Kitchen or bathroom reno - best bang for buck.

I am planning on my next major project. It will either be my main bathroom, or the kitchen.

The main bathroom is 8x5, a 4 piece with a tub and shower.
The tiling is old.
The tub's white enamel is wearing away,.
The walls are also partially covered with tongue and groove wood, but is missing in spots. The light fixture is definitely 80s vintage.
Basically, the layout would stay the same, but all new fixtures and wall coverings.

The kitchen is a combination kitchen and dining room. Currently It has a electric stove, fridge and a double sink. It has a portable dishwasher that I cannot use due to the faucet is not compatible.
There is nothing wrong with the fridge and stove. They are about 5 years old, and are simple.
I want to use a working dishwasher.
The cabinets are old. They do not go all the way to the ceiling. The hardware is ugly. The doors are wood with a white inner part. The uppers are too shallow. I hit my head on the corner doors when they are open. The other doors will open almost flush and out of the way. I hate the location of the handles on the lowers. This means that jut changing the location means there will be holes in all of them.
The counters are laminate and show signs of wear.
The flooring is fine. It is linoleum and is in decent condition.
The layout is annoying. I would swap where the stove and fridge are.

I know a kitchen reno is going to be more expensive.
I have a second bathroom to use while the other one is out of commission.

So, in 5 years, I plan on selling and upgrading. I could leave them, but they both annoy me equally. So, when I sell, which will add value? Which will give me more bang for the buck?

Neither one will give you a 100% return on the investment. That said, you have 5 years to enjoy them, so I'd do the one that will give you the most enjoyment for your buck. I'd probably opt for the kitchen first as you spend more time there than a bathroom. Don't over improve though if you're planning on selling in 5 years. A $40K kitchen in a $150K house will not recoup anywhere close to what you put into it. If your neighbors all have laminate counters spending the extra money for granite won't pay off, but if you want granite, do it.

Sparky617 said:

Neither one will give you a 100% return on the investment. That said, you have 5 years to enjoy them, so I'd do the one that will give you the most enjoyment for your buck. I'd probably opt for the kitchen first as you spend more time there than a bathroom. Don't over improve though if you're planning on selling in 5 years. A $40K kitchen in a $150K house will not recoup anywhere close to what you put into it. If your neighbors all have laminate counters spending the extra money for granite won't pay off, but if you want granite, do it.

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In my forever house, I would be very picky with the finishes. This is a modest house in a modest neighbourhood. So, it will be laminate. It can still be a nice laminate.

swimmer_spe said:

In my forever house, I would be very picky with the finishes. This is a modest house in a modest neighbourhood. So, it will be laminate. It can still be a nice laminate.

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Good plan. You don't want to over-improve your house. It can help you sell it very quickly, but it won't bring in a good rate of return. No one is going to pay 2x the neighborhood comparables for a house.

Sparky617 said:

Good plan. You don't want to over-improve your house. It can help you sell it very quickly, but it won't bring in a good rate of return. No one is going to pay 2x the neighborhood comparables for a house.

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Exactly. Both rooms need to be done. I am not looking at getting top dollar, I am just thinking if I clean them up with new stuff, what will give me more bang.

So post some photos of both rooms.

Mind the mess

Bathroom:

Kitchen




... which is worse?

1967 called and wants their bathroom back.:thbup:

nealtw said:

1967 called and wants their bathroom back.:thbup:

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House was built in 1972....

Measure the tub is that a 60 x 30?

nealtw said:

Measure the tub is that a 60 x 30?

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It is 59x31

swimmer_spe said:

It is 59x31

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If you measure right at the ends, is it still 31.

I would start with the bathroom.

nealtw said:

If you measure right at the ends, is it still 31.

I would start with the bathroom.

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I measured at the ends.

Why do you suggest it over the kitchen?

Old bathrooms just bring up thoughts of mold and grungy dirt after 40 years. Then you look at holes in walls.

And if you are doing the work yourself and look for bargains, easy to do a budget.

nealtw said:

Old bathrooms just bring up thoughts of mold and grungy dirt after 40 years. Then you look at holes in walls.

And if you are doing the work yourself and look for bargains, easy to do a budget.

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That does sound like best bang for buck. I can collect the fixtures and eventually do it once I have everything. Less of an apparent hit to the wallet.

swimmer_spe said:

That does sound like best bang for buck. I can collect the fixtures and eventually do it once I have everything. Less of an apparent hit to the wallet.

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The kitchen will at least need new doors and re configuration of the cupboards and at most all new.

nealtw said:

The kitchen will at least need new doors and re configuration of the cupboards and at most all new.

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I plan to swap where the fridge ans stove are. Which means new electrical.

swimmer_spe said:

I plan to swap where the fridge ans stove are. Which means new electrical.

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and hood vent

In the kitchen; There are adapters available at hdw. stores that will thread into your faucet and allow you to connect your existing DW.

Is the hood vented to the exterior, or recirculating?

What is the orfice to the left of the range?

When you relocate those appliances you can either reverse the refer doors, add another cabinet to the left of the refer or relocate the DW, giving a resting place for Items removed from the refer

Adding a shelf unit, or shelves between the upper and the relocated hood upper allows you to maintain access to the corner base cabinets.

Instead of new doors, you could relocate the lower hrdw. patch and paint.

As for the bath; If you can live with it, wait until you are ready to sell, then spruce it up, paint it up, have have the tub refinished and move on.