Home Upgrades People Regret the MOST in 2025
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
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Before you dive into that Pinterest-worthy renovation, watch this video. We're covering 7 home upgrades people regret the most, ranked from least to most expensive. Some of these upgrades may look great on the surface, but they could drain your wallet, hurt resale value, or turn into high-maintenance headaches.
Discover why luxury appliances, spa bathtubs, and even that trendy concrete countertop may not be worth the hype. And stick around for the last upgrade-it’s one of the most expensive mistakes, and it can seriously hurt your home’s value.
Get practical tips for smarter decisions and avoid common renovation mistakes.
Share your renovation regrets in the comments to help out your fellow interior design lovers!
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My dad owned a home construction company. He saw so many people who never used their spa tub, he would counsel his clients to not put them in. I lived in another state and bought a home with the spa tub in the primary bath. A few years later, I removed the tub and installed a luxury shower in its place. LOVE my shower!
The house we bought, same thing. We are older and a spa tub is useless. We do LOVE the spa shower!!
We love our spa tub and use it all the time . Great for aches and pains. Added a hand held tap. We also have a separate shower. People don’t know that it uses a lot of hot water. You need a larger hot water tank, which costs more. We don’t need a hot tub outside as the tub holds two people. Easier to clean and maintain.
I love my spa tub.
My sister spent over 6k for a soaking tub 4 years ago and still has never used it!
@mamalovesthebeach437 oh goodness! I take a hot bath almost every night lol. It's my me time.
I had quartz countertops installed 20 yrs ago when I had a complete remodel. It is made by Silestone and several manufacturers are now making them. I have been so pleased…they continue to appear new. This material is heatproof, stainproof and will not absorb anything making it the most sanitary to place food on.
I'm so glad to hear that. I just had some installed
Absolutely,my Wife was adamant about quartz being the counter tops. Easy to clean,and don’t stain.
I have 4 bedrooms house. I use one of my bedrooms as a walk-in closet. I bought a store closet system, a 4 way clothing rack, and kept the original closet. I did not remove any walls or changed the room in any way. It meets my needs and will be a bedroom again if and when I sell my house.
Wow, you must have a huge wardrobe. Hubby and I share one small closet!
You are living my dream
I use one of my 4 bedrooms as a dressing room. My husband works nights and I work days. I can't get ready in the dark so my dressing room contains all of my clothes, shoes, makeup and accessories.
Me too! I told my fiancée let me have the smallest bedroom, to make my "dressing room," because I will use it everyday, otherwise it just stayed empty gathering dust. We have no grandchildren or extended family who would ever use it and there is still the bigger bedroom for the rare guest use.
@@soulsister2410 very sensible idea to do and easy to change should you decide to sell. A lot of people do that.
1. Plastering over the fireplace
2. Concrete counter tops
3. Converting a bedroom into a walk-in closet
4. Luxury bathtub/jet tub
5. High end appliances
6. Converting garage
7. Pool
THANK YOU. I have too much more to learn than to commit to another 22 minutes on padded videos.
@Bearwithme560 You are very welcome.
1. I love my stone fireplace facade! I recently visited a very high end house where they put a thin whitewash on their stone facade. It was sooooo ugly!!!!
@suran396 Guilty! My fireplace was built with very ugly, dark natural stone (I live in the mountains and they picked the ugliest stones they could find😕). It looked like a dark, ugly mudhut. I whitewashed it with off white paint. It's still ugly! In fact it's hideous! But at least it isn't dark and depressing anymore. 😂 That's the only high point of that monstrosity.
@@TaurusMoon-hu3pd LOL! Well, my whole family was looking closely at our fireplace after I shared this video with them. I got to thinking....could it be painted to resemble the natural stone but just in hues more appealing to you?
This assumes, of course that the whitewash can be removed or incorporated into the design. I was just thinking that with several colors and some skill it could still look natural but give a person the lighter or darker (or redder or greener or bluer) hues that appeal to them.
When I redid my son's bedroom, I put faux stone panels on the "outside" wall (which I would not do again because.....seams....) and the seams between each panel were visible no matter how hard we squashed them together.
I took spackling and covered the seams and then painstakingly painted the spackling to match the rest of it. It took a few tries to get the color shades just right, but it worked!
