gradual changes
As you can see, dark laminate cabinets and builders beige were kind of a thing in our house. And improving our kitchen was one of the first changes we made.
But it was step by step: We started by painting our island. And then when we decided we liked that, we went with a new backsplash and took some doors off. We added a new sink. Sometimes, it can be things like paint, without ripping something out entirely, that can make a big difference.
Next, we installed some new lights {down with the fluorescent!} and we fell in love with our kitchen.
It wasn’t until a few years later that we came back, and changed out the island countertop, along with gutting out that pantry for fresh, wood shelving.
Taking it slow can show you what you really need to make as far as changes in your home vs what you want to make – to make sure they both line up for the best possible outcome. It can be easy to make bad calls and spend major amounts of moolah when you feel rushed.
Slowing it down, and making gradual, small changes may be all that you need. And great revamps don’t always call for huge overhauls.
We live in a microwave generation, and I think there’s a lot to be said for taking it slow. You can stretch that budget further and smarter when it’s not a total upheaval all at once.
Changes like that can make a great impact for realistic upgrades.
Our hallway bathroom is another example: Something we didn’t change much on. But a little paint went a long way.
3. Working hard
You may be noticing a common theme here, but the changes that we feel made the biggest impact to our home, were spaces that also work the hardest.
From the kitchen to the bathrooms and the laundry room- it was the changes in these spaces that made the biggest difference for us. And we enjoyed them more, because of that.
It can be hard to pick a good place to start, when it feels like the entire home needs an overhaul. But the high functioning spaces, and the ones we spend the most time in, are the ones that have made the biggest difference.
On a long list of to-dos and the potentially overwhelming process of fixing up a home, these have been the game changer for us.
We hope this helps give a little perspective on things we’ve enjoyed the most when it comes to our home. Just a few things to consider before diving into the process… You won’t regret those changes!
What are some things you’ve considered when trying to pick where to start? Some areas that have made the biggest impact for you and your home? We’d love to hear your tips!
Jill Williams says
For the longest time I have gone so far as to put all of our rooms on little pieces of paper and draw out which room to work on first. Guess what? I never get to any of it. We’re so littered with clutter that I can’t make that look good no matter how hard I try (or don’t). I think either the master bedroom, bathrooms, or kitchen are definitely the best places to start. I love your slower process. That’s definitely something to consider. Most of us want it right now, but taking time to do things right is infinitely better. Thanks for always keeping us giggling and showing us the beauty you see in life.
ashley @ the handmade home says
Awe thanks so much Jill. And amen to taking your time. You’ll figure it out!
Angela Richardson says
OMG I’m dying! Gas station bathroom? Seriously? And I’m pretty sure the person who liked the before better is the actual Builder that started builders beige!
Jessica says
I cannot imagine liking the before bath over the after. That’s crazy talk! And comparison to a gas station. I hope it didn’t sting too much, because that’s a plain silly comparison. On another note, can you source the orange bag hanging in the laundry? I may be in love.
ashley @ the handmade home says
Right?! No, after some time, you just laugh at people and what they say. I’m a duck. ;} It’s part of the gig. We were humored, to say the least ;} The bag is Kelly Moore. I own two and love them. They’re camera and laptop bags, so that’s what I use mine for, but you could definitely use it as just a bag. They’re great! http://kellymoorebag.com
Beth Miller says
We just finished a master bath reno. I took your advice and did what I wanted so we could enjoy it! We had a single sink with room for two but chose to stick with a single sink bc I love the counter space and didn’t want another sink to clean. I don’t care about future buyers bc they don’t live here yet! It’s white and bright, and I love it!
ashley @ the handmade home says
LOVE it, Beth! You Go girl! Get on with your bad one-sink-white-bathroom-self! ;}
Teri says
I just redid my bathroom with marble and I love it. It is classic. So is yours. Gas station, my a$$. Anyway, I thought I would mention that you might want to remove the dark gray bath mat when you shoot photos – at first glance, I thought it was a puddle of water!
Sheila says
I LOVE it! I love your bathroom NOW! Beautiful. I also love your stance on the snarky comments. I’m with you 100%! (and I can’t believe anyone actually liked the “before” better)… Oh well, like you said!! (no fuzzy cat pics here)! Ha
Kris says
Your bathroom is gorgeous and your advice is spot-on. I would add … do the practical, boring renovations first. The walls behind our shower were crumbling so we had to address that long before I was able to renovate our kitchen (which was a long-held dream of mine). It may seem like obvious advice, but I am amazed at the number of people I know who change cosmetic details before addressing structural problems. LOVE your advice about making changes for you, not for “the market”. Design styles change constantly and it’s impossible to keep up.
Yvonne M Chavez says
I love everything you’ve done, and I absolutely agree that’s it’s better to go a little slower and have fun with the process. And for sure …make the people who live in the house happy with the decor decisions. I really enjoyed this post Thanks
Elisabeth says
Lol that must be one fancy gas station!! And legit no one really loves builder beige. They are lying!! 😉 Also I really love that you emphasize just going for it and doing it for yourself. I read a lot of blogs about decor/home stuff and it drives me bonkers to see so many comments about “I am not doing anything yet bc I don’t have my dream house” or “Wait to do anything until you OWN”. I live in a rented apartment (owned by property management company and therefore no structure changes at all). However I am certainly not going to refuse to do anything nice to the decor just bc of that! Lord knows when I will finally be able to afford to buy something and I am sure not going to live in more ugly than I have to until then! Though admittedly those white laminate/wood-edged cabinets are pretty atrocious but I gottat pretty up the rest to make up for them! Uhhh…apparently I feel strongly about this! 🙂
ashley @ the handmade home says
I couldn’t agree more! PREACH! ;}