These 5 home upgrade trends won’t last – how to spend your money instead

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You’re really into a new home trend, but you’re not sure how long it will be stylish. As a savvy homeowner, you know there is no point investing in a project that is soon to be obsolete, so you are interested in an alternative with staying power.

Continue reading: 20 Home Renovations That Will Depreciate Your Home’s Value
Find Out: How To Renovate Your Kitchen For Less Than $ 10,000

Here’s a look at some trends that might be on the way out and what you could use your money on instead.

Rustic barn doors

If you’re thinking of tackling a DIY rustic barn door project, Jennifer Amsler, a real estate agent at The Agentcy by Tarek El Moussa at eXp Realty in Vancouver, Washington, said that you might want to reconsider this trend to connect.

“They’re having trouble closing properly,” she said. “The wood can warp, literally leaning the door, or there are gaps in the side that you can see through.

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You can still recreate the barn door style, but she recommended using a different material, e.g. If you want to reuse old doors, she suggested going to a thrift store like Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore to find one and then hang it on the metal fittings.

“The old doors don’t warp like they do with new wood,” she said. “You also help to reduce waste and give your home long-term character and value.”

A ready-to-assemble DIY barn door kit starts at $ 239 at Home Depot. Glass barn doors are more expensive in the short term – starting at $ 276.74 per door – but are a better long-term investment if you can hold them for years.

Also, as she mentioned, you can potentially find glass door panels at a local thrift store that is likely a fraction of the cost of buying new doors.

Prepare: Renovations Before Selling Your Home

Shiplap

Shiplap is another trend that Amsler says is on the way.

“While shiplap can add visual interest to a space, I’ve found that buyers aren’t as excited about them as they used to be,” she said. “Buyers feel like it is cheap, which is not good for adding market value.”

Instead, she suggested opting for wooden slat walls or textured wallpaper.

According to HomeAdvisor, the average shipbuilding interior cost for a room is $ 1,000. Conversely, The Spruce’s estimated cost for a DIY wooden slat wall is $ 75 to $ 200, while the average cost of putting up wallpaper is around $ 513, according to HomeAdvisor.

Read: The craziest things that destroy the value of your home
To learn: 26 home makeover ideas, each costing less than $ 500

Floating kitchen shelves

Another trend that Amsler says is not worth buying is floating shelves in the kitchen.

“While floating shelves open up the kitchen, many consumers are frustrated with the way they collect dust and dirt, and it’s difficult to keep all dishes visually appealing and organized,” she said. “Buyers are leaning back towards closets that they can close for that nice, clean look.”

If you are betting on open shelving, she suggested opting for just one or two shelves to showcase the decor.

“To add value to your kitchen, opt for functionality instead with things like adding soft-close doors and drawers, storing spice racks, hidden trash pull-outs, pull-out shelves, and filing bins in your cabinets,” she said. “Most of these upgrades can be built into your current kitchen inexpensively.”

Floating shelves start at $ 26.75 per shelf at Home Depot. You can add soft-close hardware to existing kitchen drawers, with hardware starting at around $ 7.58 per drawer. Additionally, pull-out trash cans start at $ 37.99 while pull-out shelves start at $ 71.95.

Did you know already: Who pays for home renovations on your favorite HGTV and other shows – and what do they cost?

Twin islands

Another recent kitchen trend, Beth R. Martin, founder and designer of bethrmartin.com, said double islands are a style that they think will be out of date sooner rather than later.

“Often times this design element looks like a space filler and comes at a high price,” she said. “Better furniture layout or extra space for a butler’s pantry would be a better long-term solution for your kitchen layout.”

The national average price for adding a kitchen island is $ 6,000, according to Thumbtack. Conversely, adding a walk-in pantry costs around $ 2,010, according to HomeAdvisor, which also makes it a much more economical option.

Save money: 5 Affordable Ways To Brighten Up Any Room In Your Home

Extra large showers

While insanely large showers seem luxurious, Martin said this is another trend that she believes won’t last.

“If the shower surface is too big, the steam won’t warm the room, and who wants to feel cool in the shower?” She said. “These designs look beautiful in photos, but that’s not enough to keep you going.”

Instead, she suggested choosing a smaller footprint for your shower, then using the leftover space in your budget for more elaborate materials and furnishings.

A pre-made walk-in shower costs around $ 500 to $ 2,000 while a custom shower costs around $ 3,500 to $ 7,000, according to HomeServe. With the extra cash, you could outfit your bathroom with a chandelier at Lamps Plus for $ 149.99, a heated toilet seat at Lowes – from $ 129.91 – or a waterproof mirror TV at Walmart for $ 699.

Upgrading your home is a big deal, so you want to be sure that you are making investments that add real value. Take the time to think through any home renovations before you begin to make sure you aren’t wasting your money on an update that only works for a short period of time.

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