Instead of a full-scale remodel, small upgrades like soft-close hinges can add real value to one's home
Some dream renovation projects, such as heated driveways and expensive countertops, might not help a home's resale value and can instead be a waste of money, experts say.
When a flood knocked Justin O'Neill's kitchen out of commission in 2022, he and his wife decided to use the opportunity to do a full remodel. Little did they know it would turn into a four-year saga that would cost them tens of thousands of dollars and devolve into a legal battle between their insurance company and the contractor's.
"I desperately regretted doing this kitchen renovation," O'Neill, a Seattle homeowner and a public-relations expert, told MarketWatch. Instead of fixing parts of the kitchen, a full remodel has kept it out of commission far longer than they anticipated. The renovations are still ongoing.
When the first leak sprung in 2022, the remodeling project was funded partly by insurance. The homeowners also put in between $35,000 to $40,000 because they wanted to update the older kitchen on top of making the insurance-covered repairs. The kitchen was mostly finished two years later in 2024 when subcontractors damaged a pipe, which set them back again. The leak wasn't visible to the eye: They realized there was a problem when the floors started buckling.
They were back to square one. But now, on top of the construction work, their insurance company was taking legal action against the contractors, and O'Neill was spending even more time to find yet another contractor to fix the new damage. He was emotionally spent, he told MarketWatch.
"The regret is we probably should have hired the right people, and not taken on such a huge project. It's just been so much," he said.
Some homeowners like O'Neill are spending up to tens of thousands of dollars on their homes to upgrade them, only to end up having second thoughts over the entire project.
Remodeling a home, or even just a part of it, is expensive. Kitchen renovations are the most common type of remodel, and they're usually the priciest, with homeowners spending a median of $24,000 on kitchen projects in 2025, according to the 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study. The median spend on renovating a primary bathroom was about $15,000. Even a home-office renovation can be about $2,000, the company found.
Renovations have become more popular over the last few years. That's in part because people who have rock-bottom interest rates on their home loans are reluctant to give them up, so instead of moving to another home, they're upgrading the one they have. In February, the National Association of Home Builders said that it expects the remodeling market to grow in the coming years because of this so-called lock-in effect, as well as aging housing stock.
Business has been humming along, Brian Keeler at renovation company West Shore Homes told MarketWatch. With "interest rates the way they are, people aren't giving up that 2.75% or 3% mortgage rate. I don't blame them," he said. "And so we have been very, very busy throughout the country."
But sometimes, remodeling leaves homeowners with a sour taste in their mouth and wishing they'd skipped the project entirely.
Which renovations do people regret the most? And which projects offer the biggest bang for the buck? MarketWatch spoke to homeowners, remodeling experts, real-estate agents and interior designers to find out.
The bottom line: A significant renovation isn't always worth the time and hassle. Simple upgrades like replacing cheap doors with sturdier ones and switching out hinges can actually go a long way in enhancing a home's appeal to future buyers.
The renovation regrets
Spending too much money on high-end countertops, like marble
Why do homeowners regret it? Certain types of marble might not be able to withstand the standard wear and tear of family life. Spending a "ton of money on marble ... [becomes] a very costly mistake or regret" that some people have, Michelle Linn, an interior designer based in Hinsdale, Ill., told MarketWatch, if "they are not used to the staining or the etching or the scratching."
What they could have done instead: Homeowners who have young kids or expect a lot of wear and tear are better off using quartz or quartzite, Linn suggested, which is more durable and easier to take care of.
Splurging on high-end appliances that are too technical for their lifestyle
Why do homeowners regret it? Some specialized luxury European kitchen ranges can retail for around $17,000 for a basic model and go up to $100,000, while high-end coffee makers can cost around $5,000. While some people have the interest and patience to figure out how these expensive appliances work, others don't understand the long-term maintenance and costs associated with owning them, Linn said.
She's also encountered people who own expensive coffee machines even though they don't even drink coffee. In other words, people may think they want trendy appliances, but they sometimes have lots of bells and whistles they don't end up using.
What they could've done instead: Either choose appliances that are relatively easy to operate, or learn how to use and maintain them.
