Decorating is always a very personal thing. Family photos, custom tile, a favorite chair in a quirky pattern — these are the kind of things that can turn an empty shell into a home. But is it possible to take it too far?
Could, say, an all-gold master bathroom, a saltwater pool inside a townhouse or a rock-climbing wall in a finished basement cost more than the price of the renovation? As special as these places may be, appraisers and brokers say that excessive customization can affect the price of a property when it is time to sell — and, perhaps more important, limit the pool of potential buyers.
“One of the biggest misunderstandings about property value is that the amenities you choose to add will translate to value,” said Jonathan Miller, president of the appraisal firm Miller Samuel. Because taste can be so specific, he said, “unless you find the perfect buyer, you’re probably going to have to factor in a discount for the price to rip it out and renovate.”
Simply put: That rock-climbing wall may have cost $15,000 to build, but you shouldn’t assume that you can automatically tack that sum onto the asking price when you decide to sell, because not everyone will want a custom feature like that.
When Jessica Schur began designing her dream home, a brand-new, three-story modern farmhouse in Greenwich, Conn., in 2017, creating an indoor playroom for her children, Austin, 7, and Julia, 3, was a priority.
“Connecticut’s cold winters mean the kids will be stuck inside at least three months of every year,” Ms. Schur said. “It was important to me to give them a space where they could play, climb, jump and swing.”
With the help of Kimberly Handler, an interior designer, Ms. Schur hired Karri Bowen-Poole, a grade-school-teacher-turned-designer who founded a company called Smart Playrooms, to turn her 1,500-square-foot basement into an all-seasons playroom.
In addition to a 20-foot-wide rock-climbing wall, monkey bars and a mini-basketball court, the new playroom has an arts-and-crafts area with a wall-mounted chalkboard, a media lounge with hanging-pod swing chairs and an under-the-stairs reading nook with string lights and a beanbag chair. There is also a hanging trapeze, as well as a built-in ladder, a climbing rope, swings and plenty of brightly colored floor mats for worry-free frolicking.
For more read the full of article at The Nytimes