Another design choice that I’ve heard doesn’t always stand the test of time is open shelving in the kitchen. It can be beautiful, but adds to the regular cleaning workload because over time the shelves and everything on it gets grimy unless cleaned regularly. Love the look…hate the added workload!
I've heard the same thing. Plus, the dust was the concern for us
I have cats, open shelves would be a problem! 😂
Yes! Thank you. I adore my beautiful alder wood cabinets.
I didnt hear, but I never understood how that trend ever took off... not practical if you live and cook in the house.
its great if display showroom only.
And those of us with pet’s have fur flying thru the air. Plus, I don’t want to look at dishes, nor food.
Quoting The Build Show - the US experts on current-day building: "There are only two types of concrete. Concrete that is cracked and concrete that is yet to crack."
It is also just not attractive.
We just completed a kitchen renovation. I decorate early American so we ordered a Soapstone countertop and sink. They are the most beautiful additions to the kitchen. The only drawback with the Soapstone is that it’s soft. Other than that, it’s non-porous so wine, lemon juice, pasta sauce, can spill on it, and will not leave a stain. I went back-and-forth with my husband who did not want it, but now loves it. Plus, I ordered a gray blue Kitchen Cabinets. Along with slate looking tile. It all came together so nicely. I think that if you really do your research and process every selection carefully, you can avoid these mistake mistakes. I also have a plate rack above my dishwasher. It’s absolutely stunning, and I will never regret how long I waited for it to be made.
I wish I could see photos! Is there a link to a similar soapstone you could put in the comments? Ditto the above sink plate rack?
We converted our 2 car garage in the primary bedroom suite 17 years ago and I’ve never regretted it. We have an unattached 30 x 45 garage though. I know some people might not like having to walk to the garage in bad weather. But this is our forever home. Our kids can deal with it when we are dead
If I didn't have a master bedroom suite id prob do the same thing, esp if you have an unattached garage... do what you want. good for you.
My parents did the same thing and had no regrets. They also had a detached garage. It was no big deal to have a detached garage and was very common when their house was built.
I guess I’m showing my age. I grew up with laminate countertops, so you did not put hot pans on it, you did not cut on the surface of it. I have laminate countertops now and I use cutting boards or or just plain take care of it.
It's stressful to consider replacing granite countertops that are UGLY. They weigh a ton
Laminate is so sensible!
Yup.. granite was coming in in the early 90’s - went with laminate years ago -- still happy.. Why would i want hard stone on a counter where glasses can fall over???
I have quartz, and for what those cost, I don’t sit hot pans on them or cut on them either. Take care of your stuff is how I was taught too.
Me, too, to everything you said. I chose laminate when I upgraded 20 years ago.
Make your house however you want it you’re living in it. It’s like buying a car and when you do trips, you rent a car. Makes no sense you buy a car drive it and use it. You buy home do whatever you wish to do with it and who cares what anybody else thinks. If high-end appliances make you happy get it. Live in your home and love it.
When it comes to Jetted tubs, the way I clean them is to fill the tub with warm water, enough to cover the jets, and pour a cup of bleach it and turn on the jets. Less work, and you get the jets sanitized because after draining the tub, the jets automatically start blowing out any leftover water that might be in left in them, so you know they’ve been cleaned in the process. Unfortunately with outdoor hot tubs, you can’t do that with.
I also add some granular dishwasher detergent and mine is sparkling
@@sydneyvincent9820this is exactly what I do ! Works great ! I clean my front load washing machine like that also . 😊
@@mkrezanski6606I did that and switched to using a product called “yuk”. It works also. 😂
Hot tubs have a pretty specific chemical balance. We use our hot tub just once a week or so but i ENJOY it every single time. Salt water system which still uses occasional chlorine splash but its pretty simple & low maintenance. Inside we removed the HUGE soaking tub, and went w a small freestanding tub. The previous owner DID install a massive water heater, which we replaced with the exact huge size. Hot water is my Favorite invention in history… well besides indoor plumbing😆
Be careful with the bleach as it can ruin the inner workings of the unit. Still, I think a regular soaking tub is better due to it being less complicated.
We have 4 bathrooms, and no one needs that many bathtubs. We are now taking one tub out and converting it into a large shower . Can't wait.
A converted garage would be an automatic 'off the list'. When I saw my current home I knew it was 'the one' before I even walked inside the house! The lot/location was beautiful (even though nothing had been done to it) and the 2 car garage with a huge loft for storage was all I needed to see!
