6 worst homes fixes for the money....

It's the magic phrase uttered by almost anyone who's ever considered the cost of home remodeling: "We'll use our home equity and get it back when we sell." Unless you keep those projects practical, though, you might just be kidding yourself.

For example:

• Steel front door: Good.
• Master suite addition costing more than the average American home: Bad.

Every year, Remodeling magazine looks at the hottest home upgrades and renovations and calculates just how much owners get back when they sell. Upkeep is more popular than upgrades these days, says Sal Alfano, editorial director for Remodeling. These are the projects that often recoup the biggest slice of expenses at resale. But prices and returns do vary regionally, he says.

Ever wonder what brings the lowest return when you plant that "for sale" sign? Think high-dollar, high-end and highly personalized add-ons that make you drool. Like a totally tricked-out garage built from the ground up. Or a super luxe master suite addition. Or the home office redo designed just for you. Here are the six improvements that, in their 2010 report, ranked dead last nationally when it comes to getting those renovation dollars back at resale.

Home Office Renovation:

The standard home office renovation, meanwhile -- complete with plenty of built-in storage and high-tech wiring -- is this year's biggest loser in the resale value sweepstakes. Nationally, homeowners spent an average of $28,888 and can expect to recoup about 45.8 percent at resale, according to the report.

Backup Power Generator:

On average, when homeowners have a heavy-duty backup power generator installed, they spend about $14,718, according to the report. Average amount of the price recovered at resale time: 48.5 percent.

Sunroom Addition:

While it seems simple enough, the national average for a sunroom addition is $75,224, according to the report. Homeowners can expect to recoup about 48.6 percent when they sell. Be careful in areas of historic designation, some areas will not allow you to affect the front of the house or anywhere that can be viewed from the street.

 

Upscale Master Suite Addition:

For a super-deluxe master suite addition -- which adds square footage and uses only top-dollar materials -- the average cost is about $232,062, according to the report. Sellers can expect to recover about 52.7 percent at resale.

Bathroom Additions:

For a moderately outfitted addition with synthetic stone or plastic laminate surfaces, figure parting with about $21,695, according to the Remodeling report. Go upscale, with finishes like premium marble or fine tile, and you can easily spend in the neighborhood of $40,710. Either way, you can expect to recover about 53 percent at resale

 

Upscale garage addition:

The price tag for a top-of-the-line detached two-car with all the trimmings is about $90,053, according to the report. You can expect to recover about 53.6 percent of that when you sell.

Why is this important? Be careful when looking at remodeling and make sure you do your research on the value you will receive.