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Being a homeowner comes with a lot of responsibility and decisions, and when it comes to big splurges, they could either be life-changing or lead to regret. Recently, members of the BuzzFeed Community revealed the best and worst home upgrades that either were or weren't worth the money, and as a nonhomeowner, I'm taking notes. Here are some home purchases and projects that you should — or shouldn't — reconsider:
1. BEST: "Leather furniture. I had plenty of kids around, and the leather really held up. My couch lasted 25 years, and the only reason I had to get rid of it was because a little brat decided to literally cut open one of the cushions. After that, we bought a faux-suede couch, and it just grossed me out."
2. WORST: "Hardwood floors — ugh. If they're vintage or super high-end, then great, they'll last forever. But the newer, not-so-expensive type that I have? Hard pass. I have two dogs, and even though I frequently trim their nails, it's a disaster. Some hardwood floors can be buffed out, but when Thing 2 decides it's zoomie time, my floor becomes scratch city."
3. BEST: "For us, a fence was very worth being able just to let the dogs outside and run around instead of waiting with each dog on a leash. Our dogs love it, and the fence fits our lifestyle really well. Worth every penny, in my opinion."
4. WORST: "We have a dead hot tub in our backyard. We got a good deal on it because we bought it from a friend who was moving, but when it quit working, it was definitely not worth fixing."
5. BEST: "I don't like carpets myself, but I can get on board with a carpet pad. If you're installing carpet in your home, get the best pad you can afford. A denser pad will protect the carpet from wearing down as fast as it would with the cheap and thin pad. It's kind of the same with rugs — having a pad underneath will help the rug last longer. Not only that, but it's better to have a rug pad if you have cheap rugs because they might mess up the floor underneath. Also, some pads will help keep the rug from shifting."
6. WORST: "A home gym. This is obviously different if you are actually dedicated to exercising all the time, but that wasn't the case for my wife and me. We had a spare room once our kid got their own place, and we decided it would be a good idea to make it into our own 'fitness center.' We bought some cardio machines and a couple of weights — which weren't cheap! We used our home gym consistently for a while and then just stopped. My wife and I just take walks around the neighborhood, while the equipment we bought collects dust. It ended up just being a waste."
7. BEST: "Stamped concrete. Our whole patio is stained with stamped concrete. It looks fantastic, and it's easy to maintain and much cheaper. You also have several colors of stain to choose from!"
8. WORST: "As someone who works in homes, I have to say jetted tubs. I've removed over a dozen that were almost never used."
9. BEST: "Yard care. When we bought our house, we had no mower. I didn't want to spend my weekends pushing a mower for hours, so I decided that the yard service I could get for $40 every other week was a much better deal than buying one. My guy cuts the grass, does the weed eating, and cleans up with a leaf blower. He's in and out in under an hour, and my yard always looks great."
10. WORST: "Buying a cheap patio umbrella. They fall apart in one season, and they're expensive! You have to buy it at the top tier or just skip it altogether."
11. BEST: "Solar panels on the roof. The electric bill during the summer before was $220, but now it's $14, even with the air conditioner on. Bonus: The roof is shaded, so heat buildup on the second floor is much less. It was a large up-front expenditure, but the payback will be around seven years, and at least we're helping the environment a little."
12. WORST: "A pool, especially an in-ground pool. If your community already has a pool, or if you live in a climate that really only has one or two months of hot weather, there's no point."
13. BEST: "I have heated floors, and I love it! We use it all the time and it's so warm and nice, especially since I live in England, where it's cold most of the time."
14. WORST: "Textured wallpaper. I spent two weeks dying a little death as I struggled to strip the wallpaper off four walls. I loathe with the intensity of a thousand suns whoever invented this type of wallpaper."
15. BEST: "My mom loves her skylight. It really brightened up a room without needing overhead light, and it saved her tons on the electric bill."
16. BEST: "A three-season porch is the best home feature ever! It can be a cloakroom, a greenhouse, a sunroom, a mudroom, and more!"
17. WORST: "Wall-to-wall carpet. The amount of sand and dirt that gets trapped, in addition to bugs and other allergens? Imagine having to clean it up. The smells that get trapped in there from animals, sweat, cooking, and cigarette odors easily make it one of the grossest things in a home."
18. BEST: "One of the best things we've done is Xeriscape our lawns and park strip. The cost of watering our lawn dropped dramatically, the maintenance is considerably less, and it's more environmentally friendly, especially on the West Coast, where we're constantly dealing with drought conditions and water conservation concerns. Plus, over the last couple of years, there have been a lot of rebates for Xeriscaping, so the up-front cost has decreased. Win, win, and win."
Honestly, if I had heated floors, I would never leave the house! If you're a homeowner, what do you think are the best and worst home upgrade splurges? Let me know in the comments, or you can submit anonymously using this Google form!
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.