With $15k, which home improvement project would you do for best resale?

[Anonymous]

We want to do a home improvement project and have about $15-20k to apply to a project this year...these are the items on our to do list, not in any particular order. We have 3 kids, 3 bedroom old row house. Where could we definitely get our money back and then some if we need to sell in 3+ years? What project would you do?

refinish the old hardwood floors in house-priority is our main floor (approximately 600 sq ft).
Open kitchen/dining room (right now they are 2 separate rooms so hard to see anyone when I am cooking and they are in dining room or living room.
Outdoor landscape renovation-add new stairs, stone wall, permeable brick patio.
paint outside house.
redo master bedroom closet-custom built to give more storage.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

OP here-we are in DC, Capitol Hill row house.

[Anonymous]

i think the MBR closet is lowest priority. I would say the kitchen / dr project is the best one.

[Anonymous]

Split btwn curb appeal and open kitchen

[Anonymous]

The kitchen update and the outdoor upgrade will have the most visual impact. I would start with one of those - whipever one you want more?

[Anonymous]

It shouldn't cost you more than 3k to get 600 sq feet of hardwood finished. I paid $2800 to stain and refinish about the same amount (closer to 700) pretty recently. I say that to indicate that you can probably do one of the other projects plus the floors on your budget. I'd personally do the floors and the kitchen.

[Anonymous]

I think it would be between opening up the kitchen/dining room wall and re-doing the closets since prospective home buyers tend to have open concept floor plans as well as extra-storage on their must have lists.

[Anonymous]

Open kitchen. But remember to paint interior white before you list.

[Anonymous]

Open the floorplan and refinish the floors in the budget

[Anonymous]

Open kitchen to dining would be first. But if you are also renovating the kitchen with new cabinet, counters, appliances, you need to increase your budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Open kitchen to dining would be first. But if you are also renovating the kitchen with new cabinet, counters, appliances, you need to increase your budget.

Thanks all! We dont need new appliances as we just bought new appliances but we may want to change the cabinets/counters depending on cost. How much do you think this will cost to open up the kitchen/dining room and also upgrade counters and cabinets and install new floor?

[Anonymous]

I don't think your budget is big enough to do the kitchen/dining room. Especially if you need to remove a load-bearing wall or relocate any ducts or plumbing. With such a small budget, you should concentrate on maintaining the existing space. How is your roof? How are your windows? Do you need new siding? Do you have water in your basement?

[Anonymous]

I don't like open concept most of the time. I'd choose floors and curb appeal.

[Anonymous]

Open kitchen!!!

Curb appeal can be done on the cheap with a weekend's worth of yard work and painting the front door/shutters yourself.

[Anonymous]

Closet and outdoors