I paid cash for my small home. It came with an electric stove. I pulled the plug and dragged it to the curb and put a FREE sign on it. It was gone quick. I bought a $30. Camp butane stove. Works fine
I had a Jacuzzi hot tub in my garage for 20 years and we got in it about 250 times a year. Last year we got rid of it and bought a new one and we love it and still use it about the same but if it weren't inside I don't think we would use it near as much especially when it's cold. If you get one consider putting it inside.
1. I bought a 5 burner Frigidaire gas stove & only use 2-3 burners at most. The middle burner is practically useless when you have large pots side by side. Also the stove top is black & shows every spec of food crumbs, spills & dust. 2. A fiberglass tub where the paint on the tub corner was accidently scratched / rubbed away in an attempt to remove a stain & is ruined. I previously had an old pink cast iron tub that was indestructible pre-remodel 😢.
I regretted my gas stove. Horrible to clean. I now have a Bosch benchmark induction stove. Love it and I no longer worry about leaving an element on, setting my sleeve on fire (I'm short), and I'm not forever cleaning the top only to have something boil over.
Is it shatter proof? I drop things and an clumsy, how is if you drop a cast iron pot on it?
I would think a cast iron pot dropped on an induction top would cause problems.
I love my gas stove! I also have a one burner induction "hotplate" that I also love!
@@suran396 i had fas stoves for about 25 yr. Hated cleaning them the entire time. But each to their own.
@@sheilaclarke3707 yep! I do a LOT of cooking and gas is my favorite medium on which to cook. My induction "hotplate" is a lifesaver when I'm cooking lots of things at once (I just have a normal gas stove, not a HUGE fancy one.) I can put the biggest thing on that and free up the rest of the stove for sauces, sides, etc.
re: garages - we toured a house that appeared to have a two car garage. It had been converted to a partially finished rec room that would have required quite a bit of work to turn it back into a garage. We passed.
I have already done the first mistake, although I completely removed the mante, boarded the hole and plastered it over, and then I put a wall mural to make it a feature wall with my TV in the middle. It was not a real fireplace, as in it was just a cheapy mantel nailed to the wall with a hole and an electric fire, but no actually chimney or anything. So it would not add value as such as it and if it did, it would be minimal. I turned my box room into a walk in, although there was already a built in wardrobe as the previous people used it as a kids bedroom. I didn't do anything other than obviously not put a bed, and shoved my clothes in the wardrobe. I didn't renovate it or remove the built in wardrobe, as it's too much effort/work and I just had the room painted and refloored anyway.
Lived in a neighborhood with a model home across the street. The builder used the garage as their sample display. When they built it they left the garage door on the front so it still looked like a garage. When they sold the house all they did was tear out the drywall behind the door, pull the carpet, and add door hardware. Boom it’s now a garage again!! Easy fix!!
We saw a beautiful house that we wanted to buy, but it had a swimming pool, we didn’t buy it. A neighbor of mine had a swimming pool that was leaking and he broke up the sides and filled it in. What I think is worth it when you replace your roof go with something other than asphalt. We went with polymer slate, and the curb appeal is awesome
What always amazes me us the very high or awkwardly designed tubs that they put in "senior living" houses. At a certain point, lifting uour legs high enough to get in & out of a fancy tub of any style gets to be difficult if not dangerous as you get into your 80s.
I was grateful to find a house with a walk-in shower with well placed grab bars. Especially because a year after I moved in, I had my knee replaced.
I am changing out my kitchen counters to new Formica ones. The kitchen was original to the 1959 house! There was a stove & a wall oven that were original, too. They worked, but I updated them.
Yeah the plaster cracking is a major problem ..also gets dirty easily...very good point about the concrete countertop
You can never go wrong with granite. Ultra low maintenance and lots of options.
We purchased a home with a Viking fridge. It is a $17K pile of crap.
We replaced it one time already and Viking replaced it for their cost. Which was $12K.
We love their cooktop and ovens, the fridge I would like to take a sledgehammer to.
We loved our pool for 10 - 15 years.
20 years ago it was $70K and it was almost that much to complete remodel it.
So unless you have 3 or 4 kids that love to swim, be very cautious about a pool.
