Northern Virginia home remodeling (Manassas, Gainesville: hardwood floors, fit in, renters)

[globetrotters93]

Hello,

I would truly appreciate anybody's help who knows the Northern Virginia area and a bit about remodeling trends there. We own a house in the Ashburn Village (built in '94) but have never lived in it due to an overseas job assignment. We are returning this summer and would like to make some changes....specifically get rid of carpeting and put in either harwood or laminate flooring. Also, modernize the kitchen a bit.

Unfortunately this house will only be "home" to us for the next five or six years...so we need to get the most out of our remodeling expenses when it comes time to sell down the line. We don't want to put in too "high end" things if these items wouldn't make a difference in the selling price or what people would want. In regards to choosing colors,flooring...my taste may not be everybody else's so I'd like to choose things that will appeal to the vast majority. Can somebody please answer the following...

1. What are the trends in the Ashburn Village area, specifically on flooring? Our house is worth about $550.000 and we would like to rip out the carpeting and put in either hardwood or somethiing like Pergo or Wilsonart? Any color suggestions for the wood/laminate? We know the hardwood floors appeal to most people, but we have a med size dog and two teenagers. Would putting in high end laminate turn away potential buyers in this area? Also, would putting in ceramic tile in the kitchen make a difference?

2. Kitchen remodeling- we currently have laminate countertops and would like to replace with granite...want to make sure this expensive purchase would be worth it? Also in regards to new appliances...would stainless steel a good choice?

3. Since we don't know anybody in the area and therefore can't ask for personal recommendations are we better off going with the big guns like Loews or Home Depot or one of the flooring type places you see in strip malls...or finding some contractor in the yellow pages?

Thanks so much for taking the time to help me!

[5stones]

Since I bought in Loudoun Co recently and looked at houses in Ashburn I'll give you my OPINION.

1) I would go with the Hardwood. Resale would be much better. laminate is good for small areas (laundry kitchen etc...) but look cheap when you see the entire downstairs done that way.
Teenages won't have the wear and tear as young children with toys etc... make a no shoes in house rule.
Dog...keep the nails trimmed and buy some big area rugs. (you can alos have the nails capped with plastic tips)

Most of the places in the 500k region there will have hardwood. even the TH almost all we looked at did. Brazillian Cheery is big here and it looks beautiful but it's expensive. Look at Lumber Liquidators for good pricing.

2)Yes for the Granite...but do it right away. So you the most bang for your buck and get to enjoy it. Again look for a liquidation company that might be selling out of last years colors.
Kitchen and Baths are huge for potential buyers. updating hte master bath wiht new cabinets and faucets etc... getting rid of the big "hollywood" mirrors and updating lighting.

Stainless steel...I question this. yes they look beautiful and lots of places will have them but thye are a ***** to keep clean. All new matching apliances in black may be a more reasonable way. I defer this one so someone else.

3)I would try to find someone local who can contract the job for you. LOWES and HOME DEPOT are expensive to work with and I have had bad expirence in PA with HomeDepot doing a kitchen counter tops. Try and find a resource list (I think there is an online company) that rates contractors and such. But I can't remember it. I have a good painting crew that are fairly cheap and do a great job...after having renters in you may need to re-paint as well. pM if you wnat them.

Also changing out the light fixture all over the house will help update it and differeciate from the rest. Pretty inexpensive if you do it your self. We have done that in this house getting rid of all the "builder grade" shiney brass light fixtures! And it looks great.

[mdcrim]

You may want to check out the following forum:

http://www.broadlandshoa.org/hoaforum/

Broadlands is in Ashburn and there are some good referrals for contractors for various projects.

I am in Ashburn Farm, in a house built in 1990 w/ carpet/ formica and laminate floors. I know to be competitive if I ever go to sell, I will at the least get different counters and flooring in the kitchen.

Hope this info helps!

[DavidS827]

Check out this site. http://www.realtor.org/rmomag.NSF/files/Cost_vs_Value06.pdf/$FILE/Cost_vs_Value06.pdf
It's not an exhaustive list, but has some pretty useful information. Also, if you have the time and patience, I suggest looking into subbing everything out. If you were to redo your kitchen, find one guy to do the cabinets, one to do the flooring, one for the lighting, ect. You will be amazed at how much you can save by doing this. I know several people that have done this when refinishing their basements and saved about $25k. It did take a little longer to finish and they had to find the poelpe themselves, but the end result was well worth it.

[saganista]

Originally Posted by 5stones

1) I would go with the Hardwood. Resale would be much better.

Absolutely. Hardwood has no equal. M&M Floors in Manassas have a good selection and a very good reputation.

Originally Posted by 5stones

2)Yes for the Granite...Kitchen and Baths are huge for potential buyers. Stainless steel...I question this. yes they look beautiful and lots of places will have them but thye are a ***** to keep clean. All new matching apliances in black may be a more reasonable way. I defer this one so someone else.

