Clean, open floor plans continually rank atop homebuyers’ wish lists. Nothing quite runs contrary to this pursuit than the warren of rabbit holes of a 1970s-era home.
Think segmented rooms and wall-to-wall shag carpet. Jagged stone facades and dark wood tones. Sunken living rooms and low ceilings. It can all feel so unorganized and claustrophobic, punishing to both resale value and your sense of wellbeing.
The remedy: raising the roof. By adding a peaked roof, lifting ceilings and welcoming natural light, it not only improves a home’s value and makes it more sellable. It can literally improve the mind of its residents.
How a home can make a better you
According to a study at the University of Minnesota, heightened ceilings are something of a miracle drug. They give us a sense of freedom, spurring creative, explorative thinking. They expand our energy and improve our happiness.
Of course, none of this was known in the 1970s, when the study of how an environment affects wellbeing was in its infancy. Homes were meant to have a cozy, dennish quality. Natural light was kept to a minimum. Interior lighting was restricted to specific areas, rather than illuminating the whole room. Flat roofs often added to a sense of confinement. They also brought anguish to your pocketbook when they inevitably leaked.
In hindsight, the ‘70s home was essentially designed to make us feel bad. Forgive buyers for not rushing with offers when the home is listed.
Yet raising the roof dismantles this vibe. It allows for pitched ceilings and opening walls to the kitchen. High windows that let natural light cascade over the entire living space. Clients I’ve worked with describe the change as living in a church sanctuary. You suddenly have more airflow, extra space along the walls. It changes the whole experience of a home. They simply feel better.
It can also be pleasing to the sellers’ bank account. As a general rule, high ceilings boost a home’s value by five to 25 percent. And the home won’t languish on the market. Clients who’ve done it in preparation for a sale tend to sell fast. They call two months after work is complete, saying they’re already out of the house.
Best of all: It’s not the pearl-clutching expense many think.
Return on investment
It’s hard to provide a definitive cost, since so much depends on the home and scope of work. But here in Southern California, where we have some of the most expensive construction costs in the country, it will run about $25,000. Elsewhere in the country, the cost can plunge by as much as 30 percent.
Still, this renovation isn’t for the faint hearted. The majority of my clients shy away. Wiring needs to be rerouted to install recessed lights. If the new roof is over the kitchen, requiring a remodel, it can add anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000 to the bill, depending upon where you live and how ambitious you get.
It isn’t cheap. But it’s not like you’re throwing good money after bad. Raising a roof delivers a 50 percent return on investment. The return for remodeled kitchens soars to 80 percent after the first year.
Home prices generally rise about 5 percent annually. In other words, the longer the homeowner stays to enjoy it, the more the expense is eventually absorbed – or surpassed – by the sale price. Though none of this is guaranteed, America’s chronic housing shortage makes rising prices a fairly safe bet.
Consider it as also doing your small part for the environment. Back in the ‘70s, we were just beginning to think about energy efficiency. Segmented rooms require a register for each. Residents are basically heating and cooling them separately, with one often hotter or colder than the next. Opening up the home makes all this easier and more efficient. Utility companies will be grateful.
The point is that just because you own a ‘70s home doesn’t mean you’re stuck. The upfront costs can be weighty, but as we’ve seen with billowing home prices in recent years, there’s a very good chance the money will eventually be recouped.
In the meantime, homeowners can bask in improved happiness – and test drive that more expansive brain.
