The Worst Home Upgrades

🚫 1. Overly Personalized Renovations

Everyone wants to feel special in their home. But when “special” turns into a custom Star Trek-themed living room, we have a problem.

Buyers don’t want your personality splashed all over the walls—literally.

What happens at resale? People walk in and immediately think: “How much will it cost to fix this?” As soon as they start mentally subtracting renovation costs, you’ve already lost them.

If your renovation requires a tour guide to explain its artistic meaning, it’s probably scaring buyers.

🚪 2. Removing Bedrooms

This one makes real estate agents sweat. Turning a bedroom into a massive walk-in closet might feel luxurious, but it knocks your home down into a different category. Real estate value is heavily tied to bedroom count.

A 3-bedroom that becomes a 2-bedroom? Congratulations—you’ve just dropped your home into a lower value bracket, often by tens of thousands.

Even if the space looks fantastic, buyers mentally add back in the cost to turn it into a bedroom again.

Keep your bedrooms. If you need storage, add cabinets, built-ins, wardrobes—whatever you like. Just don’t remove the room’s actual purpose.

🛁 3. Eliminating a Full Bathroom (Especially the Only Tub)

I know. Everyone loves the spa-style walk-in shower. But at least one bathroom in the house should have a tub—even if you personally haven’t taken a bath since the 90s.

Families with small children need a tub. Seniors sometimes need a tub. Buyers expect a tub.

If you remove the only bathtub, you’ve just shrunk your buyer pool dramatically. And a smaller buyer pool means lower offers.

Keep one tub. Convert the rest if you must.

🔥 4. High-Maintenance Luxury Features

This category includes all the things that sound great over coffee but not so great when you’re paying to maintain them:

• Indoor hot tubs
• Saunas stuffed into spare rooms
• Koi ponds that require a part-time maintenance person
• Decorative fountains in the backyard
• Fancy built-ins that are impossible to remove

I’ve removed more koi ponds than I’ve installed, and that should tell you everything. Buyers want simple. They want low maintenance. They want to imagine themselves relaxing, not repairing a water feature in the rain.

🌳 5. Over-the-Top Landscaping

Ah yes…the $50,000 backyard redesign that looks stunning in pictures but takes three hours a week to maintain.

Buyers do not want:

• Intricate rock gardens everywhere
• Elaborate water features and streams
• Plant species that need more babysitting than a toddler
• Permanent hardscaping that needs a jackhammer to change

Your landscaping should complement your home—not overwhelm it. If the first thing people think is “Who is going to maintain this nightmare?”, they’ll either walk away or lower their offer.

🧼 6. Wall-to-Wall Carpeting (Especially Over Hardwood)

Once upon a time, wall-to-wall carpet was a luxury. Today, most buyers see it as:

• A germ sponge
• A dated look
• A potential hiding spot for dust, allergens, and mystery smells

And if you covered beautiful hardwood with carpet? That’s a crime in several provinces. Buyers want hardwood, engineered flooring, or quality vinyl plank. Carpet belongs, at most, in bedrooms—and even then, many people don’t want it.

🚗 7. Converting the Garage to Living Space

Buyers will forgive many sins. This is not one of them.

In Ontario, where winters are long, snow is deep, and everyone owns too much stuff, garages are worth their weight in gold.

If you turn your garage into a gym, playroom, or “creative studio,” you lose:

• A secure place for cars
• Essential storage space
• Workshop potential
• A major resale feature buyers expect

I’ve seen garage conversions drop home values by tens of thousands of dollars. Some buyers won’t even book a showing once they see it.

🧰 8. Poor-Quality DIY Workmanship

Buyers don’t need to be builders to spot bad work. Uneven tile, wavy drywall seams, mismatched baseboards, or “creative” electrical outlets? People see it instantly.

When buyers spot amateur work, they assume the worst: “If this is what’s visible, what did they do inside the walls?”

Repair costs get factored into their offer—and suddenly, that “cheap DIY upgrade” wasn’t so cheap after all.

If you’re upgrading anything that’s going to be obvious to the next owner, hire professionals. If you need help planning proper work, talk to a builder who handles
renovations and additions
as part of full custom builds.

🍽️ 9. Cheap Kitchen or Bathroom Renovations

This is where homeowners often overspend—in the wrong way.

A kitchen with off-brand fixtures, painted countertops, thin backsplash tile, and clearance-bin cabinets doesn’t say “updated.” It says, “someone tried to do this on the cheap, and now it all needs to be redone.”

If the budget is limited, focus on:

• Layout and function
• Proper lighting
• Durable surfaces that age well

Don’t install anything you wouldn’t want to live with for the next 10 years.

🏘️ 10. Overbuilding for the Neighbourhood

People forget that your neighbours’ homes cap your value.

You can put in a $200,000 kitchen, marble from Italy, custom millwork, and a smart-home system that would impress NASA, but if every other house on the street is in a modest price range, your home won’t magically break the ceiling.

Buyers comparison-shop within the neighbourhood. They won’t pay top dollar for upgrades that push your home far above the local market.

Upgrade appropriately to your area. If you’re not sure where that line is, ask a builder who regularly does
custom homes in your region
and sees appraisals and resale values.

📦 11. Removing Closets or Storage

Storage is king. People moving from apartments want more storage, not less.

If you remove closets to create “clean lines” or more open space, future buyers see work and extra spending. A home with nowhere to put things becomes a home that doesn’t function well.

Extra storage always increases value. Removing it does the opposite.

🎭 12. Highly Specialized Rooms

This includes home theatres with bolted seating, recording studios, darkrooms, poker rooms, craft rooms with permanent cabinetry, or home gyms with glued-down rubber flooring.

You might love it. Buyers? Maybe one in twenty.