Super-dark hardwood floors
Why do homeowners regret it? Dark floors require extensive maintenance. "Every scratch, every ounce of dust, every pet hair shows up on it," Linn said. "They're just hard to maintain."
What they could've done instead: Opt for lighter colors that are more forgiving, or get used to sweeping or vacuuming your floors more often.
Heated bathroom floors and heated driveways
Why do homeowners regret it? Repairing them is a pain. Homeowners have to rip up their whole bathroom or driveway if something goes wrong with their heated floors, Christian Perry, a Greenwich, Conn.-based real-estate agent, told MarketWatch. So it begs the question: "Is the juice worth the squeeze?"
Heated driveways cost anywhere from $4,800 and $15,000 to install, and an additional $50 to $300 per month in utility bills to operate, according to HeatTrak, a company that manufactures heated snow- and ice-melting mats.
What they could've done instead: For driveways, spend that money on a good landscaper or pay someone to plow the drive, Perry said, since the goal of a heated driveway is to get rid of snow.
Trying to cut costs on labor
Why do homeowners regret it? Even though people are willing to spend $5,000 on a toilet, they end up hiring a plumber who doesn't install it properly, which becomes an expensive mistake, Linn said. People are "always looking to save a dollar on labor, but in the long run of things, it usually comes back to bite them," she said.
Don't be stingy and try to undertake heavy-duty jobs yourself, another expert advised. One homeowner who tried to take out a steel bathtub and replace it with a shower ended up using the wrong tools for the job, gashed their calf and had to get stitches, said Keeler of West Shore Homes. "For the steel tub, a lot of times you'd have to cut it and use very specific tools," he noted.
What they could've done instead: Ask around for good contractors who people are happy with, rather than seeking a cheap one online. Also get one that is licensed and insured. In many states, you can look up a contractor's credentials and complaints against them in government-run databases for free.
The upgrades that actually enhance a home's value
On the flip side, which renovations or upgrades have the highest impact on resale value? And what type of upgrades have the best return on investment?
Certain features can boost a home's sale price. Homes with specific amenities such as outdoor fireplaces and finishes that make the house move-in ready fetched a sale price that was 5.4% higher than expected, or an additional $19,500 on the typical home, real-estate platform Zillow (Z) $(ZG)$ found.
For instance, waterside homes with a boat dock sell for 5.4% more than expected, the company found, and an outdoor kitchen can boost the sales price by 4.4%. An outdoor shower boosts the price by 4.3%, and outdoor fireplaces add 2.8%.
Here's what the experts said:
Upgrade the kitchen cabinets - particularly to soft-close hinges
Updated kitchens and bathrooms go a long way toward appealing to future buyers. "We always recommend [renovating] the kitchen and bathrooms," Eli Moyal, founder of design and renovation company Chapter, told MarketWatch. "If the kitchens are very outdated or the bathrooms are outdated, those are things that we want to upgrade ... to make sure they're updated and look modern."
Having well-designed kitchen cabinets can help boost a home's appeal. One relatively simple upgrade is to invest in soft-close hinges and quality handles, experts advised. "The soft-close hinges ... [are] specifically what people are looking for," said Perry, the real-estate agent.
"Every time I go show a house with a buyer, in the kitchen, the first thing they'll do is they're opening doors and closing them," he added. "And if they slam shut - bam! - it's a turnoff. As opposed to one that closes [softly]."
Adding a mudroom
Either adding a mudroom to the house or improving an existing one can help sell the home down the line, experts said. "It takes so much visual clutter out of your space if you have a designated [area] for it," Linn said. "Everyone always asks if we can fit one in." The nook can be a good space to throw bags, shoes and even dog bowls, she noted. "Everyone wants a mudroom."
In parts of the U.S. where snow is common, a mudroom is a must, Perry said. You "absolutely need a mudroom," in the Northeast, since people walk in with snow and rain on their boots and need a place to drop off "sporty, sweaty, muddy, rainy, snowy" stuff.
Adding a mudroom can cost between $6,500 and $18,000, according to Angi, a home-services company.