I'm a very practical thinker and when we did a major renovation we added a master bath to the home. I was the designer (I guess you'd say) and the contractor was a little shocked when I sailed, no soaked tub and separate shower. I found the longest heated whirlpool tub I could find, and only have the handheld shower head. It is so stupid to have a standard showerhead plus a handheld, why have two? The handheld has four different settings and most importantly, it makes cleaning the shower/ bathtub easy. I upgraded the tiles to go all the way up the wall and even added some glass tiles for some variation and light reflection. It has a nice relaxing zen/spa feel. We love it and have received lots of compliments.
We love our handheld, too. Makes it very easy to help shower my handicapped daughter as well. 😊
What people need to do is , upgrade their perceptions to be less wasteful. There are alot of people that just can't accept that what they have is better than the next decorating wild hair. That bathroom tile work you showed is very good and worth keeping. People just don't seem to understand how much work and resources are used to create quality tile work. I knew a person that painted his room all black because his friend painted his store like that. He then said it made him feel closed in. I told him he had to live with it. The problem with countertops is they are a custom cut, if made from a stone slab that is not renewable in anyone's lifetime. Formica at least is renewable. Technically the interior of the Sistine Chapel is dated, but you wouldn't say let's gut it and remodel it. I think you should leave your countertops alone if they are virgin stone slabs.
Oh my who would want their garage floor as a kitchen countertop? We use kitty litter to soak up oil on the garage floor lol.
Laminate for sure. It isn’t that expensive so you can change it without costing a ton.
One downside to a pool is closing and opening the pool. As a young teenager, the best thing my parents did for us was put in a pool. We learned to swim like fish. Unending fun and no need to go on vacation every summer. I used to come home during my work lunch hour and have a swim. So a pool is not a waste of time and money. From the kid of a pool owner, I appreciated it very much. After the house was sold, the new owners filled it in. Most people are lazy, let's face it and don't want the maintenance.
Our house had a pool when we bought it. We didn't know anything about pools. It's been a learning curve. We installed a salt chlorine system. That's been the best investment. Makes the whole chemical routine very easy. We have a service close and open the pool in fall and spring. That's an expense of about $1500 a year. It's a big pool. I can say that it's a lot of fun to have pool parties in the summer. I don't think I would intentionally seek out a home with a pool in the future, but it's fun for now. We have a robot vacuum to clean it. $1000 for that. Not cheap.
If you live in the sunbelt, a pool can be a good investment IF you use it AND if neighboring homes also have a pool. Where I live, the neighborhood of 700 homes, the majority have pools.
I live in a part of Australia where we often have water restrictions. We never use the bath- you get used to very short showers- thinking of taking it out for more room to manoeuvre as we get older. Best water restrictions were 180 litres a day per person- and if it got worse, it was going down to 120 litres. Someone in the future can always put it in again then be shocked by water restrictions!
Here in Las Vegas, new pools are restricted to 600 square feet in size. All decorative non functional grass has to be removed by 2027.
I agree with all of these. Not only for the practical reasons; I don't really want or like them. But to each his own, of course.
We love our salt water pool. Got it in 2018. Thank God we did, our family during COVID really used it from may 1 until oct 10 here in atlanta. Plus we really don’t go on vacations much anymore and our pool was worth it. No hot tub, but actually bought a pool chiller because it gets too hot come July 1.
Living in Las Vegas, asked the local pool dealer about putting in a pool chiller. He had never heard of such a thing. Had one shipped in from Arizona. Brings the pool down from 92 degrees in summer to the mid 80's. I'm a bit surprised that in Atlanta anyone would need a pool chiller unless the pool is smaller in size. I bet pine needles and tree leaves are a problem there.
The LG range I bought was nothing but trouble. 2 of the 4 burners never did work right, and the middle (griddle) burner could barely cook a grilled cheese or french toast. And then ... The oven glass blew out and disintegrated all over my kitchen! The repair on that took 2 months, by then I was disgusted, said NOPE, and bought a Whirlpool. I'm happy with that one so far.
We avoid LG at all costs after having serious issues with a new washer (not covered under warranty) and a stove.
Surprised by LG suggestion; not good ratings by appliance service people.
And GE got failing marks from a person who worked in a store who sold them.
I use LG for years, no problem
We called someone to repair LG and they said they wouldn't touch it.
