Would You Rather - MM House Updates Edition

[raangoli]

We have lived in our house for almost 4 years now and have steadily done some updates and are always thinking of others, all the while thinking of whether or not it adds value. We're now wondering if we should either:

- Remodel our kitchen
- Replace the current wood deck with a paver patio 

Our house is a basic starter home, a ranch that was built in the 1960s that is 3BR, 1.5 bath, about 1400 square feet. On some days it feels too small, but for the most part, it is the right size for our family of 3 with the occasional visit from my mom. 

Our current kitchen is fine. It's functional, but definitely worn around the edges. It's small, about 11x13, and we don't really want to get into the whole knocking down walls to open into the dining room (although that would be nice, we'd lose the cabinets on that wall). 

We have a current wooden deck that is about 20x16 that you can walk out to from the dining room. It's fine as well, a little annoying with the maintenance of needing to be stained every year (we get a lot of sun in the backyard, it takes a beating). 

We got a quote for the patio and now MH wonders if maybe I'd rather put the money towards kitchen cabinets instead? Since we live in NJ, the deck/patio is not something can use year round, so the kitchen seems like  more of a logical choice for adding value. Except the caveat here is that most houses like ours when put up for sale are likely bought by contractors as tear downs. That alone makes me wary of sticking any large amounts of money into the house. But at the same time, we are living here for the time being, so I want a nice home that I can enjoy.

What does MM think? Would you rather have a patio or an updated kitchen? Or just leave it alone and leave the money in the bank for a later project/trip/something else.

[Deleted]

If you plan on staying in the house for a while, do whatever project will make you happier. If you might sell sometime soon-ish, I'd do neither.

Sorry - I'm not sure if that's helpful at all.

My ILs are getting ready to list my husband's grandparents' house for sale. It's a seller's market, and their realtor specifically told them NOT to update the old school kitchen because buyers would rather make it their own.

Maybe consult with a realtor or appraiser?

[raangoli]

@bellakitty we are here for the foreseeable future. If we were to move, it would maybe be out of state, but that's more of a pipe dream than anything else.

That's a good idea about the realtor or appraiser - it might be worth getting a better idea of which way to go.

[konapoppy]

I agree with @bellakitty. If you are going to be there for the foreseeable future, do the project that will make you the happiest.

I am not sure a kitchen update where you just redo the cabinets would be worth it (I think I read that right), so I would consider the whole kitchen in the remodel.

[raangoli]

Jul 12, 2017 10:39:01 GMT -5 konapoppy said:

I agree with @bellakitty . If you are going to be there for the foreseeable future, do the project that will make you the happiest.

I am not sure a kitchen update where you just redo the cabinets would be worth it (I think I read that right), so I would consider the whole kitchen in the remodel.

It would be a whole kitchen remodel. MH just meant that would we rather put that money towards cabinets as a part of the larger re-do. (sorry if that wasn't explained well enough!).

Since it's summer, I feel like right now, having a nicer backyard to spend time in with BB would be great. But if I am being practical, wouldn't a better kitchen be nicer? Ugh. I can't decide. 

I am sure in the end, we will do neither and we will just hobble along with what we have. But in the meantime, it's fun to daydream.

[konapoppy]

Jul 12, 2017 10:44:14 GMT -5 raangoli said:

Jul 12, 2017 10:39:01 GMT -5 konapoppy said:

I agree with @bellakitty . If you are going to be there for the foreseeable future, do the project that will make you the happiest.

I am not sure a kitchen update where you just redo the cabinets would be worth it (I think I read that right), so I would consider the whole kitchen in the remodel.

It would be a whole kitchen remodel. MH just meant that would we rather put that money towards cabinets as a part of the larger re-do. (sorry if that wasn't explained well enough!).

Since it's summer, I feel like right now, having a nicer backyard to spend time in with BB would be great. But if I am being practical, wouldn't a better kitchen be nicer? Ugh. I can't decide. 

I am sure in the end, we will do neither and we will just hobble along with what we have. But in the meantime, it's fun to daydream.

