a peek inside the fishbowl

1 | Ross Brown

May 2nd, 2011 at 3:02 pm

In 20 years, it’s going to need work again anyway. You may as well reno the way you want to live in it now. It’s your house; enjoy it!

2 | Jen Hughes

May 2nd, 2011 at 3:06 pm

This will so not be helpful, but it depends on what sort of issue you’re talking about. I think it’s always best to keep resale in mind, because you never know what life might throw your way three years from now (for example).

I always cringe when people renovate and turn three bedroom homes into homes with only two larger bedrooms. That being said, if you really think you’ll be there for 20 more years, make it yours. You’ll certainly have a ton of equity by then, even after a giant reno/refinance.

3 | andrea

May 2nd, 2011 at 3:06 pm

Agreed… but I would say that applies to kitchens and bathrooms, not major structural features or lack thereof.

I THINK we can get away with not touching the second floor and as a result, save some coin. But others are not thinking along those same lines. :(

4 | andrea

May 2nd, 2011 at 3:07 pm

Thank you Jen. I see your point. I’m just feeling sick and depressed about the whole thing.

It would really help if we won a lottery. Even a small one would do!! ;)

5 | coffee with julie

May 2nd, 2011 at 3:09 pm

For life NOW. If you plan to live in this house for another 20 years, then you need to plan it for your family. 20 years is a long time and you deserve to enjoy it the way you would like it to be. Besides, in your location, it will always sell — no matter the layout or finishes.

6 | Alina M.

May 2nd, 2011 at 3:20 pm

I would say that if you want to live in your current house for more than 5-10 years from now, then do the renovation according to your heart. When you will sell it, then the new owners can do whatever changes they want. But you have to live in it right now and you deserve to enjoy it.

7 | Heather

May 2nd, 2011 at 3:33 pm

Think about how you will live in your house for the next 10 years. Your children are young but might (should?) be out of the house 10 years from now. Make it comfortable now in anticipation of having 2 teenagers in the house with their friends, so there are separate places for family members to go. At the same time, don’t over-expand as once you are through that phase (and it will pass quickly!), you might be back to just 2 of you again and the house will be too big for you. Only you can decide if you will want to downsize or stay once you are an empty-nester.

8 | Tiana

May 2nd, 2011 at 4:09 pm

Renovate for your life 5 years from now.

9 | Javamom

May 2nd, 2011 at 5:25 pm

now
NOW
(just a humble opinion based on experience)

10 | Liisa

May 2nd, 2011 at 6:47 pm

Agree with those who said you should renovate for your life now, but I do also think you need to keep the future (resale or lifestyle changes) in mind. You mentioned major structural features and I think it depends what those are. Closing off an open space to make an extra room is easy, but reconfiguring stairwells to add an extra bathroom and plumbing is not.

I wish you luck!

11 | Stefania

May 2nd, 2011 at 8:02 pm

Take it from me (someone who knows)…renovate for the present. Make changes that will truly benefit your family. If you truly think you’ll be at that house in the next 5 – 10 years then go ahead and make the changes you see fit. If you see yourself moving in less than 10 years (you dream about moving to the country, a cave, whatever, etc) then make the changes that will suit for now. If you don’t see yourself being in that house for when your kids are teens then don’t make changes that will suit that lifestyle. I think this makes sense. Nothing like making extensive renos and not getting your money back. Make sure you have money set aside for incidentals like the roof, new windows, etc. Things that need changing but aren’t exactly fun. Hope this helps.

12 | Coop

May 2nd, 2011 at 8:23 pm

Depending on your existing layout and the planned scope of the renovation, it’s possible to design for both to some extent.

We had the luxury of starting from scratch here, but we made sure to add some features to our new house to make it flexible and future-proof without necessarily impacting current (or near-term) usage patterns.

