Skylights; Do they add value or diminish it?
When deciding on what design changes you want to make to your house, your own preferences lead the way. However, you may also consider evaluating your preferences in design and decorating to be sure that they will add to your bottom line….should you ever sell your home. When you are going to invest money into home improvements, wouldn’t it be ideal to maximize how much value those projects will one day add to the worth of your home? Yes!
The Housing Value Increase of Installing Skylights
If you are concerned whether or not skylights will add to the value of your home or detract from it, the answer is – it depends.
According to leading realtors, light, airy and spacious homes lead the way in sales. In a market that can still feel as though it is suffering through a decline in value, this means that any edge your house has over its competition – is doubly important. Skylights are a surefire way to bring that coveted light and airy feeling to your home. The wow factor of turning a corner and walking into a room that is filled with natural light is a powerful first impression.
On realtor’s list of “things potential homeowners look for when buying a house, right behind an airy, spacious feeling is energy efficiency”. Windows in general, are a big deciding factor for many house hunters. Asking about the age and quality of windows (in the walls and the ceilings) is at the top of many househunters’ checklists. This means that the skylights you are thinking about including on your home improvement project, could be doubly enticing if you decide to sell your home in the future because, skylights bring in the beauty of natural light and they bring in the warmth of the sun.
Best of all, it only takes proper skylight shading systems, to create a beautiful, energy efficient space that will increase the value of your home.
Losing value on your home because you have installed skylights typically only happens for one of two reasons:
First, because you have used poor construction materials (be sure to check your better business bureau to see if any contractors you employ have complaints against their prior work);
Second, because you made design decisions that do not fit in with the style of your home. Just as there are many different types of home, there are many different styles of skylight. When you make your design decision regarding your skylights, try and ask yourself what the future buyer of your home would be looking for?
If you own an older home, perhaps there is a more classical style of skylight (traditional, flat, glass) that works with the architecture. On the other hand, a modern home may be even more enticing to a modern home buyer if bubbles of glass from.