Low Maintenance Remodeling Projects that Increase Your Home’s Value

If you’re like most homeowners, you’re probably interested in increasing your home’s property value. Whether you’re looking to list or hoping to increase your home equity, small remodeling projects can significantly increase your home’s value. 

However, not all remodeling projects are worth your time. Some remodeling projects aren’t worth their investment from an ROI perspective. Sometimes they require substantial budgetary and time commitments that most people just don’t have. 

Additionally, if you don’t plan your projects carefully, you could end up doing a home remodeling project that requires lots of ongoing maintenance. That’s another path you probably don’t want to go down. 

So, what types of remodeling projects are ideal? Which projects provide surefire ROIs, affordable upfront costs, and low maintenance upkeep? 

Here are seven examples of low maintenance remodeling projects that increase your home’s value. 

High Angle View Of A Worker Assembling New Laminate Floor

Let’s start outside the home. Your house’s exterior is the first impression that potential buyers have of your home. If it looks unappealing, you’ll have a hard time getting a fair price for your house.

Re-roofing your home should be one of the first projects you consider. Why? Well, studies indicate that a new roof boosts a home’s resale value by around $12,000. Additionally, re-roofing results in an ROI (return on investment) of roughly 68.4%. In other words, you should expect to recoup 68.4% of the price of re-doing your roof on the sale of your home.

However, since we’re looking for low-maintenance projects here, it’s important to look at your material options. While, asphalt, slate, tile, or wood roofs might seem nice, their upkeep can be rough.

Instead, consider re-doing your roof with metal. Metal roofing is energy-efficient, cost-effective, and incredibly low maintenance. If you aren’t a fan of the style of metal roofs, consider composite shingles instead. They’re another low-maintenance option for roofing.

Project #2: Re-Do Your Home’s Siding

After your roof, it’s crucial to address your home’s siding. Like the roof, it has a stellar ROI. Re-doing your siding results in an average 84.3% return on investment. So, it’s a worthy remodeling project if you’re looking for a high return.

There are a few low maintenance siding options out there. Fiber cement and steel siding are two of the best house siding options that are durable, low-maintenance, and long-lasting.

Natural stone and brick siding can also be relatively low maintenance, but the cost of those materials tends to run a bit higher. If you like how natural stone looks, check out fiber cement first, because it’s a cheaper alternative that boasts many of the same benefits.

Project #3: Add a Faux-Wooden Deck

There are a couple of compelling reasons to consider adding a deck. For one, 63% of architects surveyed say that more homebuyers are looking for their home’s to include outdoor living spaces. Secondly, research has proven that installing a wooden deck is one of the most cost-efficient ways to increase the property value of a mid-range home.

However, wood is not the most maintenance-friendly material. It can be cumbersome to maintain. Thankfully, the market for composite decking materials has come a long way. Now, you can get a faux wooden porch that looks fantastic- without all the maintenance headaches.

Project #4: Do a “Curb Appeal” Remodel

Even in the age of internet house shopping, curb appeal still matters. In fact, simply trimming up your shrubs, edging your lawn, power washing the outside of the home, and repainting the trim can add a cool 2-5% to your home’s value.

If you want to sell immediately, remember you want the outside of your home to be neutral and ubiquitously appealing. In other words, don’t paint your house a crazy color or add any flashy lights or decoration. Instead, focus on small improvements that can add up.

Additionally, for lower maintenance, consider hardscaping instead of landscaping. Hardscaping is using rocks, stones, pebbles, and gravel to create a visually appealing yard. In other words, you don’t have any plants or grass to maintain.

Project #5: Low-Maintenance Kitchen Remodel

Most realtors agree that it’s the kitchen and the bathroom that can make or break the sale of a home. However, these two rooms are notorious for eating up your budget. So, choose your projects wisely.

Focus on the focal areas like the cabinets and the countertops. Simply resurfacing your cabinets can give you a return of 73 cents on the dollar!

Aside from the cabinets, the countertop is an opportunity to make your kitchen awe-inspiring. Most people go for natural stone countertops.

Here’s the thing, though. Natural stone countertops are incredibly fussy and high maintenance. Thankfully, we have quartz. Quartz is an alternative to natural stone that has all the properties of natural stone countertops without any of the maintenance concerns.

Use your best judgment for all the other kitchen remodeling projects. If your fixtures look dingy, replace them. If your floors are out of whack, upgrade them. However, don’t feel like you need to do an HGTV-worthy kitchen revamp to list your home and get a good ROI.

Instead, focus on making it functional and visually appealing. Most importantly, don’t do any projects that require ongoing maintenance. If you keep laser-focused in your kitchen, you can make it look terrific, without breaking the bank.

Project #6: Re-Do the Floors with a Hardwood Alternative

People love hardwood floors. At least, they think they do. However, most people don’t know how much work hardwood floors are to maintain. If they knew, then they most likely wouldn’t be in such high demand.

Still, 90% of realtors agree that homes with hardwood flooring sell quicker than homes without hardwood floors. What’s the answer here? Do you get hardwood to appease buyers, or do you go with another material since you know the maintenance hang-ups?

Why not do both? Today’s vinyl and laminate faux hardwood floors are getting more and more convincing. The bonus is that they’re incredibly simple to maintain. So, give potential home buyers what they want and what they don’t even know they need: faux hardwood floors.

Project #7: Low-Maintenance Bathroom Swaps

People put a lot of attention to the bathroom. If your home’s bathrooms aren’t in good shape, you might want to invest in some upgrades. Like kitchens, bathroom remodels can get expensive quickly. Also, finding low-maintenance materials for the bathroom can be more difficult than you think.

Here are a few tips for your bathroom remodel.

Go with a quartz or solid surface for your countertop material. Any other material is going to be higher maintenance or low-quality.

Skip the chrome fixtures, because it’s impossible to keep them looking nice. Instead, go for steel or satin nickel.

Install a handheld showerhead. It’ll make future bathtub cleaning a breeze.

If you’re going for tile, go with porcelain.

Stay focused on what you need to improve and ignore the things that you don’t. Additionally, think about maintenance and upkeep when you choose any material for your bathroom remodel.

Start Doing Low Maintenance Remodeling Projects Today

Renovation interior with bright windows. 3D render

These are just seven examples of low-maintenance remodeling projects that will increase your home’s property value.

Ultimately, do a little research before you get started on any remodeling project. Check the ROI, look into the maintenance requirements, and don’t feel like you need to do anything that doesn’t make sense for your bottom line.

When it comes to increasing property value, it’s all about being wise and doing the projects that make sense long-term.

Matt Lee is the owner of the Innovative Building Materials blog and a content writer for the building materials industry. He is focused on helping fellow homeowners, contractors, and architects discover materials and methods of construction that save money, improve energy efficiency, and increase property value.