Enhancing the outdoor space
MW They spent tens of thousands of dollars on home remodels - only to regret it
By Aarthi Swaminathan
Instead of a full-scale remodel, small upgrades like soft-close hinges can add real value to one's home
Some dream renovation projects, such as heated driveways and expensive countertops, might not help a home's resale value and can instead be a waste of money, experts say.
When a flood knocked Justin O'Neill's kitchen out of commission in 2022, he and his wife decided to use the opportunity to do a full remodel. Little did they know it would turn into a four-year saga that would cost them tens of thousands of dollars and devolve into a legal battle between their insurance company and the contractor's.
"I desperately regretted doing this kitchen renovation," O'Neill, a Seattle homeowner and a public-relations expert, told MarketWatch. Instead of fixing parts of the kitchen, a full remodel has kept it out of commission far longer than they anticipated. The renovations are still ongoing.
When the first leak sprung in 2022, the remodeling project was funded partly by insurance. The homeowners also put in between $35,000 to $40,000 because they wanted to update the older kitchen on top of making the insurance-covered repairs. The kitchen was mostly finished two years later in 2024 when subcontractors damaged a pipe, which set them back again. The leak wasn't visible to the eye: They realized there was a problem when the floors started buckling.
They were back to square one. But now, on top of the construction work, their insurance company was taking legal action against the contractors, and O'Neill was spending even more time to find yet another contractor to fix the new damage. He was emotionally spent, he told MarketWatch.
"The regret is we probably should have hired the right people, and not taken on such a huge project. It's just been so much," he said.
Some homeowners like O'Neill are spending up to tens of thousands of dollars on their homes to upgrade them, only to end up having second thoughts over the entire project.
Remodeling a home, or even just a part of it, is expensive. Kitchen renovations are the most common type of remodel, and they're usually the priciest, with homeowners spending a median of $24,000 on kitchen projects in 2025, according to the 2026 U.S. Houzz & Home Study. The median spend on renovating a primary bathroom was about $15,000. Even a home-office renovation can be about $2,000, the company found.
Renovations have become more popular over the last few years. That's in part because people who have rock-bottom interest rates on their home loans are reluctant to give them up, so instead of moving to another home, they're upgrading the one they have. In February, the National Association of Home Builders said that it expects the remodeling market to grow in the coming years because of this so-called lock-in effect, as well as aging housing stock.
Business has been humming along, Brian Keeler at renovation company West Shore Homes told MarketWatch. With "interest rates the way they are, people aren't giving up that 2.75% or 3% mortgage rate. I don't blame them," he said. "And so we have been very, very busy throughout the country."
But sometimes, remodeling leaves homeowners with a sour taste in their mouth and wishing they'd skipped the project entirely.
Which renovations do people regret the most? And which projects offer the biggest bang for the buck? MarketWatch spoke to homeowners, remodeling experts, real-estate agents and interior designers to find out.
The bottom line: A significant renovation isn't always worth the time and hassle. Simple upgrades like replacing cheap doors with sturdier ones and switching out hinges can actually go a long way in enhancing a home's appeal to future buyers.
The renovation regrets
Spending too much money on high-end countertops, like marble
Why do homeowners regret it? Certain types of marble might not be able to withstand the standard wear and tear of family life. Spending a "ton of money on marble ... [becomes] a very costly mistake or regret" that some people have, Michelle Linn, an interior designer based in Hinsdale, Ill., told MarketWatch, if "they are not used to the staining or the etching or the scratching."
What they could have done instead: Homeowners who have young kids or expect a lot of wear and tear are better off using quartz or quartzite, Linn suggested, which is more durable and easier to take care of.
Splurging on high-end appliances that are too technical for their lifestyle
Why do homeowners regret it? Some specialized luxury European kitchen ranges can retail for around $17,000 for a basic model and go up to $100,000, while high-end coffee makers can cost around $5,000. While some people have the interest and patience to figure out how these expensive appliances work, others don't understand the long-term maintenance and costs associated with owning them, Linn said.
She's also encountered people who own expensive coffee machines even though they don't even drink coffee. In other words, people may think they want trendy appliances, but they sometimes have lots of bells and whistles they don't end up using.
