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 Don’t move - improve: Freshen up your house while waiting for the market to change
By Terri L. Jones
In the old days, when you grew tired of your home, you’d stick a “For Sale” sign in the yard and start spending your weekends at open houses. Not anymore. Nowadays, whether you need an in-law suite or just a change of scenery, the solution isn’t moving — it’s improving.
“A lot of people are waiting to see what the market is going to do,” says Marion Martin, who co-owns the B.K. Martin Enterprises Inc. general contracting company with her husband, Kyle. “They’re renovating, updating and freshening up their homes. And when the market does change, they will have put some money back into their homes that they can get out.”
BOOMER CHANGES
Homeowners are making changes they’ve been meaning to make for years, such as expanding closet space in a master bedroom or adding a deck. But boomers, in particular, are also making adjustments to accommodate their changing lifestyles.
Janet Brown, of Janet Brown Interiors, recalls one boomer couple who wanted to make better use of their grown children’s bedrooms and bath. Replacing old bunk beds and other children’s furniture, Brown redecorated the three rooms as guest rooms and office space. And because the couple planned to downsize down the road, she kept furnishings to a minimum and helped them update the bath for future resale.
To make these improvements, many homeowners are wielding the tools themselves. Kevin Cutlip, an on-site gardening specialist at the Short Pump Home Depot, reports that a growing number of customers bring in photos of their homes and ask for nuts-and-bolts advice on specific projects. Home Depot offers free do-it-yourself clinics, in-store and online, on rotating topics. They can teach you everything from installing a shower door to laying a patio, according to Cutlip, who teaches gardening classes.
Web sites such as doityourself.com also provide step-by-step instructions for a wide variety of home improvements.
BANG FOR THE BUCK IN EACH ROOM
OK, you’ve started your punch list. But if you’re like most homeowners, you probably have a budget. This could mean refacing cabinets rather than replacing them or using existing space instead of adding on.
We’ve asked the experts for their “biggest bang for the buck” advice for every room in your house.
The Kitchen
“There are a ton of great Formicas [for countertops] out there. … They’re not the ones from the ’50s and ’60s like our parents had,” says Marion Martin, who believes a backsplash is another good way to gain a lot of mileage in the kitchen. Kimberly Carter, kitchen designer at Custom Kitchens Inc., agrees on new countertops but also suggests installing recessed lighting, and, for those with more money to spend, updating appliances.
The Bathroom
Architectural designer Fred Robertson, who recently renovated his home in Irvington, says you don’t have to gut and start from scratch for your bathroom to feel like new. Replacing sinks and fixtures, re-laminating or replacing countertops with molded tops, replacing doors and hardware on vanities, and adding new lighting are less costly strategies for freshening up your bathroom.
The Living Room
New furniture or floor coverings will breathe new life into your old living room. But Travis Johnson, who owns Legacy Homes LLC, also recommends adding crown or baseboard molding to rooms with no trim or upgrading existing molding. Columns can be integrated as an accent or room divider. Mark Lipscombe, of Richmond Radiator Covers, has a great parlor trick: Make an old, rusty radiator disappear with a furniture-quality custom cover.
The Bedroom
“You can make the bed a wonderful, positive focal point just by making it inviting, lush and fresh,” says Janet Brown. A brand-new look for your bed — from sheets to comforter to a coat of paint on dark headboards and footboards — will wake up your bedroom.
The Exterior
When you’re revitalizing your home, don’t limit yourself to the interior. Go outside the box as well. Martin and Robertson agree that replacing old windows with more energy-efficient ones is a home improvement that pays dividends. Robertson adds: “A stone walkway or patio can change the look of your front or back yard.”
The Bottom Line
If you have an itch for a new space, making over a room or two can give you immediate gratification. But most improvements will also pay off down the road. When the real estate market turns around, your home will be ready to show — and sell.
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Terri L. Jones is a Richmond, Virginia freelance writer.
 Make your home live up to your dreams
Welcome guests. Patti and Tom Coleman’s West End split level had just about everything their family of four needed, except a guest room. Because the previous owners had turned a rear-entry garage into a 300-square-foot office, there was plenty of finished square footage to get creative. To divide the office space into a guest room and mudroom, one of their friends, who was handy with a hammer, installed a wall and door and adjusted the wiring for about $1,000. In a week, the guest room was ready for a visit from the grandparents.
A grand entrance. Nicole Cook’s Byrd Park Cape Cod was a gem, but the cracked concrete walkway leading to the front door marred the home’s curb appeal. To make a better first impression, she had the curved expanse of concrete removed and, in its place, a 45-foot brick walkway laid. Wrapping around the side of the house, the new walkway connects to a small brick patio out back. The job took only a couple of weeks and cost about $2,000.
Accessibility for an aging homeowner. A complete renovation was needed to make one boomer’s North Side rancher “more accessible.” That included the bathroom. In approximately two weeks, Kyle Martin of B.K. Martin Enterprises Inc. gutted the pink tile, toilet, sink and tub and updated everything in the room, including replacing some walls and subfloor. Grab bars were installed in the tub for safety. For about $4,500, the new bathroom allows the homeowner to “age in place.”
A bachelor pad becomes couple-friendly. The small first-floor bedroom and bath had been fine for a single guy. But when boomer Chris Harksen decided to tie the knot, he and his new wife, Nancy, needed a larger bedroom suite. The unused upstairs of his Bellevue Cape Cod was the answer. Doing some of the work himself, Harksen turned the tiny half bath into a full bath by expanding it 10 feet into the attic space. He also appropriated eight feet of the long, narrow bedroom’s length to add a spacious closet area and installed an organizing system from The Container Store. The total investment in this makeover was about four weeks and $8,000.
Form and function for family living. Bob and Diane Hyde not only needed new kitchen cabinetry in their Westover Hills home, but they also needed that storage space to be more efficient. Another goal of their kitchen renovation was a more open layout between the kitchen and dining room. Custom Kitchens designer Kimberly Carter created an arched pass-through between the two rooms and designed cabinets with large drawers to store pot and pans and tray dividers to accommodate platters and cookie sheets. The month-long project, which included new granite countertops, lighting and heated tile floor, transformed the look of this family’s kitchen for about $30,000.
Leveraging existing space. Boomers Debbie and Dudley McDonald needed more living space to entertain their growing family. In about three months, general contractor Stuart Components Inc. turned the screened porch of their Mechanicsville home into a spacious sunroom with an adjoining deck. The new room, which cost $33,000, expands their living space — and provides a sunny spot to move outdoor potted plants when the temperature drops.
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