Selling Your Home? Add Value with These 10 Unusual Home Improvements

Remodeling can be a huge undertaking. Whether you’re preparing for a move or looking to update your home for your own enjoyment, you want to make sure that any improvements you make are a good investment.

To ensure your renovation or home improvement is financially beneficial you need to think about what will yield the highest return. Compare cost versus value and decide if the renovation you want to do is worth your time and money. Think outside the box whenever possible and you’ll be surprised where your investment might take you. An ‘unusual’ home improvement might sound like a risk, but if it’s calculated then it’s a risk worth taking.

1. Secret room

There’s something very cool and mysterious about a room that can only be accessed by those in the know. Hidden passageways and secret rooms are generally reserved for mystery novels and spy movies but they don’t need to be.

Modern reasons for having a secret room vary. A secret room can be used to store valuables and things that are precious to you but equally they can be just about creating a fun space. Ideas could include a magical children’s playroom, a secret basement speakeasy or a private area in which to read.

2. Home sauna

We all lead busy lives and the idea that you can come home to soothe sore muscles and tension is appealing to many homebuyers. What’s not to love about relaxing in a hot and steamy sauna?

If you have the space for a sauna, constructing one can be easy. All you need is a small room or large cupboard that you can insulate, some wood paneling and benches, and a sauna heater that can be purchased online. You could also buy a ready-made sauna to make getting your sweat on even easier!

3. Lift/elevator

Once the preserve of office towers, lifts are fast becoming a ‘must-have’ item in residential homes. Smaller block sizes mean more homes are being built ‘up’ and installing a lift is a great way to future-proof a home.

If you have an existing lift, you might consider an upgrade or some hardware improvements. Many old lifts are now outdated and new technologies make home lifts more energy-efficient. The investment of upgrading your existing lift can provide an immediate return by accounting for less energy use.

4. Hidden TV

TVs are today getting bigger and can wreck the design of a room. When guests or homebuyers walk in, instead of saying “Wow, what a great room,” they are instead saying “Wow, what a big TV you have!”

If you want to maintain the style of your home without sacrificing a large TV screen, consider installing a hidden TV. This could come in the form of a Samsung Frame TV hidden within a gallery wall or instead it could be enclosed in a wall cabinet.

5. Dumbwaiter

While they may seem like a charming old relic, dumbwaiters are making a comeback. Fantastic for multi-level living, dumbwaiters can be used to haul groceries and suitcases from the garage, firewood from the basement, or wine from the cellar. If food and drink is your focus, you can send cocktails and snacks down to the pool area with ease. Summer fun anyone?

6. Smart home automation

It’s possible these days to control your entire home from a laptop, iPhone or iPad. Everything from the lights to the thermostat to the stereo. Doing so makes you more aware and conscious of your energy usage, especially true when you set controls to monitor this.

Smart home automation is a clever way to take advantage of the latest technology. Controlling wasted energy can be very appealing, putting a homeowner front and centre in the way a home is used. When you incorporate security it can also make homeowners feel safer in their home.

7. Trash/recycling/laundry chute

In modern smart homes when everything is automated, having to carry a laundry basket or rubbish bag down the stairs is an obvious disconnect. Homeowners will love the idea of putting their trash or laundry into a hole in the wall or floor and having it go right to where it belongs.

8. Home theatre

The pandemic has made leisure in the home seem all the more important and with platforms like Netflix providing binge-worthy TV, you can’t go wrong with a home theatre.

A home theatre is more than just a place to watch TV. It’s about offering an experience within the home for dedicated TV and movie watching. Think recliner chairs or a sectional couch, a big screen and a complete theatre set up.

9. Fabulous outdoor lighting

It’s important your home looks just as nice at night as it does in the day. Take your backyard to the next level by incorporating some exotic landscape lighting. You could uplight your palm trees, light the waterfall into the pool or add fairy lights to your patio. You could add drama to the front of your home by spotlighting a specimen tree or another front yard focal point. Just make sure to position spotlights to focus their beams away from windows or neighbours.

10. Outdoor shower

There are outdoor showers that help you wash off sand when returning from the beach and then there are luxurious showers, usually off the master bath. Think high-end stone and other natural materials and lush green foliage - anything that creates a personal Eden or resort-like feel. An outdoor shower can be a very sexy thing.

Why do something unusual?

Creating an additional room, redoing the kitchen or renovating a bathroom are all clever ways to update your home while increasing its value. To give your home that ‘wow’ factor however, it pays to think outside the box and to offer something different.

Yielding high returns on your investments takes careful planning and universal design principles but that doesn’t mean you can’t get creative. Think about your target audience if your goal is to sell and then look at ways to get their attention. Nurture a sense of exclusivity and consider how your home’s uniqueness will draw in buyers. If an improvement is something you think will give you a competitive edge, it’s worth the investment.