11 Best Home Improvement Investments

Your home is your castle — take care of it! Learn 11 home improvement investments you can make to improve your home’s value and help you get more enjoyment out of your home.

 

Roof

Roof maintenance is one of the best home improvement investments you can make — especially if you’re considering selling your home in the near future. A new roof is a home renovation that can help potential buyers feel more confident about the condition of your property. Even if your home doesn’t need a new roof, proactive roof maintenance and repairs can help prevent costly damage and emergency repairs down the road.

 

How’s your roof doing?

The experts at Fivecoat Roofing are here to help. Get a free quote on any roof repair or maintenance project. Get started by contacting us online or calling (503) 537-0158 today!

 

Siding

Damaged siding is one of the leading causes of water damage, rot, and mold in Portland-area homes. Loose and cracked siding offers an easy way for water to enter your home. Unless repaired or replaced, this damage can become serious very quickly and require extensive home renovations. Today’s modern and high-tech siding options look great, are energy-efficient, and can drastically improve the value of your home.

 

Gutters & downspouts

Water is the enemy of your home.

Besides damaged roof and siding, gutters and downspouts along your home’s eaves are a major source of water damage. Gutters and downspouts can easily become clogged or even leak. Pooling water and drips can lead to cracks in your home’s foundation, water in the interior of the home, mold growth, and even pest infestations.

A great home improvement idea and investment is a new set of seamless gutters and gutter covers:

  • Seamless gutters don’t leak or sag
  • Gutter covers keep debris and junk out of your gutters and are very low maintenance

 

Landscape

One of the best home investments you can make isn’t in your home at all! Creating a beautiful landscape can improve your quality of life and add value to your home at the same time. When landscaping your yard, consider:

  • Garden space – This investment pays off season after season with fresh food for your family.
  • Xeriscaping and other low-water options – A great eco-friendly and low-maintenance approach to landscaping.
  • Trimmed and pruned trees – Get your trees inspected by a certified arborist to assess their health. Diseased trees can be dangerous and damage your home and property.

 

Outdoor living space

Once you’ve created a beautiful landscape, it’s time to enjoy it! Invest in an outdoor living space like a deck, patio, or pergola. Outdoor living spaces are great for entertaining, hosting parties, or even just enjoying on your own. An outdoor living space adds a ton of potential to how you can enjoy your home:

  • Fountains or other water features
  • Outdoor kitchens
  • Covered seating
  • Sound systems

 

Remodels

While a bigger investment, a home remodel provides a variety of benefits. For example, if you live in an older home, a remodel can create a more modern and open floor plan. Layouts can be rearranged and nearly anything is possible.

The most popular remodeling projects here in the Portland and Beaverton areas include:

  • Kitchen remodels – Cramped galley-style kitchens often don’t meet the needs of modern families. Your dream kitchen can greatly improve how you live in and enjoy your home.
  • Basement remodels – Unfinished basements, common in our area, are ripe for a remodel. A basement remodel can create finished space with unlimited possibilities. Home office or home theater anyone?!
  • Master suite remodels – Small bathrooms and tiny closets used to be the norm. But today they just don’t fit into our modern lifestyles. A master suite remodel gives you the space you need to rest, relax, and get ready to face the day.

 

Home addition

Sometimes a remodel just won’t get the job done. If you live in a small home, the next best thing might be to invest in a bigger home renovation project like an addition. When you add on to your home, you create the space you need to bring your dream home to life. Many homeowners add on to their homes to create extra bedroom space for new kids, add square footage to their kitchens, or to make their living rooms bigger.

 

ADU

Not all home additions are attached to your home. Here in the Portland area, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU’s) are really hot. ADU’s, also sometimes known as “tiny homes” are small standalone structures. Common uses of ADU’s include:

  • Mother-in-law apartments and guest suites
  • Airbnb units
  • Rental apartments

When it comes to home investments, an ADU can quickly generate cash flow and pay for itself.

 

Windows & doors

Old-fashioned windows and doors are among the leading causes of high utility bills in the Pacific Northwest. Older windows are drafty and much less energy efficient than those available today. Some estimates show replacing outdated windows and doors can reduce your home’s heating and cooling costs by up to $500 a year — or even more.

 

Solar panels

The Pacific Northwest is well known for dark and dreary winters. Most homeowners don’t realize our sunny summers can actually make solar panels a great investment. With solar panels you can reduce your home’s electric bill and even sell excess energy back to the utility company. You may even be eligible for tax credits, incentives, and rebates to reduce the initial out-of-pocket investment.

Tip: If you think you might be selling your home, DO NOT lease your solar panels. Instead buy solar panels outright. Leased solar panels often make selling your home tricky, as they may include a lien on your home by the owner of the panels.

 

Insulation/HVAC

Just like drafty windows and doors, old insulation and out-of-date HVAC systems are inefficient and costly. Modern insulation and heating/cooling systems are a great investment for your home. If your home doesn’t have A/C, it can be a worthwhile investment since our summers seem to be getting hotter every year.

 

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