Ask WWGOA: Do Built-Ins Add Value to Your Home?

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Question:

I like built-ins; window seats, quality shelving and the like. Do these things add or take away from the sale value of a home? Is there a minimum standard: good, better, best for finish vs. paint?

Submitted by lpage

Answer:

I like adding my own woodworking projects to our home, but I’m not the expert you need in determining how it affects value. My intuition tells me that anything that is nicely built and sets your home slightly apart from others will help increase its value, but that’s just my opinion. Window seats and quality built-ins seem like good candidates for providing a unique appearance to your home.

Finish falls into the same ambiguous category for me. I love wood, and prefer a natural finish to paint whenever possible. However, I suppose paint-grade projects offer a prospective buyer the opportunity to change colors more readily than stained and sealed wood.

Your best bet would be to spend some time with a Realtor. My wife and I put a large addition on our home and as part of the process, had a Realtor walk through and make suggestions. Although we’re not looking at selling any time soon, her direction helped us make design decisions.

George

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4 Responses to “Ask WWGOA: Do Built-Ins Add Value to Your Home?”

  1. Steven Stimpson

    I plan to purchase some Festool-brand, Systainer container pull-out slides. If I am correct, you once offered plans for a cabinet for these, perhaps using five pull-out slides per cabinet. Am I correct, or is that another company's project plan?

  2. Daniel Johnson

    I am looking at a jointer, planer and dust collection system. I am looking at grizzly compared to powermatic. looking for input

  3. Mike

    Realtor opinion should not be overridding because it's based on making your home as much not you and not really anything. A well executed built in is more likely to add appeal to a buyer today, especially the young ones who more often have only one tool skill, their phone.

  4. abayneh worku derseh

    no comments