Anything that feels too specific narrows your buyer pool, because most people are mentally adding up the cost to turn it back into a normal room.

🏊 13. Swimming Pools (In Many Markets)

In Ontario, pools are hit-or-miss. In some higher-end neighbourhoods, a well-done pool can be a plus. In many average subdivisions, it does not reliably increase value.

For a lot of buyers, a pool means:

• High maintenance
• Increased insurance costs
• Safety concerns
• Short swimming season
• Expensive repairs when something leaks

🏚️ 14. Overbuilt or Poorly Designed Basements

Basements are notorious for one thing: moisture. I’ve seen beautiful basements ruined by improper insulation, poor vapour barriers, cheap flooring, and no thought given to radon or drainage.

A basement should add value—unless it’s built wrong. Then it becomes a liability.

If you’re finishing a basement, treat it like real living space and design it properly. Or talk to someone who does full
ICF basements
that are dry, warm, and actually enjoyable to be in.

🔌 15. Solar Systems Installed Without Permits

I’m all for energy efficiency (we build ICF, after all). But solar has rules.

If you install panels, inverters, or batteries without proper permits or inspections, buyers and lenders get very nervous. You either lose the sale or end up redoing the system at your own cost.

🧿 16. Exotic Flooring Choices

Buyers love hardwood, engineered wood, and good quality LVP. They’re less thrilled about:

• Bamboo that scratches easily
• Super glossy laminate
• Cork everywhere
• Resin floors
• Pebble stone floors that look cool but are terrible to clean

When in doubt, choose something timeless.

📑 17. Unpermitted Additions or Renovations

This is a deal-killer. If buyers find out major work was done without permits, inspections, or engineered drawings, they’ll either walk away or their lender will make the decision for them.

Always permit structural, electrical, plumbing, and major renovations.

📱 18. Overcomplicated Smart-Home Systems

If your home requires a manual, a tutorial, and a phone call to your nephew just to turn the lights on, buyers will not consider that a “feature.”

Smart systems should be simple, reliable, and compatible. Avoid super-complex systems that will be obsolete in a few years or require constant subscriptions to function.

🎨 19. Trendy Finishes That Age Poorly

Remember shiplap everywhere, sliding barn doors, grey-on-grey-on-grey, ultra-busy granite, and dark accent walls in every room?

Trends come and go. Timeless finishes stay in style. If you’re planning to sell within 5–10 years, lean into classic rather than trendy.

💸 20. Anything That Makes Buyers Think “This Will Be Expensive to Fix”

This is the big one. The common denominator. The golden rule.

If an upgrade makes buyers feel nervous, overwhelmed, or financially stressed, it lowers your home’s value. Your home should feel like freedom, not a project.

✅ The Best Upgrades That Actually Increase Home Value

Now that we’ve covered the bad news, let’s talk about the upgrades that buyers love and appraisers respect.

1. Energy Efficiency Upgrades

Buyers love lower utility bills, especially in Ontario’s climate. Value-boosting improvements include:

• ICF construction for walls and basements
• New high-efficiency windows and doors
• Extra attic insulation
• High-efficiency boilers and on-demand hot water systems
• Proper air sealing and ventilation
• Permitted and professionally designed solar systems

Energy savings are real, measurable, and long-term—buyers recognize that.

2. Well-Designed Kitchen Upgrades

A good kitchen is still the #1 selling feature in most homes. The best returns come from:

• Quality cabinets and hardware
• Durable countertops (quartz, stone, solid surfaces)
• Proper lighting
• A functional, practical layout

You don’t need a TV-show kitchen. You need a clean, modern, timeless one.

3. Bathroom Upgrades

Buyers appreciate updated bathrooms with:

• Walk-in showers with proper waterproofing
• Modern tile and fixtures
• Good ventilation and lighting
• Heated floors (everyone loves warm toes)

Just remember: keep at least one proper tub in the house.

4. Adding Livable Space (Properly)

Anything that legitimately increases livable square footage boosts value:

• Finished basements with proper moisture control
• Permitted additions
• Well-designed sunrooms
• Legal basement apartments or secondary suites

The key is doing it properly, with permits, inspections, and planning. This is where a full
design-build team
pays off.

5. Curb Appeal Improvements

First impressions sell homes. Smart curb appeal upgrades include:

• New or refreshed entry door
• Simple, low-maintenance front landscaping
• Clean, repaired driveway and walkways
• Updated siding or paint where needed

6. Durable, Timeless Flooring

Hardwood, engineered wood, and quality vinyl plank flooring are safe, long-term investments. Keep colours neutral and finishes classic.

7. Updated Electrical and Lighting

LED lighting, dimmers, modern fixtures, and updated electrical panels all send the message: “This house is safe, modern, and ready to live in.”

8. More Storage

Buyers never complain about too much storage. They love:

• Closet organizers
• Pantry space
• Mudroom cubbies and hooks
• Garage shelving and overhead storage

9. Legal Secondary Suites

In Ontario, a legal basement suite or garden suite can significantly increase resale value and flexibility. Done properly, it adds both rental potential and buyer appeal.

10. Structural and Mechanical Improvements

These upgrades don’t always photograph well, but they matter:

• New roof
• Modern furnace or boiler
• Updated plumbing
• Proper drainage and waterproofing

Buyers happily pay more for a home with solid bones and low upcoming maintenance.

🧱 Final Thoughts: Renovate With the Next Buyer in Mind

You should absolutely enjoy your home. Paint it how you like, furnish it how you like, and live in it the way that works for your family.

But if you’re thinking about resale, the smartest renovations are the ones that:

• Improve function
• Reduce maintenance
• Lower operating costs
• Match the neighbourhood
• Appeal to the majority of buyers

If you’re planning a major renovation or a new build and want to make sure every dollar actually adds value, you’re exactly the kind of person we like working with.