Strengthening Your Home: How Structural Repairs Boost Property Value

Structural repairs might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about home improvement, but they play a crucial role in preserving—and boosting—a property’s value. A strong foundation keeps the home safe from settling and shifting, while a solid roof shields it from leaks and weather damage.

In this article, we’ll cover the essentials of structural repairs, the impressive return on investment it offers, and why a stable, well-maintained basement should be a top priority for any homeowner looking to increase their property’s value.

Structural Repairs: What Are They and Why They Matter

Identifying and understanding what needs to be fixed in your home is the first step to boosting your property’s value. Structural repairs can be found throughout your home, from the basement to the roof, and even your walls.

What Are They: Repairs that include the restoration, reinforcement, or replacement of essential components within a building are considered structural repairs. Typically, the repairs are done on parts of the house that support its stability and load-bearing capacity. Some common sources of issues include foundations, walls, beams, columns, roofs, and floors.

Why They Matter: Structural repairs are essential to your home’s wellbeing because they preserve the safety, longevity, and value of a property. Well-maintained structural elements also boost energy efficiency, as a stable home reduces drafts, moisture infiltration, and heat loss. Additionally, a structurally sound home appeals to potential buyers and appraisers. Investments in repairs can increase property value and ease the selling process.

Structural repairs aren’t always cheap, but tackling them when they’re a small problem can keep them more affordable. We recently discussed this in our blog, “The Cost of Ignoring Structural Repairs: What You Need to Know.” However, we didn’t discuss the return on investment that structural repairs get you when selling your home, so let’s talk.

The Return on Investment (ROI) When Selling Your Home

Selling your home and moving into a new one is no small – or cheap – task. You’ll want to maximize your return on your home, but how? Maintaining the structural integrity of a home, makes it more attractive to potential buyers.

Foundation Repairs: Fellow foundation pros from California, Dalinghaus Construction, estimate that a failed foundation could detract between 10% – 20% of your home’s value. For a $350,000 home, that’s $35,000-$70,000 you could be losing out on by neglecting your foundation.

Roof Replacements: Roofs aren’t our specialty, but they do impact the value of your home, so it’s important to discuss them too. Roofing experts estimate that a roof repair has an average ROI of around 60%, but that jumps up to 72% in places with harsher climates that take a bigger toll on roofs. This is just the financial ROI – not factoring in the invaluable benefits of improved safety, peace of mind, and curb appeal.

Home repairs sound expensive when you’re unexpectedly faced with them because, well, they are. Homeownership is expensive, but maintaining your investment while living there is important, and will pay off when it’s time to sell for your next move.

Which Structural Repairs Can Maximize Your Property’s Value?

With so much to focus on and keep in good condition, home repairs can quickly become overwhelming if you’re going for perfection. Before putting your home on the market, we recommend prioritizing these repairs over all else to maximize the value of your property.

Foundation Problems: Next time you go in your basement, take a look at your floors and walls. Whether it’s a horizontal or vertical crack, cracks in the wall can be signs of serious damage on the horizon. Check out “Understanding Your Basement: Foundations of Foundation Cracks” for more information. Investing in foundation repairs can be costly, but will also increase the safety of your home, be attractive to potential buyers, and increase the value of your home.

Water Damage: Use melting snow and heavy rain to your advantage. The area surrounding your basement will be wet, and checking for water during these conditions will make identifying water intrusions easier than during dry seasons or droughts.

If there are signs of water damage or intrusion (which can lead to water damage), it’s important that you contact a professional ASAP to have the damage examined and fixed. Having a professional come out to seal windows, repair foundation cracks, or install new bulkheads are all ways to get rid of water damage and increase your home’s value.

Strengthening Your Home for the Future

Investing in structural repairs is one of the most important steps you can take to protect and increase your home’s value. By addressing essential areas like the foundation, roof, and basement, homeowners can secure a more stable and durable property that appeals to future buyers.

A structurally sound home is not only more valuable but also a more comfortable, reliable place to live, proving that proactive repairs are worth every penny when it comes to maximizing property value.