Oh got it! My brain isn't working well these days.

We have been in our house for 3 years and just now wrapping up all of our big projects. It feels so good to have the house the way we want it. I wish we had done some projects earlier. I encourage you to do one of the projects - whichever one has been bugging you for longer

[hamster]

Which one bothers you more?

We spend a lot of time outdoors so while I would love to put money into a really nice space, it's kind of a pipe dream. We use the kitchen daily and I hate it. There's no room!! It's definitely the higher priority but I do want to knock down walls so it's like a 5+ year project

[mbcdefg]

I'd rather have the kitchen, but I'm also a wimp when it comes to being outdoors in the sun.

[UnderProtest]

KITCHEN all the way. The deck/patio won't be done until summer is over anyway. The kitchen is a year round bonus!

[raangoli]

I would probably do the kitchen over the outdoor space. It's definitely more practical and would be used daily. Not to mention that our over the range microwave has most certainly seen better days and we can't find a replacement for it that fits in the current space.

[liveintheville]

I'd remodel the kitchen since you're staying. But I definatly see the appeal of a patio.

[raangoli]

In a perfect world, I'd totally do both. Why can't money grow on trees?

[busterpup]

Having just done a kitchen, that's the one I would pick. It makes every day easier. But I would also tear down the wall while you're at it. We did and it surprisingly didn't add much money to the project (it's really just demo and they were going to be changing the floors anyway).

[Roc A Bee]

I personally would pick the kitchen. You should pick whatever space bugs you more now

[raangoli]

Jul 12, 2017 12:54:28 GMT -5 busterpup said:

Having just done a kitchen, that's the one I would pick. It makes every day easier. But I would also tear down the wall while you're at it. We did and it surprisingly didn't add much money to the project (it's really just demo and they were going to be changing the floors anyway).

Re: the wall. It's the wall that we have our cabinets on, so if we lose them, we'd lose a lot of storage. I know we can just add ones to the back of what would probably become an island, but I wonder if it would be odd to not have much wall storage. We would have to speak to a designer to see what we could do. I'll just add it to the estimate for how much it would all cost  

[raangoli]

sexycarrot a screen-in porch would be ideal! I take walks around my neighborhood and I have noticed a few houses have them and I really like the idea. Except it's just not feasible for us. I've added it to my mental wishlist for the next house - whenever and where ever that might be.

[busterpup]

Jul 12, 2017 13:00:14 GMT -5 raangoli said:

Jul 12, 2017 12:54:28 GMT -5 busterpup said:

Having just done a kitchen, that's the one I would pick. It makes every day easier. But I would also tear down the wall while you're at it. We did and it surprisingly didn't add much money to the project (it's really just demo and they were going to be changing the floors anyway).

Re: the wall. It's the wall that we have our cabinets on, so if we lose them, we'd lose a lot of storage. I know we can just add ones to the back of what would probably become an island, but I wonder if it would be odd to not have much wall storage. We would have to speak to a designer to see what we could do. I'll just add it to the estimate for how much it would all cost  

Yea, a designer could be a lot of help.  We ended up putting a big "pantry cabinet" on the wall perpendicular to the old wall where the walls met (that probably makes no sense).  But I never would have thought to do it without a professional looking at the space.  Good luck with your project!  I'm sure it will be awesome regardless of what you end up deciding to do.  

[wildrice]

We don't spend much time outdoors at home. We have a deck and we've literally never sat on it. I bought 2 chairs and a little table in May and haven't used it once. Maybe in the fall when the weather isn't so sticky, but right now I'm all about the AC.

So, I'd do the kitchen. If you are outside every day maybe I'd consider the deck, but if it's just something you'd use every once and a while I wouldn't sink a lot of money into it.

[raangoli]

Jul 12, 2017 13:06:21 GMT -5 wildrice said:

We don't spend much time outdoors at home. We have a deck and we've literally never sat on it. I bought 2 chairs and a little table in May and haven't used it once. Maybe in the fall when the weather isn't so sticky, but right now I'm all about the AC.

