The Home Renovations That Make the Most Sense in 2022

Personalize Your Outdoor Space

Do you know what people like better than gathering in the kitchen? Gathering in an outdoor kitchen, weather permitting. The relatively mild climate in the South Atlantic and East South Central regions are ideal for creating a backyard oasis. An outdoor kitchen with a water source, grill, and maybe even a pizza oven create a fantastic space that you, your family, and guests can enjoy practically year-round.

Other features to improve and best utilize your outdoor area include adding a fireplace or fire pit, and putting in raised beds to grow a vegetable, herb, or flower garden. You can make the most of your renovated yard by outfitting your new space with items such as an outdoor dining table, outdoor lighting, a set of lawn chairs to view a movie screen, and an outdoor heater.

The cost

The cost for an outdoor kitchen depends on the job.4 A basic outdoor kitchen costs between $2,000 and $10,000, and a luxury outdoor kitchen could cost between $50,000 and $100,000. The difference between the two is in materials used for flooring, counters, type of appliances, types of products chosen, and job scope.

Nationally, if you spend about $14,000 on an outdoor kitchen, you should recoup about 71% of your costs.5 If you spend over $50,000, you should recoup about 55% of your costs.

Trick Out a Mudroom

The mudroom, a feature traditionally found in northern locales because of the often-inclement weather, is trending in 2022 for all homes, whether the homes have an existing mudroom or not. Having a dedicated space for necessary items that tend to clutter a home makes a home look more organized. It's a place for items such as backpacks, shoes, jackets, mail, keys, hats, gloves, and pet accessories.

If you don't already have a mudroom, you can turn existing space into one. Ideal places are near the entrance or exit to your home, such as near or in the garage, next to the front or side door, or near the laundry area. You can also convert a closet to a mudroom or add a mudroom to the basement.

If you don't have the space to convert an area to a mudroom, you could add a mudroom as an exterior addition to the home.

Coveted mudroom features include:

• A cubbyhole-type of storage space.
• Hooks.
• Durable flooring such as luxury vinyl tile, engineered hardwood, tile, cork, slate, or brick.
• A seating area such as a bench with storage underneath for shoes.
• A pet-washing station.

The cost

Nationally, mudrooms cost between $8,000 and $16,000. Building an addition to the home should cost around $30,000.6 While there is no data on how much value a mudroom will add to your home, it can't hurt when the time comes to sell. Potential buyers notice functional details that make a home more livable, so it will likely help your home show better when the time comes.

Creating a Home Office or Flex Room

Both home offices and flex rooms are trending; if you have the space, you can create two rooms. Otherwise, you can combine the two. Dedicating a work-from-home area includes a functional space where you can be as (or more) efficient than you could be at the office. Choosing a quiet area of the home is ideal. Equip your home office with everything you need to get your job done and design it with enough storage to keep it organized.

Flex rooms allow rooms to change based on how you intend to use them. For example, you could create a yoga studio that you can easily transform into a children's playroom or an adult game room.

The cost

The cost of creating a home office or a flex room, assuming you aren't building an addition to the home, depends on furnishings. To furnish a home office, for instance, it could cost between $8,000 and $15,000.7

By deciding how you want to live in your home and understanding the costs involved, you can make informed decisions on whether you want to improve your home and, if so, what those improvements might entail.