Beech Tree News Network

I like HGTV because I enjoy watching their home improvement programs. When we choose our homes, we tend to choose the ones that best meet our needs. But, we may also recognize some areas that could be improved.

Many choose to make home improvements rather than to move. The American Housing Survey (AHS), jointly administered by the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, tracks home improvements. For reporting, AHS excluded regular maintenance (preventive care) from home improvements. Based on the survey data during 2009-2011, homeowners spent $359 billion for improvements with over half of the homeowners (57%) making some kind of improvement. Homeowners spent an average of $3,200 on their improvements. Sixty-three percent of the home-improvement projects were done by professionals, while 37% were do-it-yourself projects (http://census.gov/library/infographics/home_improvements.html).

I wondered how others would choose to make changes to their homes. So, I asked friends and family: if you had no barriers, what would you change or add to your house? Their responses are below:
•    With no barriers, we would build a smaller house in Indy and one in Colorado as well.
•    A new 3,500 square-foot house! You said no barriers.
•    I would completely redo my house. I would open it up, put in hardwood floors and a new kitchen, including cabinets and an island. I would also redo both bathrooms. I would either knock out a wall to turn two bedrooms into one with a huge walk-in closet and a sitting area or just add on a bigger bedroom with an ensuite bathroom. I would get a professional’s opinion of what needed to be done and go from there. It’s not going to happen though. I’m too old to deal with the mess, not to mention the expense. It is nice to dream though.
•    I would redo quite a few things in my house. I would gut my bathroom and kitchen and redo everything. I would add a screen porch at my back door and tear out the front part of my house to put in a real front porch.
•    I would add a basement, add on to our bedrooms, and add a huge laundry room with lots of hanging space and shelves.
•    The one I’m building would have had an upstairs with an extra bedroom, bathroom and a play area for my children and possibly a basement, too.
•    A finished basement with an elevator for all three floors, landscaping with a terraced garden and with water features, and a custom shop for projects.
•    A full basement, bigger closets, separate pantry and laundry room, a couple of extra bedrooms, a bigger dining area and living room.
•    Larger rooms and everything on one floor.
•    I’d like a sidewalk to my deck, a fire pit and landscaping – simply to enhance what I already have.
•    A nursery and a wrap-around porch.
•    A finished basement with four bedrooms.
•    A new kitchen and a swimming pool.
•    I would put in a double oven, a walk-in tile shower in our master bath, and have a three-car garage instead of a two-car garage.
•    If possible, I would have an in-ground pool, a sunroom, a bigger laundry room, and a basement.

Since I live in an old farmhouse, if I had no barriers to remodeling, I would soon develop a long list of home-improvement projects.  Even though I like the character of my house, some improvements would be welcome. But, expense is definitely a barrier. Maybe HGTV would take a volunteer.