So, I'd do the kitchen. If you are outside every day maybe I'd consider the deck, but if it's just something you'd use every once and a while I wouldn't sink a lot of money into it.

That is part of the problem - we don't have a lot of time to spend outside during the week. And on the weekends, we are usually out and about. But then I wonder if we had a nicer space, would we spend more time there? I don't know! 

I think the kitchen will happen first, and then we can reevaluate as time goes on.

[Mrs.flang]

I think a deck is more appealing than a patio.  Maybe you could price out a deck renovation with that fake wood stuff (the name is escaping me), so it would be less upkeep?

It sounds like the kitchen will give you greater satisfaction overall, but I wouldn't do anything if you were planning to later tear down the wall - might as well do it all at once.

[simpsongal]

Team kitchen - could you paint your cabinets or give it a facelift w/new counters? We did that a few years ago and it made a world of difference. Getting an undermount sink w/new pull down faucet was life changing.

[raangoli]

Mrs.flang, I've wondered if replacing the wood with trex (I think that's what you're talking about?) would be an option. I think that's something we should look into as well. As for tearing down a wall for the kitchen remodel, I'd have to do my research as to whether that's something we would want to take on with the project or leave the rooms as is.

simpsongal, unfortunately the cabinets are wrapped in some sort of vinyl, so we would not be able to paint them. If we did a remodel, I'd probably go with an Ikea kitchen rather than custom cabinetry.

[megstoo]

Team Kitchen - you're going to see the kitchen everday multiple times a day and it's going to be used far more than the deck. To me it's going to increase the value much more and if you're going to be for the for a while I'd put the money there.

If the deck just needs to be freshed up what about doing one of those Deck Over things from Behr? Our neighbors did that on their deck and it looks brand new. DH and I just replaced our deck (20x20) and the total was just over $20k to go with partial composite (trex). Ours was a complete tear down though.

[raangoli]

Jul 12, 2017 15:55:03 GMT -5 megstoo said:

Team Kitchen - you're going to see the kitchen everday multiple times a day and it's going to be used far more than the deck. To me it's going to increase the value much more and if you're going to be for the for a while I'd put the money there.

If the deck just needs to be freshed up what about doing one of those Deck Over things from Behr? Our neighbors did that on their deck and it looks brand new. DH and I just replaced our deck (20x20) and the total was just over $20k to go with partial composite (trex). Ours was a complete tear down though.

Wow! I suppose if it was a complete tear down, $20k isn't that bad. The quote we got this AM for the patio was $7500. Which is a lot, and so that's what started this "would you rather" conversation with MH. We've thought about the deck over from HD, but we like the look of the natural wood, which is why we've stuck to stain this long. MH is reasonable handy though, so maybe we could do the partial Trex ourselves...that's something else to research. 

[UnderProtest]

Jul 12, 2017 16:07:51 GMT -5 raangoli said:

Jul 12, 2017 15:55:03 GMT -5 megstoo said:

Team Kitchen - you're going to see the kitchen everday multiple times a day and it's going to be used far more than the deck. To me it's going to increase the value much more and if you're going to be for the for a while I'd put the money there.

If the deck just needs to be freshed up what about doing one of those Deck Over things from Behr? Our neighbors did that on their deck and it looks brand new. DH and I just replaced our deck (20x20) and the total was just over $20k to go with partial composite (trex). Ours was a complete tear down though.

Wow! I suppose if it was a complete tear down, $20k isn't that bad. The quote we got this AM for the patio was $7500. Which is a lot, and so that's what started this "would you rather" conversation with MH. We've thought about the deck over from HD, but we like the look of the natural wood, which is why we've stuck to stain this long. MH is reasonable handy though, so maybe we could do the partial Trex ourselves...that's something else to research. 

There is another Trex like product (the name is escaping me) that is significantly less than Trex.  Also, do NOT follow the manufacturer's directions and place the boards right next to each other.  Both mine and my parents have expanded a bit and butting the boards up to each other doesn't allow water to drain.  

