You've probably heard this saying before: Kitchens and bathrooms sell houses. Kitchens and bathrooms do help sell houses. In fact, the National Association of Realtors estimates that a homeowner can expect to recoup 70-75% of the costs of renovating a bathroom or kitchen. And that's good, because kitchens and bathroom renovations are also notoriously expensive. In 2023, a midrange bathroom remodel cost, on average, a little over $27K.
Every homeowner who wants to boost their property value hopes to hit the sweet spot — where they get the most bang for their buck. And if there's one thing we wish every seller knew, it would be that their local custom glass shop can help them do just that! There are a number of glass-related projects that can help you add impressive style and function to your home without having to make more expensive changes, like altering your floor plan.
Of course, every real estate market is a little bit different. And so what may make the most sense in one area of the country may not be as big of a draw in another. So in this blog, we'll also include tips from some of our local Central Minnesota real estate agents!
What Puts the Most Value on Your House?
Farm Bureau Financial recently published five things that add the most value to homes.
- Kitchen improvements
- Bathroom improvements
- Lighting improvements
- Energy-efficient improvements
- Curb appeal improvements
A custom glass expert can help you enhance all of these, which is why realtors will often refer their sellers to a shop like ours before moving forward with a listing.
"I've seen firsthand how quickly a glass professional can transform a space. From updating windows to installing custom shower enclosures, small improvements with glass can make a huge difference in the look, feel, and value of a home, often times with minimal investment. For homeowners looking to make impactful upgrades, glass is a fantastic place to start."
Low Cost/High Impact Kitchen Improvements
Add the word "custom" to anything, and a lot of people might assume it will be expensive. But custom glass is often a relatively inexpensive way to achieve stunning transformations. Here are just a few projects to consider.
Refreshed Cabinetry
If your cabinets are in relatively good condition, you can save quite a bit of money by just replacing the fronts, adding a coat of paint, and updating the hardware. Muted tones, especially darker greens and blues, are very popular. But you might notice something interesting if you're looking for design inspiration: One clever way designers are using these tones without making spaces look smaller and darker is by inserting glass panels, which can either be completely transparent or patterned to obscure what's inside.
And if you're wondering, yes, we can easily do this with freestanding furniture as well as cabinets.
"Glass cabinetry is not very common and can really add value in kitchens as a display or accent cabinet. Glass upgrades are usually in higher-end homes, home bars, and gyms."
Open Shelving
Adding more storage space to kitchens is always appealing, but open shelving can also be a great way to feature beautiful serveware, cookbooks, plants, and more. You've got plenty of options when it comes to shelving, but if you're not planning to redo your entire kitchen, glass shelving can coordinate with a wider variety of décor.
Quick Bathroom Transformations
Want to make a smaller bathroom appear bigger and airier? That's another job for your custom glass shop. They do make pre-fab kits that you can install yourself, but unfortunately, unless your shower bay is standard and all of your walls are perfectly plumb, a custom solution will save you quite a bit of time and frustration.
Custom Glass Showers
This should come as no surprise, but adding a glass shower can be a great way to add value! Depending on the quality of the shower, expect it to add 5-10%. But that's not the only thing that gets realtors excited about this upgrade: Listings that include bathrooms with glass shower doors get more clicks and interest. And competition has a way of driving up prices and shortening the sales process.
Installing a glass shower often takes less than a day, and depending on the styles and hardware you choose, there are plenty of ways that your local glass shop can help you achieve a high-end result for less.
Custom Wall Mirrors
Oversized custom mirrors are another relatively inexpensive way to add style and function to any space, including, for example, a small guest bathroom. In addition to helping brighten up darker rooms, the shape of your mirror can also help you add softer curves to a bathroom that appears boxy or make old-fashioned tile appear fresher and more intentional. Want more specifics? Local interior designer Jessica Soldner offers more specific tips on shape, size, and more in this blog.
