5 quick and inexpensive renovation projects if you're selling your apartment or house
- Tub reglazing gives you a new look for a fraction of replacement costs and can be used to cover tile
- Mini splits are easier and quicker to install than central AC; they're efficient and also provide heat
Before and after photos of the author's sister's bath. Reglazing the tub and tile took about three hours, including prep time, plus overnight drying.
Amy White
The tub and tile in my sister’s bath in her Westchester house were bugging her to distraction. The tile—a pale, mottled tan color, decorated here and there with a tiny bouquet motif—and tub in a matching shade—felt annoyingly old fashioned. She wanted an all-white bath that would feel brighter and fresher.
I told her about tub reglazing, which gives you a new look for a fraction of what it costs to replace the tub and can be used to cover tile as well. My sister, Amy White, was eager to save money on sprucing up her bathroom. She contacted Westchester Refinishing, which quoted her a price of $925 to reglaze the tub and tile.
The process has been covered extensively by Brick Underground. Writer Mimi O’Conner warned readers about how smelly it is: “The toxic fumes released during the process not only make your apartment smell bad, they’re dangerous if not dealt with properly,” she wrote.
Of course, as luck would have it, the only available date for the contractor was during the same week I was visiting for a working vacation. I set up my office in my niece’s pink bedroom, near the bathroom, so I would have to meet deadlines while inhaling fumes.
[Editor's note: A previous version of this article ran in August 2020. We are presenting it again in case you missed it.]
As it turns out, it was not so stinky (more on that in a moment) and it was fast—making it a quick upgrade for a NYC apartment or house on the market. Need some other fast or relatively inexpensive (or both) renovation ideas for a resale? Read on.
Tub and tile reglazing to refresh the bath
Reglazing involves spraying a new topcoat on your existing tub and tile, and is much cheaper, easier, and less time-consuming than replacing a tub—which can cost thousands to install. It took Westchester Refinishing about three hours from start to finish—including extensive prep work—which is crucial to prevent the glaze from peeling later, plus overnight drying time.
And about the smell: Not so bad, I can report. I retreated one floor down to the dining room, and positioned a large fan in front of me, but was not bothered by the fumes. The contractor vented the fumes out the bathroom window while he worked, and this kept the smell largely at bay.
If you're prepping a home or bathroom for sale and the bathroom is looking dated (band aid-pink bathroom tile is a tough sell) this is a quick fix. For more intel, read “Tub reglazing: What you need to know about this affordable but stinky bathroom upgrade.”
Mini split AC units for the comfort of central air
Let’s face it: Window air units are not always up to the task of cooling a place off. Central air (which involves creating ducts) may be out of your budget, but wall-hung units (aka mini splits) are gaining in popularity fast. They get the job done and can help make your townhouse more competitive on the sales or rental market.
As writer Evelyn Battaglia wrote, these are easier and quicker to install than central AC—they don’t require ductwork and also provide heat. Brands include Mitsubishi, Daiken, and LG and multiple units can run off a single condenser. According to Home Depot, it can cost $1,000 to $2,000 for the equipment to heat and cool 800 to 1,200 square feet.
Another bonus? Ductless units are as much as 30 percent more efficient than central systems, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Want to know more cool info? Check out “Here's what you need to know about installing central AC.”
Pressurized walls for a new home office
Many New Yorkers work from home but that can challenging when you don’t have a separate, enclosed space to take your Zoom meetings. Enter the pressurized wall.
Pressurized walls, which are not permanently attached to walls or the floor, are good option for adding a small office to an apartment—which is an amenity many buyers want these days.
Donny Zanger, project manager for All Week Walls, gets lots of requests for home offices. Adding one wall can cost under $1,000, with add-ons like pocket doors, seamless finishes—and sound-proofing—bringing the total to about $3,000. L-shaped walls range from $1,000 to $2,000, on average, Zanger previously told Brick.
To get more information, check out “Working from home? Here's how to use pressurized walls to make an office.”
A designer hack for your kitchen
Your kitchen may look dated but putting in a new one is not always recommended when you are selling. Some sellers don’t want the stress or the strain on their budget, and it’s not recommended for moderately priced apartments, like a $500,000 studio. But if you have a higher-end apartment, then you are facing competition from newer condos, in which case an upgrade is in order.
One designer tip is to swap out the fronts and hardware only, and if you have an IKEA kitchen, you are in luck. As Mimi O’Connor writes, there are numerous companies that offer doors, drawer fronts, panels, handles, pulls, and more for new look to refresh an IKEA kitchen (some companies work with non-IKEA kitchens too).
They take advantage of IKEA’s kitchen planner tool—which offers standardized dimensions to simplify the process. To get started, check out, “Hack your IKEA cabinets with these custom pieces for a more upscale look.”
Paint it the right white
Giving an apartment a fresh coat of paint is of course at the top of most sellers to-do lists—and going with white is a no-brainer to create a clean, spacious look, but with so many brands and finishes out there, it’s not easy to choose the right white.
To make your choice easier, Brick Underground got tips on the best brands and paint shades. Brush up with “What's the best shade of white to paint your NYC apartment if you're trying to sell?”
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