2016 Remodel Cost Versus Value Report

Did you know that some home improvement projects can pay for themselves, or even earn you a profit when it’s time to sell? According to the Remodeling 2016 Cost vs. Value Report for Seattle (www.costvsvalue.com) certain upgrades may increase your home’s resale value by more than what they cost.

As home prices rise across the nation, average payback on remodeling projects is up too. “We’ve seen a steady ramping up on both the sales and construction side,” said Jonathan Diehart, director of custom services and published research at Metrostudy. “I think over time that really starts to loosen up prices a bit and allows some of these [remodeling] factors to become more significant as part of the price.” The biggest year-over-year gains in return were seen for more expensive and complicated "upscale" remodeling projects.

While this information provides a fun insight into which projects might be worth your while, it's important to note that these are just overall estimates–your return on investment will vary substantially depending on your unique home and neighborhood.

Seattle's 10 Best Projects

Seattle's 10 Worst Projects

In Seattle, the top 10 most profitable remodeling projects were:

Attic Insulation (Fiberglass)
Cost: $1,249
Resale Value: $1,877
Cost Recouped: 150.3%
Manufactured Stone Veneer
Cost: $7,631
Resale Value: $10,897
Cost Recouped: 142.8%
Garage Door Replacement (Upscale)
Cost: $3,175
Resale Value: $4,503
Cost Recouped: 141.8%
Garage Door Replacement (Mid-Range)
Cost: $1,783
Resale Value: $2,440
Cost Recouped: 136.9%
Entry Door Replacement (Steel)
Cost: $1,400
Resale Value: $1,790
Cost Recouped: 127.9%
Siding Replacement (Fiber Cement)
Cost: $16,196
Resale Value: $18,826
Cost Recouped: 116.2%
Window Replacement (Vinyl)
Cost: $15,308
Resale Value: $17,417
Cost Recouped: 113.8%
Siding Replacement (Engineered)
Cost: $15,396
Resale Value: $17,237
Cost Recouped: 112.0%
Deck Addition (Wood, Mid-Range)
Cost: $12,145
Resale Value: $12,985
Cost Recouped: 106.9
Minor Kitchen Remodel
Cost: $21,889
Resale Value: $22,833
Cost Recouped: 104.3%

While all still higher than the national average recoup of 64.4%, these were Seattle's 10 least profitable remodeling projects:

Bathroom Addition (Upscale)
Cost: $86,087
Resale Value: $60,206
Cost Recouped: 69.9%
Bathroom Addition (Mid-Range)
Cost: $47,572
Resale Value: $34,457
Cost Recouped: 72.4%
Deck Addition (Composite, Upscale)
Cost: $41,140
Resale Value: $29,972
Cost Recouped: 72.9%
Backup Power Generator
Cost: $13,842
Resale Value: $10,403
Cost Recouped: 75.2%
Master Suite Addition (Upscale)
Cost: $262,073
Resale Value: $197,515
Cost Recouped: 75.4%
Major Kitchen Remodel (Upscale)
Cost: $125,781
Resale Value: $103,889
Cost Recouped: 82.6%
Major Kitchen Remodel (Mid-Range)
Cost: $64,981
Resale Value: $53,778
Cost Recouped: 82.8%
Master Suite Addition (Mid-Range)
Cost: $126,972
Resale Value: $106,000
Cost Recouped: 83.5%
Bathroom Remodel (Upscale)
Cost: $61,383
Resale Value: $52,432
Cost Recouped: 85.4%
Two-Story Addition
Cost: $180,558
Resale Value: $154,472
Cost Recouped: 85.6%