We also had our realtors weigh in:
"It is a great selling point to tell a potential buyer that the seller has cared enough about the home to update their bathrooms with high-end glass showers or mirrors. Buyers see the quality as indicative of the home, and view the home in higher esteem."
Adding Light, Energy Efficiency, and Curb Appeal
Your realtor will probably tell you to update any outdated lighting in common areas like kitchens and entryways. But natural light is always attractive to buyers. You probably don't spend much time actually looking at your windows, but your buyers will!
A double-pane window can last 20-25 years, but that depends on the quality of the window and the climate. If the last time you bought windows, you went with the cheapest option, and you live in Central Minnesota or another state with harsh weather, they may need replacing in ten.
How Much Value Do Windows Add to a House?
It depends on the window, but high-quality, energy-efficient windows are likely to give you a return on your investment of 61.2-68.5%.
Of course, windows, like many home products, have become much more expensive in recent years. And you tend to get what you pay for. But we'd always recommend Energy Star-certified windows with whole unit U-factor and Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) ratings. If you're in the market, we've also got more window shopping tips.
Cheaper Ways Your Glass Pro Can Help Increase Curb Appeal
Professional landscaping and new decks are nice, but if your windows aren't in great condition, that's probably where you should focus your attention as well as your budget.
1. Window Repair
If you have a broken pane or notice condensation between the glass, but the frame and sash are still in good condition, your glass pro might be able to repair your window instead of replacing the whole thing. A lot of homeowners don't know this, but window repairs are much less expensive than buying new ones.
And if you have any broken panes, repairs might not be optional.
"Some sellers might not realize this, but any cracked or broken windows could delay the closing date. These types of repairs will need to be taken care of prior to the inspection."
Windows with broken panes or other obvious issues are red flags to home inspectors because they can be a sign of more serious structural problems.
So, in addition to broken glass, a thorough inspector will often check to make your windows don't:
- Make it too difficult to open and close them
- Have broken or malfunctioning locks
- Let in air or water from the outside
2. Screen Repair
Torn, warped, and sagging screens are an eyesore, but they're relatively cheap to fix. And for such a small home maintenance issue, they tend to cause a surprising amount of friction between buyers and sellers. Buyers will often insist that a seller either has them repaired prior to the sale or offers a significant credit.
These types of back-and-forths on relatively small issues tend not to be worth it. So we'd advise any homeowner with torn screens to just bite the bullet and get them fixed before listing their home.
Additional Ways Glass Can Add a Lot of Value to a House
There are also a few out-of-the-box ways glass can be used to make otherwise costly renovations far more reasonable.
Adding a Home Office
The go-to spot for adding a home office is often the attic, but an attic renovation can cost $50,000. Dividing an extra-long basement room with a glass partition wall can create the separation and privacy you need for much less without making your layout look choppy.
"Post pandemic, we have seen that a home with a dedicated home office space has become a valued and sought-after commodity, increasing the value of the home." — Robert Berdahl, Edina Realty
Creating a Home Gym
Got an under-used or oddly shaped room in the basement? Ask your local glass pro to add a mirrored wall, add a bit of paint, and presto! You now have a home gym space to add to your listing.
How To Find a Good Custom Glass Shop
Glass pros won't have the same kinds of certifications as other specialized contractors like electricians or plumbers. So if you're shopping around online, it can be difficult to make an informed decision just by looking at a shop's website. But if they've been in the business for quite some time and they have good reviews, those are both great signs!
We're fortunate in that we're a third-generation family business that's been around since 1953. Realtors and homeowners already tend to know about us, and we've also spent quite a bit of time working shoulder-to-shoulder with other contractors in the area.
One of the best parts about working in a smaller community is that if you consistently produce high-quality work, it tends to speak for itself. But if you don't have a go-to custom glass shop yet, or if you need to make additional updates to your home, we recently put together a complete guide to making home renovations less stressful, including some tips on how to find the right contractors.
Click the link below to get your copy!