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You should renovate your home every 15 to 20 years

If you are looking around your home and wondering if it’s time to start renovating you home think about the length of time that it has been since the house was either been built or renovated last. If you come up with a number that comes close to 15 years then it might be time to renovate. There are certain areas of the house that will require renovating before others.

• Bathrooms. Bathrooms are used and abused. They are also the one room in your house most open to water damage that can cause mold and rot. Bathrooms are also one of the main areas in the house that are routinely done improperly by handymen and homeowners. With modern building techniques bathrooms have come a long way. Today’s bathrooms are drywalled in a mold and moisture resistance board. The importance of larger fans and HRV’s is well known now to keep excessive moisture from damaging the room. Bathroom trends change faster than any other room in the house. What is in style this decade was not in style last decade and this can make the bathroom looked dated. Also your life style changes will affect your bathroom usage, if you have young children then the function of your bathroom changes with the tub being used more than the shower. When the children become young adults then the shower becomes more important than the tub. Always think about the way you want your bathroom to function when you are thinking about renovating it.
• Kitchens. The kitchen in your house is the heart of the home. It will take more abuse than any other room. Nowhere else in the house does every single person visit at least twice a day and proceed to do something. Kitchen cabinets are opened more per day than any other cabinet in your whole house in a week. Kitchens need a face lift or a complete renovation with the changing times and trends. As your appliances have to be replaced before your kitchen will then you can end up with gaps where the new appliances don’t fit the exact same as the old ones. Kitchens are the usually the first room that your guests will visit when coming into your home. The kitchen will set the tone for the whole house. A lot of kitchens are not just for food prep anymore, there a gathering place for family’s with spaces to eat meals and do homework.
• Laundry rooms. Laundry rooms or mudrooms are not just a place to do the laundry, they are a place where countless items are stored and countless people will come and go. They take a lot of abuse especially if you have kids and pets.
• Rec rooms. Rec rooms have fallen out of favour in new homes, instead of having a room that is designated as a multipurpose space; people want every part of their house to be a defined space. The rec room has been transformed into a games room, or a media room, a movie room or a several smaller defined spaces instead of one large open empty one.
• Master bedroom. Master Bedrooms have been changed into a personal oasis for the homeowner, a place to get away from everyone else. So master bedrooms now have fireplaces, TV’s mounted on the wall with full surround sound and a lot of light that is put on dimmers to help create any mood that you want.
• Windows. A lot of low end or inexpensive windows that were installed two decades ago need their windows replaced. Seals go and allow air and water penetration. A lot of the time when windows are replaced rot is found and has to be repaired. Caulking around windows usually only lasts 15 years, even if you don’t replace all the windows you should take the time to re-caulk them.
• Exterior finishes. Siding, brick or stucco should be either replaced, repaired, repainted or touched up when you are renovating your home. This will help the property value, it will insure that you do not have any leaks were caulking could have failed and allows you to repair any area’s before they get to bad to repair.

The average Canadian will only own a house for 7 years. That means that there will be two to three owners between renovations in a 15 to 20 year period. If the average home is only owned for 7 years and then sold that means that renovating your home will raise your property value when you decide to sell.

Since home inspectors have become the norm when people are looking into buying your house it goes a long way to satisfying people’s concerns when you are able to tell them that the house was renovated by a professional.

Also there is very little education or accreditation to become a home inspector. More than once has Village Builders come to the defence of one of their past clients because a home inspector was confused by something and gave a false report jeopardizing the potential sale of a house. A professional contractor will not charge you for any of this after the fact because it’s part of their reputation of quality work that was completed properly and within the parameters of the building code.

So remember if you are wondering if your home needs to be renovated, do a little math and if the number comes in at 15 years or above then it is definitely time to renovate.