Diane Sabrio wasn’t really concerned about resale value when she and her husband decided to renovate their kitchen of their 32-year-old Shenandoah home.
The Sabrios chose a light wood color for their contemporary cabinets and a neutral sand color for the walls. They used Formica countertops (because it was affordable to replace if they didn’t like the light green color after it was installed) and were playful in putting in colored tiles for the backsplash.
“We did it to improve our life,” Sabrio says. “My husband loves to cook. It gave us more socializing area. We designed it and did it for our tastes and likes.”
The Sabrios are bucking a national trend. While bursting housing bubbles across the country have homeowners paring back kitchen renovations, apparently little can burst Baton Rouge’s bubble when it comes to kitchens.
“We’ve been steady and over the top several years now,” says Kathy Simoneaux, owner of Acadian House Kitchen and Bath Studio in Baton. Homeowners “want all the bells and whistles.”
Kitchen upgrades range from a new countertop to a new entertainment area encompassing an indoor kitchen, coffee bar, den and outdoor kitchen. Sellers can get more for their money from an open kitchen that allows for better socializing and an outdoor kitchen that boasts a flat-screen television, barbecue pit, sink, refrigerator and wine cooler.
“The kitchen is more than a room—it’s a lifestyle,” she says. “It’s about being comfortable and enjoying the party. We are taking down walls, opening up more space, getting better flow and, most important of all, making it functional. The cook is happy, can enjoy cooking and the guests.”
Baby boomers and empty nesters, groups with healthy disposable income, are driving forces in the renovations market, Simoneaux says. Unable to find smaller housing, they’re staying in their nests to “age in place” by adding features like wider doors while also upgrading kitchens to keep the good times rolling.
Kenny Sexton is someone who has decided to age in place. He suffered from a stroke and didn’t want to leave his Perkins Road home of 25 years.
Sexton decided to renovate his kitchen for easy access and to allow additional entertaining, but resale value was in the back of his mind. He and Simoneaux developed a plan that called for opening space by adding an island with bar stools, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and wide-plank wooden flooring that extends into the foyer and living room.
The job was budgeted at $50,000, but Sexton says he went way over that amount. The work was supposed to take three months, but it took six because of items he later added. But he’s pleased with the look and even more pleased with being able to stay in his home.
Still, Simoneaux says renovations do increase home values. Refinishing or repainting cabinets, new countertops, appliances and flooring and paint in a 20-year-old kitchen could bring in more potential buyers and yield 100 percent return in the right neighborhood.
“Renovations will sell a home,” she says. “A new coat of paint or modern appliances will get you more money because you’re competing with the new construction market.”
Tom Ashley, owner of Denham Springs-based Expand, says the No. 1 mistake homeowners make when renovating their kitchens is not having their needs and wants in a realistic budget.
“You’re wasting everyone’s time going after a $100,000 remodel job with $50,000 to spend,” Ashley says. “A total new look is very expensive with relocating electricity or plumbing, but avoiding this saves a lot of money. Take the approach to determine what you have and how to adapt it to close to what you want.”
To get a realistic target figure and approach for a renovation, Ashley advises homeowners consult a real estate agent.
Re/Max First Realtor Linda Fredericks says she often advises homeowners on how to renovate realistically with a reasonable return on that investment.
“This has to do with each neighborhood where each goes on its merit,” she says, noting how fortunate everyone is that Baton Rouge is a good market. “You’ve got to know what the average market prices are in your neighborhood and you need to keep it within the bounds of the values.
“If the house looks like the cover of a magazine, which one do you think sells and for the best dollar?”
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