I question whether the popular passion for either granite or stainless is going to continue. How long will people be willing to pay just so they can feel like they're Puck or Emeril? Black is indeed one way to get away from s-s. Another is via frigo.com. They'll build a custom frame (for fridges, etc.) that will let you drop a wood front in to match the hopefully very nice cabinetry. Very effective when done properly.

Originally Posted by 5stones

3)I would try to find someone local who can contract the job for you. LOWES and HOME DEPOT are expensive to work with and I have had bad expirence in PA with HomeDepot doing a kitchen counter tops.

You aren't alone. In almost any area, there will be actual people who are good enough at this sort of work that they don't need a Lowe's or a Home Depot to broker for them. Find those folks and talk to them. Most of the time, the bottom line doesn't come out very much different.

Originally Posted by 5stones

Also changing out the light fixture all over the house will help update it and differeciate from the rest. Pretty inexpensive if you do it your self. We have done that in this house getting rid of all the "builder grade" shiney brass light fixtures! And it looks great.

Agreed again. You can maybe get away with builder-grade cans, but for any sort of actual fixture that will convey, there is significant bang-for-the-buck to be had in an upgrade. Just don't go freaky and try to stay with a discounter. Shop the lighting boutiques, and they'll end up with all the profit instead of you...

[saganista]

Originally Posted by DavidS827

...I suggest looking into subbing everything out. If you were to redo your kitchen, find one guy to do the cabinets, one to do the flooring, one for the lighting, etc. You will be amazed at how much you can save by doing this. I know several people that have done this when refinishing their basements and saved about $25k. It did take a little longer to finish and they had to find the people themselves, but the end result was well worth it.

Very good advice. Pay yourself. The effective hourly rate can be quite astonishing. Exception, as you say, if it has to be done by a date certain. Then a contract with late fees in it might be the wiser way to go...

[HEATHER72]

Since we on the topic of home improvements, can anyone suggest a place that installs tumbled marble backsplashes in the kitchen? I'm in the Gainesville area. Please don't say TAC as they wanted $6000 for the job, with 80% of that being profit.

I also wanted the granite countertops, cherry cabinets and stainless steel appliances. I must have sucker written on my forehead! But the house we wound up buying has beige corian counters, maple cabinets, bisque colored appliances and oak hardwood floors.

[ashbrn4]

I live in Ashburn and know the current market pretty well. We built a new home 3 years ago. We and most of our neighbors put in hardwood floors. I would not use laminate because it's not seen as "high-end" enough by most buyers. I have dark cabinets, dark granite and black appliances. The builder tried to push stainless steel. I think it's trendy and they are a pain in the a** to keep clean. Fingerprints show up immeidately. You'll get the most return on the kitchen so it may cost a lot, but it'll be worth it. My guess is if your house is worth $550,000, it's not one of the bigger homes in Ashburn Village. Homes that are worth that today probably went for $210-$225 in '94. At one point 2 years ago, they were going for over $600,000, which tells me in 5-6 years, even with 2-3% increase per year you're talking a nice return. So, unless you've done something else with the equity, you have the ability to pay for the upgrades and still have plenty of equity left. The only way to overimprove around here is to build on a large addition and make your home a lot larger than your neighbors. Granite and hardwood aren't going to do that.

[LLD]

I watch HGTV a TON and keep up with most of the big trends. I've also been house hunting in Northern VA and also have a great realtor who knows the trends too.

Definitely hardwoord floors and you can go with tile in the bathrooms and even kitchen too. The trend right now is natural materials -- stone, granite, concrete, wood, etc... or things that look like natural materials.

To save a bit on money you can go with solid surfacing like Corian or you can use granite tiles instead of solid pieces of granite.

As to appliances, I know Stainless Steel is the big trend but yes they are tough to keep clean. They show every little fingerprint. I personally hate all black appliances but lots of people seem to like them. It just depends on your color scheme. I think some of the black and white and black and tan appliances are very good looking and don't cost nearly as much as stainless. Also I believe there is a "stainless steel look" finish that isn't true stainless that is easier to care for.

As to colors -- go with neutrals if you are thinking resell -- that's the best way and the most often recommended.

I can tell you I look at these houses and townhouse with "designer colors" and I think what the heck were these people thinking! It totally turns me away. And if the kitchens and baths aren't redone -- I pass on that house because there are way too many that have been nicely updated.

I also look for hardwood floors and absolutely hate carpet -- but that carpet bit is personal preference.

Bottom line, natural materials (or ones that look natural) and neutral color schemes are the basics. Kitchens and bathrooms can make or break a deal.

[tarp]

Of course, if you're smart you'll find a house that hasn't been updated, and needs some work, and buy it for a low price, then update it to your exact specifications. You'll come out ahead in almost every case.