Top remodeling project? Bathrooms over kitchens

Bathrooms have overtaken kitchens for the top spot on homeowners’ remodeling projects.

According to the National Association of Home Builders, in honor of National Home Remodeling Month this month, a recent survey showed that remodelers reported that bathroom remodels were the most common project at 81 percent in 2017. Kitchen remodeling was second in 78 percent. A whole housing remodeling was at 49 percent, followed by room additions at 37 percent. Thirty percent reported window and door replacements.

Remodeling Magazine found in the 2018 Cost Vs. Value Report that in the Middle Atlantic region, which includes Pennsylvania, mid-range bathroom remodels cost, on average, $20,276, with a resale value of $12,189, or 59 percent. Upscale bathroom remodels cost, on average, $64,440, with a resale value of $33,392, or only 50.9 percent of the cost recouped. A mid-range major kitchen remodel recoups 52.6 percent of its cost, at $65,651 and $34,737, while an upscale major kitchen remodel costs, on average, $129,466 , and only recoups $63,797 , or 48.9 percent, making a mid-range bathroom remodel the most affordable and most economically conscious remodeling project of the four.

“Small-scale renovations are slowly becoming just as popular as large-scale projects, as seen with bathroom remodeling becoming more common than kitchens,” said 2018 NAHB Remodelers Chair Joanne Theunissen, CPG, CGR. “Homeowners are finding cost-effective and shorter-time frame upgrades can also add comfort and value to their homes.”

The survey also found a stronger desire among homeowners for green projects, like low-emissivity windows, programmable thermostats and high-efficiency HVAC systems, which were among the top demands from homeowners.