Love my LG gas stove, have never had a problem in 7 years, only maintenance so far has been to replace the light bulb inside!
We will never buy an LG product again. Terrible quality and warranty
I put in custom closets in my walk-in closets in the two bedrooms. I like it. I’m not tripping over shoes and the drawers for clothes is convenient.
I have builder grade appliances because I bought a spec home. I've been here two years, and I absolutely hate my fridge. I've had a sub zero in the past, and I think they are far superior to anything else on the market. The only reason I haven't bought one is because I would have to redo my cabinets because cabinets surround my refrigerator right now.
The reliability of mid grade fridges is so bad right now that I haven't upgraded yet. And I'm in The Villages Florida and have always wanted a pool. The price I was quoted two years ago for a moderate sized pool, waterfall, hot tub, pool cage and gas heater for winter use was 140K. Almost fell over. I bet you guessed I did not have a pool put in. 😂
Since we’ve owned our home in 1999 we use our spa tub at least once a week as mommy daddy special time. But I do agree that the jets need to be frequently cleaned. We usually run a tub full of hot water and bleach through the jets.
Don't really want to hear about your sex life.
concrete countertops are great for people who never step foot in the kitchen.
I had a jacuzzi tub in a former house which I eventually removed because the water doesn’t all drain out and it gets mouldy and black chunks float out into the water when you use it. It’s also gross because the former users water comes out of the holes and mixes with your bath water. I didn’t like the strong cleaners, so I ran it with salt water to clean it. It’s a nightmare to clean and we never used it because the force of the jets kinda hurt, since it wasn’t a large size. I removed it and replaced it with a soaker tub.
I put quartz countertops in my kitchen and two full baths. I like it. Everything requires maintenance. I don’t put anything hot directly on the kitchen countertop. I have granite and copper heat pads for air fryer and hot pots.
I love my jetted tub and use it a lot! Those free standing things are hard to get in and out of and to clean around.
Concrete tops no, but quartz yes. We love our quartz countertops. We also did oak floors in our ranch, not prefinished, but regular. This is our retirement home, we ordered this tract home twenty two years ago. We also did eighteen inch porcelain tiles everywhere else. I was in a wheelchair for a few years and this was a blessing. About the fireplace veneer brick, they can be changed just as cheaply as some of the other options, something to think about. Today some people update there doors, if you’re older you might think of increasing the size of those you can for wheelchair access.
I made the most expensive pool mistake.
My youngest son has extreme psoriasis and I was told by one of his doctors that a pool with a salt system would greatly benefit my son.
I installed the pool with the salt system, spa, solar heat, the works.
My son was unable to use the pool because it severely irritated his skin and was extremely painful for him. He was about 12, now 31.
The pool has very little use until my grandchildren came along. It’s used once or twice a week when it’s warm enough. We do live in Florida, so we’re able to have the pool open for the majority of the year.
Expenses for the pool can be brutal when repairs are needed. The salt system needed to be replaced to continue as a saltwater pool, but it was almost $5000. I opted to go with the standard chlorine pool and haven’t regretted it.
If I had it to do all over again, absolutely not. Too much money for very little use over a 20 year period.
Psoriasis is caused by childhood injections and must be treated from the inside out (using food and herbs). In case you're ever dealing with it again! Childhood shots are the cause of 99% of childhood and adult illnesses. They set us up for chronic illnesses that did not occur a hundred years ago. But food too of course - it's it's grown in roundup, it's damaging the endocrine system.
You may make a bigger profit when you sell. People moving to Florida generally want a pool.
I’ve always said that having a pool is like “babysitting a body of water “! No thanks.👎🏻
You do realize that a salt water system is still chlorine? The unit just splits the chloride from the sodium and vola, chlorine. A bromine system with be a better bet - consult with your doctor. People get so INTO saltwater pools.
@ Very likely because they provide minerals and because your skin absorbs those minerals. Not all salt systems are the same. I doubt any big pharma doctors know a thing about natural minerals. There's a reason why they're not taught. They are not allowed to patent any substance that God made without first pulverizing it into something useless.
I would never buy a house without tubs in every full bathroom. That said, I hate the idea of having the tub in the middle of the room. All I can think of is how cold and drafty it would be getting in. Tubs need their own little nook, closed in on three sides.