What they could've done instead: Either choose appliances that are relatively easy to operate, or learn how to use and maintain them.
Super-dark hardwood floors
Why do homeowners regret it? Dark floors require extensive maintenance. "Every scratch, every ounce of dust, every pet hair shows up on it," Linn said. "They're just hard to maintain."
What they could've done instead: Opt for lighter colors that are more forgiving, or get used to sweeping or vacuuming your floors more often.
Heated bathroom floors and heated driveways
Why do homeowners regret it? Repairing them is a pain. Homeowners have to rip up their whole bathroom or driveway if something goes wrong with their heated floors, Christian Perry, a Greenwich, Conn.-based real-estate agent, told MarketWatch. So it begs the question: "Is the juice worth the squeeze?"
Heated driveways cost anywhere from $4,800 and $15,000 to install, and an additional $50 to $300 per month in utility bills to operate, according to HeatTrak, a company that manufactures heated snow- and ice-melting mats.
What they could've done instead: For driveways, spend that money on a good landscaper or pay someone to plow the drive, Perry said, since the goal of a heated driveway is to get rid of snow.
Trying to cut costs on labor
Why do homeowners regret it? Even though people are willing to spend $5,000 on a toilet, they end up hiring a plumber who doesn't install it properly, which becomes an expensive mistake, Linn said. People are "always looking to save a dollar on labor, but in the long run of things, it usually comes back to bite them," she said.
Don't be stingy and try to undertake heavy-duty jobs yourself, another expert advised. One homeowner who tried to take out a steel bathtub and replace it with a shower ended up using the wrong tools for the job, gashed their calf and had to get stitches, said Keeler of West Shore Homes. "For the steel tub, a lot of times you'd have to cut it and use very specific tools," he noted.
What they could've done instead: Ask around for good contractors who people are happy with, rather than seeking a cheap one online. Also get one that is licensed and insured. In many states, you can look up a contractor's credentials and complaints against them in government-run databases for free.
The upgrades that actually enhance a home's value
On the flip side, which renovations or upgrades have the highest impact on resale value? And what type of upgrades have the best return on investment?
Certain features can boost a home's sale price. Homes with specific amenities such as outdoor fireplaces and finishes that make the house move-in ready fetched a sale price that was 5.4% higher than expected, or an additional $19,500 on the typical home, real-estate platform Zillow (Z) (ZG) found.
For instance, waterside homes with a boat dock sell for 5.4% more than expected, the company found, and an outdoor kitchen can boost the sales price by 4.4%. An outdoor shower boosts the price by 4.3%, and outdoor fireplaces add 2.8%.
Here's what the experts said:
Upgrade the kitchen cabinets - particularly to soft-close hinges
Updated kitchens and bathrooms go a long way toward appealing to future buyers. "We always recommend [renovating] the kitchen and bathrooms," Eli Moyal, founder of design and renovation company Chapter, told MarketWatch. "If the kitchens are very outdated or the bathrooms are outdated, those are things that we want to upgrade ... to make sure they're updated and look modern."
Having well-designed kitchen cabinets can help boost a home's appeal. One relatively simple upgrade is to invest in soft-close hinges and quality handles, experts advised. "The soft-close hinges ... [are] specifically what people are looking for," said Perry, the real-estate agent.
"Every time I go show a house with a buyer, in the kitchen, the first thing they'll do is they're opening doors and closing them," he added. "And if they slam shut - bam! - it's a turnoff. As opposed to one that closes [softly]."
Adding a mudroom
Either adding a mudroom to the house or improving an existing one can help sell the home down the line, experts said. "It takes so much visual clutter out of your space if you have a designated [area] for it," Linn said. "Everyone always asks if we can fit one in." The nook can be a good space to throw bags, shoes and even dog bowls, she noted. "Everyone wants a mudroom."
In parts of the U.S. where snow is common, a mudroom is a must, Perry said. You "absolutely need a mudroom," in the Northeast, since people walk in with snow and rain on their boots and need a place to drop off "sporty, sweaty, muddy, rainy, snowy" stuff.
Adding a mudroom can cost between $6,500 and $18,000, according to Angi, a home-services company.
Enhancing the outdoor space
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