Sweeten’s Splurge vs. Save Renovation Guide: A Breakdown by Room

Dreaming of a home that’s as beautiful as it is functional? Every renovation project presents a unique opportunity to transform your living space. But with so many choices to make, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. That’s where our Splurge vs. Save guide comes in. We’ll help you prioritize your renovation goals and make informed decisions about where to invest your time and money. From stunning statement pieces to practical upgrades, our expert advice will guide you towards a home that reflects your personal style and enhances your everyday life.

Your house needs a few improvements and you have the urge to do them all immediately. Every project seems to announce itself with equal priority. Unless you’re awash in money and time, you cannot address all at once. You need to sift through your priorities—starting with knowing where to splurge vs. save during a renovation. 

Below, Sweeten helps you understand where to splurge vs. save so you can define your priorities.

What does splurging mean?

Splurging doesn’t necessarily mean overspending. It’s about prioritizing certain elements in your renovation. Invest in features that you interact with frequently and that hold personal significance. These are the elements that will significantly enhance your daily life and bring you joy.

What does saving mean?

Saving doesn’t imply neglecting or ignoring a project. It means postponing or scaling back on certain elements without compromising the overall outcome. Sometimes, taking a step back can provide a clearer perspective on what truly matters.

Splurge vs. Save: Kitchens

Splurge: Kitchen Countertops

Given their daily use and visibility, kitchen countertops are a prime candidate for splurging. Whether you opt for quartz, solid surface, natural stone, laminate, or wood, your choice will have a lasting impact on your kitchen’s appearance and functionality. Consider your long-term preferences when selecting materials and colors. If you’re unsure about a particular option, ask yourself: Will I still love this choice in a year?

Save: Kitchen Appliances

Kitchen appliances have made significant strides in recent years, even at lower price points. With careful research, you can find affordable refrigerators, dishwashers, cooktops, and ranges that meet your needs without sacrificing quality. Many budget-friendly options now offer features that were once exclusive to premium models.

Splurge vs. Save: Bathrooms

Splurge: Bathroom Fixtures

Bathroom fixtures are more than just mechanical devices. They aren’t just knobs and levers that start and stop the water. Fixtures are ornaments that complement a beautiful shower, tub, or sink. Spend more to splurge vs. save for bathroom fixtures that make you happy.

Save: Bathroom Technology

Technology has seamlessly integrated into our daily lives, and the bathroom is no exception. The Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionizing how we interact with common household items. By connecting everyday objects to the internet, IoT devices can enhance efficiency, comfort, and sustainability.

In the bathroom, IoT technology offers a range of benefits. Smart devices can track water usage, regulate temperature, and create a more personalized and responsive environment. From intelligent toilets to voice-activated mirrors, the possibilities are endless.

While bathroom technology is undoubtedly the future, it’s important to consider your individual needs and preferences. For now, you may choose to limit or postpone the adoption of smart devices in your bathroom. The decision ultimately depends on your priorities and budget.

Splurge vs. Save: Living rooms

Splurge: Paint

That designer paint that you’ve been eyeing? Now it can be yours. You can easily justify spending more on the premium paint that you want in the living room. That’s because the living room gets so much facetime, and it’s so public. Poor quality paint may flake, chip, or fade over time, costing more in the end. When you decide to splurge instead of save on your desired paint, you’ll be happier in the long run.

Save: Lighting

Living room lighting, while necessary, does not need to be expensive. Prioritize the shape and the finish of the lighting fixture over the brand name. One trick of designers is to over-scale lighting fixtures for a dramatic look. Just make sure that all of the in-wall wiring for sconces and ceiling lights is complete first!

Splurge vs. Save: Bedrooms

Splurge: Bedroom Closet systems

An unfinished closet is an empty box waiting for your stuff. However, that stuff has no place to go unless you create a system. Gone are the days of the closet rod with one shelf above it. Closet storage systems belong in all closets now. 

Reach-in closets benefit from a shoe fence or shoe cubby, two or three drawers, and plenty of open shelving, plus a closet rod. Walk-in closets should be outfitted with the same and more: additional shelves and drawers, pull-out baskets, multiple hanging areas, and lighting.

Save: Millwork and trim

Custom millwork and trim are the finishing touches for homes. If yours is a home of architectural significance, custom trim throughout is practically required. But if you want to save money, you can ease back on the fancy millwork in the private areas of the home. Save the ceiling medallions, crown molding, chair rails, dentils, batten, and picture rails for the dining and living areas.

At Sweeten, we’re experts at all things general contractors — we pre-screen them for our network, carefully select the best ones for your remodeling project, and work closely with hundreds of general contractors every day. So, we’ve tapped our internal expertise to bring you this guide.

Splurge vs. Save: Basements

Splurge: Basement Flooring

Moisture is usually the deciding factor when you consider whether or not to finish your basement. Prevalent moisture can turn an expensive basement remodel into an uninhabitable area best used for storage. 

An attractive, moisture-shedding floor covering and a subfloor system can make a world of difference. Begin with the subfloor system, interlocking 24-inch squares that elevate your floor covering about 1-inch. Then, choose a basement-ready floor covering that you love, whether ceramic or porcelain tile, luxury vinyl planks, engineered wood flooring, or laminate flooring.

Save: Guest bedrooms

Building out a guest bedroom in your basement is a wise move when you know that it will get frequent use, either by friends and family or as a rental unit. But if you want a guest bedroom in your basement only for the occasional visitor, you’re taking up valuable space best used for other activities.

Splurge vs. Save: Attics

Splurge: Built-in storage

Built-in storage doesn’t often rank high in priority in other parts of the house, but this is not the case for attics. Attics are starved for space to begin with. Once you add furniture, you have even less storage room. Knee walls are the short walls that extend from the floor to the rafters. Knee walls that have built-in storage should be built during the remodeling process, not later.

Save: Full bathrooms

Full bathrooms—toilet, sink, and shower or shower/tub—are a rarity in attics unless the intent is to build out an entire suite with living quarters. Otherwise, attics used as offices or children’s play areas work well with just a half-bathroom.

Splurge vs Save: Decks

Splurge: Deck Flooring

Your choice of deck flooring can easily make or break how much you end up using—and loving or avoiding—your deck. With that in mind, you’ll want to prioritize decking.

For the best in looks and maximum strength, choose a premium wood such as ipe or mahogany. Both are long-lasting, easy to maintain, and they return maximum resale value. Composite wood—a mixture of wood fibers and plastics—is smooth, splinter-free underfoot, and looks remarkably like wood.

Save: Deck Built-ins

Built-ins such as benches, tables, and planters are wonderful additions to decks. Built-in benches are especially valuable because they tuck away to the side, opening up more space in the center of the deck. Yet one way to pare down your deck-building budget is to save the built-ins for a later day. The same builder (or a different one) can always come back and create those built-ins that your heart desires.

Splurge vs. Save in a Renovation: Conclusion

Almost every room in a home would gladly use a piece of the budget. Knowing what projects can wait until a later date, or what may or may not maximize the full breadth of the room, can help guide on where to splurge vs. save in your renovation.

Need Help Planning?

Find endless home renovation inspiration, detailed guides, and practical cost breakdowns from our blogs. You can also post your project on Sweeten today and get matched with our vetted general contractors for free!