Now most master baths do not have tubs here in Florida. Mine does and I love it! Guest bathtub too!
Hate tubs.
We added a new master suite several years ago and I insisted on a jetted tub. I’ll bet I haven’t used it more than a handful of times. My advice: don’t do it! Get a larger shower instead.
Just tell people to STOP following trends. Trends last for 10 years at best, and then look dated. Stay with the original style of the home's construction, especially in mid-century and older homes. Use classic materials. If you want to change your house to look like whatever is in style, buy a newer house, stay away from classic homes. DO NOT rip out a good, old kitchen to put in cheap, trendy junk just to match your Pintarest board. There is nothing worse than some amatuer "designer" who flips a house with brand new, cheap materials that last less than a decade before they fall apart. I see it in my area all the time.
I have granite countertops, and if I didn't do that, I would do laminate, which I had for years and I really enjoyed.
I wanted granite or quartz countertops, but I could not afford it. So I got laminate countertops and I like them just fine.
Our last house had laminate and we replaced it with a different color laminate. It was warmer when you leaned on it, and quieter when you set things down on it. I liked it.
I actually loved the look of the IKEA laminate countertops! And so thankful for this list as we are looking at doing some renovations on our home in the next few years but very inexperienced on what to choose!
My daughter did a fireplace brick wash, and it came out really beautiful
I saw a stone wash in a very high end house recently. Maybe it was brick not sure. But I thought it looked AWFUL. To each their own!
We have a handicapped son who opens & closes refrigerator a LOT. The compressor on top fridge WAS expensive but worth every dime. Its never broken. Its 18 years old. Plus it is the exact depth of the counter so it doesn’t bulge out. 25 years at house and no current plans to sell. Buy what works for your lifestyle. I don’t cook much So a flat glass top has been perfect instead of those huge gas ranges. But they work well for people who love to cook
I have had flat glass electric ranges. I HATE them. (I am an avid home cook.)
I have a normal gas range, no fancy extra large 6 burner. But I also have an induction "hot plate" which is a lifesaver when I've got multiple larger pots going at once.
I'm a professional cleaner and can attest to the fact that spa tubs are nothing more than dust magnets.
A swimming pool to me is not only a horrible liability, but so much time and money to maintain. I will continue to use my clubs pool.
Great video! I thought to just listen out of curiosity, but this is definitely high quality tips, and not just latest millennial GenZ tik-tok
I agree with every single point. You seem very grounded 👍
Do people not realize you don’t have to fill up a tub to use it? Meanwhile, people complain about cleaning jetted tubs, while tile is a beast to keep clean in a shower.
@Fuzzmom903 air jet tubs are more hygienic, harbor fewer bacteria, than water jet tubs. Daily Shower Cleaner is easy - spray on, rinse off.
We always have to boil water to put in our jacuzzi bathtub.
We are in the Midwest and pools in the backyard are seasonal of course. And when I was a child not as common. Two doors down the neighbors put in a steel pool, rather small but nicely designed for the time. The line of kiddos asking to use it all summer drove them nuts! I waa always concerned about kids who would clamber over the security fence. After about ten years they had it pulled out. My Dad got a good story from that!
We have a carport in an area where there are a lot of houses with carports. Some have converted them to garages. Some who have garages have turned them into living spaces. It is quite common. Since I don't have a garage now, I would like to turn the carport into an in law's quarters, by extending it out farther. We have a nice, long driveway. Time will tell if we need that space.
Had concrete countertops in an outdoor kitchen- I do NOT recommend. The sealant can flake off and just looks awful. Hairline cracks developed after a few years. Not a fan.
I designed and built my home 6 years ago. It’s 3,200 sq ft with 3 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. I live alone. People ask, why did you build such a big house? The marginal cost of an extra 1,000 sq ft is not much compared to the value of the home. I am guessing that the marginal cost for that 1,000 sq ft was only $100K or so. Which, in this neighborhood is worth $400K to $500K in price.
But how much extra time does it take to clean the extra sq footage??
😮😮I (70) use an unused bedroom as a walk in closet. I use shelving and used dressers. When I sell, I can change it back to a bedroom.
Also that white plaster is a disaster if it gets any soot or ash on it. If you plan to really use your fireplace, stay away from it!
