A dumping ground adds little value to your home
While extra storage areas are great, unattractive, misused spaces are not
Just thinking about selling your home raises myriad questions about what to fix and what not to. If you have a question about prepping your home for resale, email us at primedproperty@gmail.com.
Q
My husband and I have a 2,000-square-foot home. We have a mud room attached to the house, but the problem is it’s really, really old. It’s not a great space. We use it mostly for storage. We’re thinking about selling, but we’re not sure what to do with the attached room. Would we get more money for our home if we tore it down? Do people even find mud rooms valuable? Any insight you have would be helpful.
A
In any city where residential space is tight (both figuratively and literally), it can be hard to imagine why anyone would want to tear down an area that adds square footage to a home, especially when selling. But Sabine Stevens, a Re/Max sales representative and owner of Stevens Team, advises clients to think about whether a mud room is actually necessary for their property.
Stevens says the structures are only really desired if they’re solidly built and the design and layout is practical. If they’re poorly built and are old or falling apart, they will become a dumping zone for seasonal items, as you have seen with your mud room.
Mud rooms kept in this state won’t add value to a listing, even if they do add square footage to a property. They may even turn off a potential buyer. The recommendation, then, is to tear down the attachment and to find ways to freshen up the enlarged backyard.
“It’s wise to tear down a mud room when you want to have a nice flow from your house to your backyard,” she says. The first order of business is to get a construction permit from the city.
“During this process,” Stevens says, “start looking for contractors and get two to three different quotes. It’s good to get an idea of pricing as each contractor has different experience and cost structures. After the permit comes in, you will be all set to take down the structure.”
From there, she suggests you extend your home with a back deck and eating area. This type of feature will increase the value of the property.
“Doing some landscaping in the back will create a nice backyard oasis, and adding a pergola over the deck will help provide shade and make the yard look very inviting,” she says. “If someone still needs additional storage, they can put in a small yard shed.”