Some key examples from our build:
* accessible-width doorways on the ground floor, in case the need to care for infirm parent should arise
* ground floor access to a bedroom + washroom, again for accessibility
* planned a site for potential future elevator shaft. Doesn’t have to impact the design now, but having a sensible spot for one later may be useful.
* one reasonably-sized bedroom per child. These can be re-purposed for other activities (home office, gym) as children leave home, assuming they leave home, of course. ;)
* generous common areas. These are what makes homes feel home-y to me, and are generally great for resale.

My wife and I are not planning to sell; we plan to retire in this house, so YMMV. If you know you’re going to sell in 5/10/20 years, maybe it makes sense not to do anything too drastic, but again, you need to be comfortable in your house in the interim too. Major renovations are a pain in the ass, so you might as well be happy with the end result and not just the (potential) outcome 20 years down the line.

13 | Finola

May 3rd, 2011 at 8:35 am

I am going to echo the NOW votes. 20 years is a long time and whoever buys after you may change everything. The way things are going around our neighbourhoods, they could even tear it down (though I sincerely hope not!).

Best of luck with the decision-making. I know how hard it is.

14 | Hilary

May 3rd, 2011 at 8:41 am

Ideally, I think you renovate for your life, but without entirely forgetting resale. I’ve seen people with very unique homes struggle to sell them. They did eventually, but it took a lot longer than a more conventional house might have.

My beefs are when people don’t have the appropriate number of bedrooms for the size of the house (like the aforementioned two bed house, or a monster home with only three bedrooms) and also when people tear all the baths out of a family home and only have a shower. Seeing as two year olds don’t take showers (and there are people like me who can’t go a two days without a relaxing bath), it seems really shortsighted and limits your market.

15 | Stefania

May 3rd, 2011 at 9:09 am

Totally agree with Hilary.

16 | Lynn

May 3rd, 2011 at 11:13 am

Most people here have already said it, but I also want to vote for NOW. There’s no guarantee that what you *think* is good for resale actually will be. Every family has different needs. It’s your home, you have no immediate plans to move, it’s not a flip – so make it the way you want it.

17 | Carrie C

May 3rd, 2011 at 2:15 pm

If you are planning to stay in the home, then I would renovate for YOU. Don’t worry about resale. That being said, don’t do anything that would drastically affect resale down the road. From the plans you have posted, you are not doing anything like that.

Make it work for you and your family.

18 | alison p-h

May 3rd, 2011 at 3:02 pm

Echoing all that has been said above, renovate for NOW. 20 years down the road is too long. if you are thinking of moving in a shorter period of time (like 5 years), consider the buyer. But you cannot predict what the needs of the buyer will be in two decades.

19 | andrea

May 3rd, 2011 at 5:02 pm

Thanks for your feedback everyone. It’s a tough call, and a difficult line I’m balancing on here.

I am trying hard to design for the “now” but also keep the future in mind too. I’m definitely not planning anything nutty, like turning the upper floor into one giant shared bedroom, but still… everyone has their own idea of what a good house will look like, right?

As I mentioned, I think the most radical thing we’ll be doing – and it’s largely because of budgetary constraints – is not renovating the full second story and creating larger bedrooms. Argh. I still can’t decide… but I think the bank is going to decide for us on this one. :(

20 | LO

May 3rd, 2011 at 5:49 pm

For now, with a little peak to future years (like RSP’s)

21 | James

May 3rd, 2011 at 9:48 pm

Almost finished my latest renovation, and I would advise to think about 12 years out, assuming you plan to stay in your home that long. In my experience, every renovation starts to fade and look a bit shabby 12 years out. And, at the age your kids are now, they will likely be leaving the nest in about 12 years or so, and your life will undergo big changes.

22 | DaniGirl

May 4th, 2011 at 4:41 pm

I only read as far as Julie’s comment — I agree with her! Live for today, who knows what the future will bring. Maybe plan 5 or so years ahead, but that’s further than I can imagine right now!

23 | Reno post #007 - a small unveiling and several big thoughts >> a peek inside the fishbowl

May 7th, 2011 at 4:05 pm

[…] In my last reno post I was suffering some degree of reno paralysis. Design for today, or for resale? It still haunts me a bit, but I think I’ve come to terms I can live with. […]