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I am about to redo my shower so that we can sell our place in a couple of years and get most if not all of our money back (our place is very outdated so it should benefit more from a remodel than most homes on the market we believe). But we have to make a decision on if we should do a mud and tiled shower pan or if we should just go for an inexpensive white pre-made composite shower pan. I'm doing the work myself, so the cost is just materials, but I still want to recover our costs if possible when we sell it (we know it's a bit of a gamble, but we also just kind of want to try to remodel the place and enjoy it for maybe a year before we sell it). The pre-made shower pan is cheaper for us, but I'm concerned that prospective buyers may prefer a mud and tiled shower pan (maybe that makes the shower look more high-end). Which one should we do for resale purposes?
It depends on what is the norm in your area and price range. I lived in a 1960 small rancher where many homes were still owned by the original owners and hadn't been updated at all. I re-did the kitchen and bathroom, mainly for myself but knowing that I might have to sell in a few years. I didn't want to "over-improve" because I knew I'd never get my money back....but I wanted it to look good. So for example, I did IKEA cabinets in the kitchen with stainless appliances and a quartz countertop. Anyway, in the bathroom, I had done a nice double-vanity with granite countertop and rectangular undermount sinks. But for the tub area, I did a nice-quality fiberglass surround instead of tile. The tile was going to jack the price up, and the tub is hidden behind the shower curtain. Now if I had lived in one of the higher-end homes in my area, this would have never flown.
So when I sold a year later, I didn't get my money back on all this, but I did sell in one day. And at least I hadn't wasted more money on tile.
K'ledgeBldr, I've already read your previous post and understood it then and understand it now. I'm doing the labor myself so there are no labor costs, saving money where I can on materials, I've already seen how much these properties are going for in my area, I know what my property is currently worth in the state that it is, and I know it should go for significantly more with some upgrades. We already have created a strict budget. We should be able to make a profit on the remodel considering how much we are saving on materials and labor (heck I'm even building my own shaker style cabinets). I was trying to be a bit conservative in my earlier post when I said we are taking a gamble, but I don't think we will be in the negative after the property sells. I understand what you're saying, but in this case you don't understand the market for my area nor have you assessed the state our property is in or our financial situation as a whole... you're making that blanket statement regarding ROIs for the national market and/or the market for your area... not the market for my particular area taking into account the state our property is in. You'd have to know a lot more about our situation to assume we wouldn't make a positive ROI. In addition, we will also be living in the place for about a full year once the remodel is complete so we will get to enjoy the fruits of our labor for a bit, albeit a short while. And I kind of want to remodel it for fun. It's been a while since I've been able to get my hands dirty and sometimes you miss working on things. Even if the worst case scenario occurred where we ended up in the red we would be fine with it since portions of remodels can be fun, you learn a little bit, get some new tools in the process, and we get to live in our updated place for a while. I'm not trying to be rude, but you can't tell someone they won't make a profit on a remodel without knowing more details from them. I've barely posted anything about the state of my property, the area it's in, our budget, etc. This is my first time dealing with remodeling and selling a property, but I've been investing for over two decades and this remodel makes financial sense. If for some reason I'm way off on my numbers, I'll remember to PM you and tell you that you were right I'm all about learning, and this is also a learning experience for me which is why I don't mind doing the remodel.
With all that said, I can appreciate your words as I do think they are applicable to most properties. I just don't think they are applicable to my particular case.
And to Avalon08, you're thinking what I am thinking. I'm torn, because I want to build my own shower pan so I can try something new (done other things but never got a chance to build my own shower pan), but at the same time it's a bit more expensive to do that versus just buying a pre-made shower pan and it probably won't make that much of a difference to buyers. And in my area, pre-made shower pans are pretty common so it would be okay to go that route. I guess it all comes down to if I really want to build the shower pan for my own desires. The cost difference is about $150 between a pre-fab pan and a mud and tiled pan for me when I take into account all the tools/materials I'll need to buy for each. I'll just have to think about it I guess, I think either one is probably fine.
I am about to redo my shower so that we can sell our place in a couple of years and get most if not all of our money back (our place is very outdated so it should benefit more from a remodel than most homes on the market we believe). But we have to make a decision on if we should do a mud and tiled shower pan or if we should just go for an inexpensive white pre-made composite shower pan. I'm doing the work myself, so the cost is just materials, but I still want to recover our costs if possible when we sell it (we know it's a bit of a gamble, but we also just kind of want to try to remodel the place and enjoy it for maybe a year before we sell it). The pre-made shower pan is cheaper for us, but I'm concerned that prospective buyers may prefer a mud and tiled shower pan (maybe that makes the shower look more high-end). Which one should we do for resale purposes?
You are not going to get money back on a shower pan.
Do what would be expected in your area.
Getting your $$ back is always a gamble but I doubt the shower pan will make a difference either way. Are you planning on tiling the shower or using a one piece surround? That might be the ultimate difference, but not the pan itself.
Just do the prefab. Chances of something being done not quite right and causing issues down the road are minimal that way. Plus, the prefab pans are much easier to clean and maintain than dealing with tile and grout. Don't complicate it just for the sake of complicating it.
Yeah, I'm thinking the prefab makes more sense, but I guess I just wanted to learn how to do the tiled shower pan for fun. I guess I'll seriously consider doing the prefab and just save myself a few bucks and some time as well. And to answer a question posted, I will be tiling the surround. Thanks guys
Do the prefab now. When you decide to sell in a few years, redo it. Learn how to do the tiled shower pan for fun so that that next home owner has to deal with it if done wrong.
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I'm all about learning, and this is also a learning experience for me which is why I don't mind doing the remodel.
