But Do You Need It?
The pros and cons of luxury upgrades.
Of course a basement waterfall and grotto is a practical and useful addition to any home. That’s pretty much the only thing standing between you and the playboy lifestyle you’ve always dreamed about, right? But who’s going to clean it?
It’s easy to fall in love with certain features of a home. But in the future, those same features which initially charmed you may turn into your least favorite. Here are a few common ‘extras’ and a quick assessment of their relative values.
Backyard Pool
It’s the quintessential luxury item that announces once and for all that you are a big dog, even in areas where it can only be used for ten minutes a year. It is the swimming pool. From pools that are little more than pits of standing water to jewel-encrusted infinity pools, they were once the thing. Are they still?
PROS
A 2004 4-state NAR study found that having a pool increased property values from 8 to 15%. The idea of kicking back all summer with a piña colada, sitting next to the lapping water with friends can be quite attractive. And rightfully so.
ASSESMENT
The issues involved with owning a pool can be overcome, and many people enjoy having a pool very much. You just have to want one really badly for it to be worthwhile.
CONS
Safety issues have not been blown out of proportion by the media. Pool deaths happen all the time, there’s no getting around that fact. Pools are expensive to maintain, even without hiring a pool cleaner, and are a lot of work. As beautiful as a pool can be when it is maintained properly, it can be an eyesore if it is not. A pool tends to negate having any significant usable space for a backyard. Am I missing anything?
Dream Kitchen
Kitchens do cool things these days. Appliances paneled to look like cabinets, an extra tap above the stove for filling large pots of water, $15,000 pounded-copper range hoods, and 460 different countertop materials…
PROS
Kitchens are finally being designed with maximum utility in mind. When shopping for a home, focus on the kitchen – it is where you will likely spend a great deal of your time, and the room in which every party tends to congregate. Before you fall in love with that Kohler faucet, however, analyze the kitchen’s layout from a purely utilitarian standpoint. Is the magic triangle of sink-stove-fridge arranged conveniently? Are cabinets and other storage in logical places? Is there sufficient light? And most importantly, is this a space you will feel comfortable and happy in? Don’t underestimate the importance of a functional and attractive kitchen.
CONS
Be careful not to fall in love with the impermanent fixtures in a kitchen. While those glass-front, backlit uppers may brilliantly display the seller’s Royal Daulton bone china, will your mixed collection of garage sale Melmac have the same effect? Likewise, if your idea of cooking is heating up last night’s pizza, perhaps space would be better used elsewhere.
ASSESMENT
The kitchen is the hub of virtually any home. Don’t underestimate its importance.
Activity Rooms
This is an overly broad categorization, of course, but activity rooms like workshops, games rooms, and exercise rooms tend to hold common appeal and common drawbacks.
PROS
Having the right setup for a particular activity can be inspiring. Having a single power tool in each room of your house and each corner of the garage and shed is not exactly the ideal situation for building that crib you started on for your daughter and are determined to finish before the birth of you granddaughter. Likewise, if you have the latest elliptical trainer and weight set in a room next to your bedroom with a 12 foot plasma TV facing it, perhaps you will find that six-pack after all.
CONS
If you can’t make a dovetail joint, all of the tools in the world will not give you that knowledge. If you haven’t lifted anything heavier than a handful of pork rinds in the last decade, a workout room will likely soon become just a TV room with uncomfortable seating. Unreasonable expectations usually develop into unreasonable decisions.
ASSESMENT
Your home should inspire you and will, to a certain extent, dictate your lifestyle. Be rational in your decisions, however, and aim for versatility rather than rooms that are locked in to a particular use that may not be as useful in the future.