Everyone I know who put in a pool, immediately regretted it. They thought the kids would use and they don’t use it as much and the maintenance is a lot of money and work. We had a neighbor who put in a pool and they would have parties and would be drunk and rowdy cussing loudly and the other neighbors would call the police because they would be partying all night almost every weekend in nice evenings, so we couldn’t enjoy our own backyard. It was so annoying. I’ll never buy a house with a pool or a house when a neighboring house has a pool because of our last experience. We don’t have any of these other upgrades because we know better. We have just a shower in our master and I do miss a bathtub sometimes, a soaking tub is fine just don’t get the jets.
I still like my kitchen 20 years later, the oak cabinets, grey 12in tile and blue Formica countertops. Was just a little angry all these kitchen options came out 2 - 3 years after I redid it. I am planning on redoing the countertops with something more modern like Corian, double sink and upgrade the plastic backsplash.
Good to know about the concrete counter tops, I was thinking about doing it, but after seeing this video, I think I’ll pass. Good information. The backyard pool, ya it sounds like a great idea but what I see, it’s not. First, up here in the north, you get 3 maybe 4 months it’s actually useable. And in those months about 3 months you get to fight with biting flies and mosquitoes. After the first year, the novelty starts to wear off. And by the 4th or 5th year I’ve seen most of my neighbors get rid of pool because it was never used and a pain to keep up. The same seems to be true for above ground temporary pools. People get them because it will be so much fun for the kids, parties etc. After about the first year or two, many don’t bother with setting them up, because no one used it last year. Same thing goes for those wooden castle or jungle gym backyard swing sets with the fort slide and climbing wall. After 2 - 3 years your kids outgrow them or get bored with them, so there it sets taking up real estate and is something you have to maintain and mow around. Save your money, buy them bikes.
Comment on the tub: a home with a tub is non-negotiable for me. My son ONLY takes baths & he hates showers (sensory issue). I have back issues and joint pain that is soothed by soaking in hot water. No decent bathtub in a home is a complete deal breaker. I like showers too but I gotta put my foot down about this one lol. A decent tub = MUST!!!
Think twice about replacing your “regular” tub with a freestanding/soaking tub if it is the only tub in the house. These generally have high sides, making them difficult to use. Imagine having to lift a squirming toddler out of one or trying to get in and out if you have mobility issues.
I turned down a condo because of the huge spa tub. Always hated them. Thanks for the appliance tip. I will follow that advice, but still want a Bosch DW. Just don't need the whole package deal.
I got all Bosch for my kitchen. Love them. Second house i did this to
Our Bosch DW is fantastic
I lust in my heart for a Bosch 2 drawer dishwasher. Should have gone that route, but I got a regular front load. When it craps out I will probably live the dream and get the Bosch.
Love my spa tub. I don’t use it very often, but when I do, it is magnificent. Cleaning one takes 2-3 minutes, so not an issue. You don’t recommend a spa tub in the bathroom but recommend one for outside. Same cleaning, same volume of water. How does that make sense?
I love my jetted tub!
In summer I use my hottub every night then swim in my pool after
I have an average size jetted tub I use all winter . If you have pain or a chronic condition they are life savers !
No to concrete. Yes to laminate.
Thanks for providing the insight! I agree concrete looks "cool" on some floors, but it's not a great place for countertops!
Re: brick, I've seen Erin & another HGTV host do the "German schmear" on bricks. I think it looked better than painting them (and easier to remove in future, I think).
Re: concrete countertop, I've seen the guys on Bargain Block use that for one of their projects. I think they chose concrete for budget reasons. It was cheap & they DIY'd it. One can put a sealer then coat with epoxy paint to prevent water damage and stains, I think.
The change i don't understand is removing all the bathtubs in a home and replacing them with showers. Have they never had small children? Why would young parents buy that house?
Because tubs are a hazard for older people.
I love my blue star rangetop. Boiling water is superfast.
The best countertop material is by far dekton!
Don't give up a bedroom unless you can easily turn it back.
Thank you for sharing your insight. Totally agree about high end stuff. If you arnt an amazing cook, or dont have 25 friends over at a time for your wagu steak on your $15,000 BBQ, its, pointless. My sister gets the most expensive and, she can cook and bake, but the result is no different than on mid range. Same with those super expensive pizza ovens, for $4k just order from the pros 😂
I am an avid home cook and love making 5 course meals for friends. I have a regular gas range, nothing fancy. It does have 5 burners, but the middle burner in these normal size ranges is really useless if you're actually trying to use all 5 areas. I only use the middle one when I'm cooking ONE thing on the stove.
