Thinking about doing a remodel on your Portland home, but not sure where the best place to put your money is? He is a report put out by Remodeling Magazine and PMAR (Portland Metro Area Realtors) that shows the cost of remodeling your Portland home and how much value it is estimated to return.

Projects were estimated at the midrange and upscale value. Below are the top ten midrange projects that recouped the most value in the Portland area.

1) Minor kitchen remodel, 91.5% cost recouped Job cost: $20,947 Functional but dated 200‐sq. ft. kitchen, leave cabinet boxes in place but replace fronts with new wood doors and drawers, including new hardware. Replace wall oven and cooktop, laminate countertops, install midpriced sink and faucet. Repaint trim, add wall covering, remove and replace resilient flooring.

2) Garage door replacement, 88.4% cost recouped Job cost: $1,732

3) Entry door replacement (steel), 85% cost recouped Job cost: $1,473

4) Deck addition (wood), 81.9% cost recouped Job cost: $12,938

5) Window replacement (vinyl), 81.4% cost recouped Job cost: $13,504

6) Window replacement (wood), 79.5% cost recouped Job cost: $14,432

7) Attic bedroom, 76.9% cost recouped Job cost: $61,066 Convert unfinished attic space to a 15‐by‐15‐foot bedroom and a 5‐by‐7‐foot bathroom with shower. Include a 15‐foot shed dormer, four new windows, and closet space under the eaves.

8) Basement remodel, 76.4% cost recouped Job cost: $76,393 Finish the lower level of a house to create a 20‐by‐30‐foot entertaining area with wet bar and a 5‐by‐8‐foot full bathroom.

9) Major kitchen remodel, 75.9% cost recouped Job cost: $64,209 Update outmoded 200‐sq. ft. kitchen with semi‐custom wood cabinets, including island, laminate countertops, standard double‐tub stainless‐steel sink, energy efficient oven, cooktop, ventilation, microwave, dishwasher, garbage disposal, custom lighting, new resilient flooring.

10) Deck addition (composite), 75.2% cost recouped Job cost: $17,358

The report, a joint effort between Remodeling Magazine and the National Association of Realtors®, compares the average cost for 35 popular remodeling projects with the value those projects retain at resale.

PMAR eNews; March 2012