[magpie]

Can you refresh the kitchen without going to town? In our old house, the kitchen was fine, but had ugly counters/backsplash. The flooring was also not great, but livable. We kept the cabinets and painted them, but added granite countertops and a glass tile backsplash and under cabinet lighting. We also replaced the very old dishwasher and fridge with stainless ones, but kept the newer (black) stovetop. It was totally worth it at about $5k total and made the kitchen look and feel so much better, without being a total remodel. When we sold the house, I believe that the kitchen updates definitely added way more than we paid for. No regrets.

Is the only problem with your deck the fact that you have to stain it? How much would it cost to pay someone else to stain it every year vs re-doing the whole thing?

[steamboat185]

Kitchen and definitely work with a designer we didn't expand our kitchen and lost 2 closets when we remodeled, but we still have more storage now. Frameless tall cabinets make a huge difference.

[raangoli]

Jul 12, 2017 21:55:42 GMT -5 magpie said:

Can you refresh the kitchen without going to town? In our old house, the kitchen was fine, but had ugly counters/backsplash. The flooring was also not great, but livable. We kept the cabinets and painted them, but added granite countertops and a glass tile backsplash and under cabinet lighting. We also replaced the very old dishwasher and fridge with stainless ones, but kept the newer (black) stovetop. It was totally worth it at about $5k total and made the kitchen look and feel so much better, without being a total remodel. When we sold the house, I believe that the kitchen updates definitely added way more than we paid for. No regrets.

Is the only problem with your deck the fact that you have to stain it? How much would it cost to pay someone else to stain it every year vs re-doing the whole thing?

Unfortunately, the cabinets can't be painted otherwise I would probably give that a go instead of replacing. It's definitely not a hideous kitchen, it's pretty basic and plain, and has withstood the test of time. We definitely need to replace a few appliances (like the microwave etc) but the dimensions are such that it's proving hard to find a replacement. 

MH has a hard time paying for others to do things that he can do himself. He won't get a lawn service, or have someone stain the deck because he can do it himself the way he wants it. It's a discussion we've had time and time again, but he won't budge. We talked a bit last night about DIY-ing the trex, and the materials alone would be $2500. It's something to think about though.

[simpsongal]

raangoli, a few posters have done Ikea kitchens on H&G and, if I recall correctly, had really good experiences. But let me add, I seem to recall some H&Gers saying that finding a cabinetmaker for custom cabinetry was not as expensive as you might think - I think it's just a matter of finding the right person. And in a tight space, custom might be ideal.

Definitely post pics and updates - and hop over the H&G. It's quiet but there are some really knowledgeable posters.

Good luck!

[megstoo]

Jul 12, 2017 16:07:51 GMT -5 raangoli said:

Jul 12, 2017 15:55:03 GMT -5 megstoo said:

Team Kitchen - you're going to see the kitchen everday multiple times a day and it's going to be used far more than the deck. To me it's going to increase the value much more and if you're going to be for the for a while I'd put the money there.

If the deck just needs to be freshed up what about doing one of those Deck Over things from Behr? Our neighbors did that on their deck and it looks brand new. DH and I just replaced our deck (20x20) and the total was just over $20k to go with partial composite (trex). Ours was a complete tear down though.

Wow! I suppose if it was a complete tear down, $20k isn't that bad. The quote we got this AM for the patio was $7500. Which is a lot, and so that's what started this "would you rather" conversation with MH. We've thought about the deck over from HD, but we like the look of the natural wood, which is why we've stuck to stain this long. MH is reasonable handy though, so maybe we could do the partial Trex ourselves...that's something else to research. 

Ours was PARTIAL composite.  Meaning that the deck boards and hand rails were composite but the support and frame was wood.  We did have to stain the wood parts which we did this year and I think that was almost 2k. (we hired for that).  Had we done full composite the cost would have been about double.  That wasn't in the budget so we did the partial composite/partial wood.  I think the deck builder called it hybrid.