However, I do have an induction "hot plate" and it will accommodate my biggest pot or braiser and is a life saver when I need more room! And, it wasn't expensive!
😮😮My older appliances are cheaper to repair because they don’t have computers.
There are quartz countertops that look a lot like concrete, but are not porous. Not DIY, of course.
We in the UK find American interiors (especially kitchens!) very dark and brown.
Biggest waste of all is a spa tub. Who takes baths anyway? I do think it's a sound idea to have a tub SOMEWHERE in your home, especially if you have kids, but the master bath seems hardly the place. When we remodeled, out came the large soaking tub and out came the small shower stall, and in went a luxurious walk-in shower.
As a professional Kitchen & Bath Designer, I can tell you that plenty of people still take baths, and want an inviting bath tub, usually for the master it's a 2-person tub. While I use my shower for every day cleansing, I often take a luxurious bath as a treat, and a warm long soak is great when you have sore muscles or body ache. As you mentioned, tubs are also essential for people who have children or plan to have them. I would never purchase a home that did not have at least one bath tub. To answer your question, plenty of people take baths.
Everyone that I know who has a subzero had to have it repaired. I have a luxury home that i designed. I left the space for the refrigerator to fit a sub zero for a future selling point. I put a vintage styled fridge in that space.
I agree with laminate counters or granite if you can afford it. As far as appliances i stick to whirlpool, LG or Frigidaire. Those brands will work fine and be easier to repair or replace.
Those getted tubs and even the big soaking tubs people just want but in the end dont use much. We knew several people that bought double wide manufactured homes that had them in the master bathroom. They just became a place to keep plants or extra paper towels and toilet paper. I would rather spend that money and space on a nicer shower.
LG is awful. There was even a class action lawsuit against them over washing machines. Never again
I wonder about the large farmhouse kitchen sinks?
My friend installed one… it took up a lot of her counter top space in her galley kitchen & I noticed she quickly bought a dish pan to put into her sink because she said it took too much water to do the few dishes she washed by hand. Anyone else have experience with these large sinks?
I have one and love it. I don’t fill it all the way but I have a dishwasher, too.
I love mine.
My career path is very physical, my jetted tub is sometimes a daily luxury. Maintenance is not a huge issue if you follow the manufacturer's instructions. I wouldn't purchase a house without one unless there were space to install such!
Fireplace option: brick stain.
What about a walk-in tub for seniors? Could it also have a shower?
Did anyone write the list?
I put in granite countertops. If I had to do it again...I wouldn't have. They are cold, costly and need to be resealed in time.
We live in Canada so we really need a garage for car and other stuff 😂
There's two types of concrete, concrete that has cracked and concrete that hasn't cracked yet.
Jet bath is a big No as a buyer I would not enjoy using someone's old system with all this mold and germs.
A friend paid 22k for her Sub Zero fridge. I see NO reason to spend 1/4 of this.
I just paid $3k for my Quad flex GE. I LOVE it!
Great video, thanks!
We bought our house with concrete countertops in the kitchen. I absolutely HATE them! Everything described here in this video is 100% true and it's an absolute headache and the sealant doesn't work like a sealant on a natural stone. It's horrible! And those sealants on stone last longer than a year, so waaaaaay less maintenance. And quartz doesn't get sealed, so there's no need to reseal every so often, although you do need to be careful with the cleaning solutions you use, but that's also true with stone anyway. Just stay away from concrete...TRUST ME!
Only regret adding a sunroom I have to heat and cool separately.
You were going to include links to laminate countertops, but I don't see them.
You don't need a link. Just Google them. Major brands are Formica and Wilsonart.
Concrete almost always cracks with enough time. And if you have a kitchen flooded with sunlight, you’ll have to reseal more than twice a year.
Who remembers Corian countertops? I did that in 1996 remodel I wish I had quartz.
You can get a perfectly good gas range without spending a fortune.
It's ridiculous to spend all that money just to have 'smart' features on appliances like that... totally a waste of money.
Oh no, not resale value! Look, I live here so imma make my house work for me. I don’t care about the next person that lives here because I’m not renting.
You also have to do structure because of the weight