Redoing a kitchen and bathroom makes it easier to sell your house with new cabinets, sinks and more exciting countertops, but an outdoor living remodel is a good investment, too.

Every year Remodeling Magazine puts out a Cost vs. Value Report of household improvements. In 2022, the magazine said a $28,000 remodel of a kitchen can recoup about 71 percent of its value when a house is sold.

The study also reported the value of a backyard patio would add more than $12,000 to a home’s resale value for about 64 percent of what it cost. Compare that to a bathroom that only re-coups 56% of what it costs.

More good news from the National Association of Realtors in a report that said adding a patio of some kind for $6,400 could recover 102 percent of its value, a $4,500 fire pit could recover 78 percent, and an outdoor gas fireplace priced at $13,300 could recover 60 percent of what the homeowners spent in all.

Outdoor living is a “living” space, with sofas and furniture looking more and more like the furniture inside the house. People even add outdoor cooking with storage cabinets and cooking equipment.

Here are some tips about doing a successful backyard remodel no matter how cheap or expensive your plans are:

1 | Location, Location, Location

Think carefully about the location of the outdoor “kitchen,” says Jay Harper of Harper’s Nursery in Scottsdale. You probably want a shade structure over the barbecue; and you NEED shade for the dining table. A covered patio or gazebo is highly desirable if not a necessity in warmer climates.

2 | Keep Your Kitchens Close

Don’t place the cooking area too far away from the real kitchen in your house, Harper also says. You don’t want to run miles back to your indoor kitchen for dishes or food you forgot or if you’re taking dishes to the dishwasher after a meal.

3 | Investing In Appliances

Think twice about investing in lots of appliances for outdoor use. The best dishwashers, TVs and other devices are very pricey. Keeping appliances powered up in the summer is also costly. Refrigerators may run constantly in July and August.

4 | Don’t Forget the Kitchen Sink

Even if you don’t put in a dishwasher, you want a sink to provide cold water for washing hands and doing some clean-up jobs. A sink is also important for a bar area or counter. You need it to dump ice and liquids when refilling drinks.

5 | Light Up Your Night

If you’re dining outside at night, extra lighting on pathways and around the dining and cooking areas is desirable. Bistro lights also add a nice touch.

6 | Natural Gas Requires Special Attention

If you need natural gas for a grill or new electric lines or plumbing pipes, hire a licensed electrician or plumber. That also means you need to get a building permit. If permanent gas lines are too costly, consider installing a cabinet with a propane tank inside to use for a fire pit or fireplace.

If you have any questions about financing a remodel, contact E5 Home Loans. Even if you already have a quote, call us for a Second Opinion. E5 Home Loans shops for the best products across many lenders and we don’t charge a bunch of crazy fees.

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Source: Rosie on the House