10 home remodels that turn off buyers

Backyard turned sports court

Cost: Hoops fanatics could dish out as much as $68,000 to convert their yard into a 105-foot-long, 52-foot-wide concrete basketball court with two hoops and painted lines, says Patriot Court Systems in Houston. This renovation includes a 5-inch-thick, post-tensioned slab. The project's cost may be higher or lower depending on the slope of your yard, excavation, zoning fees and your access to concrete-churning and earth-moving equipment.

Recoup rate: Less than 10%, "if anything," says Karyn Anjali Glubis, a real-estate agent in the Tampa, Fla., area.

How much longer your home will stay on the market: "Up to a year longer" to find a buyer who would enjoy the court, Glubis says.

• Bing: Top 10 DIY mistakes

Read:  5 future-proofing tips for home remodeling projects

Motorized stairway chair lift

Cost: Jeff Buckley, co-owner of H.E.S. Elevator Services in Englewood, Colo., says a homeowner would pay $10,500 for a lift that can carry a person up 20 stairs with a landing and turn at the middle of the rise. The cost includes equipment and labor.

Recoup rate: 10% to 20%, says Marissa Garone-Blatz, a real-estate agent and mortgage lender in Jupiter, Fla. She adds that sellers may be competing with housing complexes built specifically for special-needs buyers.

How much longer your home will stay on the market: As long as four months, Garone-Blatz says, because of removal costs. Buyers who use wheelchairs are apt to focus their search on one-story homes that comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act.

• Video: Does home improvement add value
  
  
• 'Listed': Bye-bye, mudroom, and hello 'drop zone'
  
  
• Remodeling? Get ideas in the Design Center

Read:  10 remodeling projects that pay back most

Steam shower

Cost: In our ultrasweet, fantasy bathroom, we envision eight to 10 shower heads, several towel warmers, a waterproof television and the sumptuously soggy centerpiece: a sit-down steam shower. These upgrades would lighten your bank account by at least $20,000, says Chantay Bridges, senior real-estate specialist at Clear Choice Realty & Associates in Beverly Hills, Calif. The steam shower alone could run anywhere between $2,000 and $15,000.

Recoup rate: $5,000 or more, Bridges says.

How much longer your home will stay on the market: Several months, Bridges says.

• Bing: Top 10 DIY mistakes

Read:  5 future-proofing tips for home remodeling projects

Your sole heating source: A wood-burning stove 

Cost: Installing a wood stove to heat a two- to three-bedroom home will set you back about $3,600, says Angie Hicks, co-founder of the service-review website Angie's List. If you are considering mothballing a traditional furnace for this cheaper form of warmth, be sure to check your local building codes and air-pollution laws, because some areas ban wood burning at times.

Recoup rate: Zero, Hicks says. "Wood stoves are like swimming pools," she says. "Some people love them, (and) some don't want the fuss, work, cost of wood, mess and liability."

How much longer your home will stay on the market: This woodsy feature could cause your house to "stall" on the market for a year or more, Hicks says. Some people love the crackle, glow and aroma of wood embers. But "even homeowners who like the feature will likely want a backup source of heat," she says.

• Video: Does home improvement add value?
  
  
• 'Listed': Bye-bye, mudroom, and hello 'drop zone'
  
  
• Remodeling? Get ideas in the Design Center

Read:  10 remodeling projects that pay back most

Extreme home office

Cost: The price for an upscale work space can rise rapidly, depending on its size and the materials you select. For a memorably opulent office, think in the neighborhood of $20,000, Hicks says. This would include custom lighting, built-in cabinets, special molding, paneling, granite counters and high-tech gadgets such as flat-screen TVs and an entertainment system.

Recoup rate: 57%, Hicks says.

How much longer your home will stay on the market: Depending on the market, this addition could cause a home to sit for six to 12 months longer compared with a similar home without a swanky office, Hicks says. If you make it impossible for the room to be converted back to a bedroom, this could hurt your resale value.

• Bing: Top 10 DIY mistakes

Read:  5 future-proofing tips for home remodeling projects

Car collector's garage

Cost: If you can afford to collect a bevy of vintage cars, the price of your own showroom or oversized garage may not be an issue. But expect to pump out about $50,000 for this addition, Hicks says.

Recoup rate: 25% to 40%, Hicks says. If you live in a well-heeled neighborhood where a few homeowners already have car-collector garages, the return on your investment will edge higher because prospective buyers may choose your area specifically for this specialty feature.

How much longer your home will stay on the market: 12 more months to find a buyer who is seeking a mega-garage, Hicks says.

• Video: Does home improvement add value
  
  
• 'Listed': Bye-bye, mudroom, and hello 'drop zone'
  
  
• Remodeling? Get ideas in the Design Center

Read:  10 remodeling projects that pay back most

Highly personalized hobby room

Cost: Crafters may dedicate a certain nook to their favorite pursuit, be it beer-making, sewing or painting. But when this hobby requires converting a bedroom into a room that's hard to change back, it can be costly. For example, converting an existing 8-by-10-foot room into a potter's dream — complete with a pottery wheel and kiln — would run $4,000 to $6,000, says Mel El-Farouki, who operates Mel's Pot Shop in Erie, Pa.

Recoup rate: Any homeowner who installs a pottery room will see "very little" of that investment back, says Wendy Slaughter, president and owner of the Wendy SlaughterTeam at Re/Max Advantage Realty in Fulton, Md. "It could negatively impact the sales price," she says.

How much longer your home will stay on the market: Several months, Slaughter says. But if you have a pottery room, marketing your home through pottery stores or offering free pottery lessons could entice prospective buyers.

• Bing: Top 10 DIY mistakes

Read:  5 future-proofing tips for home remodeling projects

Home theater

Cost: Hankering for some Hollywood at home? Be prepared to pay "upwards of $9,000" for this type of glitzy space, Glubis says. That's assuming your flick-watching room includes special speakers, lighting, seating adequate for a small group and a large viewing screen. You could pay more if you add velvet curtains, a large popcorn machine and top-notch acoustics.

Recoup rate: 50%, Glubis says, but only "if you were budget-conscious while installing it."

How much longer your home will stay on the market: Typically, a fancy media room isn't a deal-breaker, Glubis says, but it may set the price of an otherwise-average home over some buyers' budgets.

• Video: Does home improvement add value
  
  
• 'Listed': Bye-bye, mudroom, and hello 'drop zone'
  
  
• Remodeling? Get ideas in the Design Center

Read:  10 remodeling projects that pay back most

Barn or stable

Cost: The price for an animal-only structure depends on the depth of your love for critters and how many you have. In South Florida, for example — where properties can have horses as well as donkeys, cows, peacocks and more — homeowners spend anywhere from $45 per square foot to several hundred dollars per square foot on barns and stables, Garone-Blatz says. Prices increase when homeowners choose "high-end décor materials compatible to that of their residence," she says.

Recoup rate: Even in equestrian communities, homeowners who erect barns should expect 50% to 67% return on their investment, Garone-Blatz says.

How much longer your home will stay on the market: In nonfarming, nonequestrian locales, barns can stick out in a negative way. Time on the market might be prolonged until the seller finds a buyer who wants to house livestock.

• Bing: Top 10 DIY mistakes

Read:  5 future-proofing tips for home remodeling projects

Urinal

Cost: $150 for a basic version and $1,000 for a fancy urinal, Garone-Blatz says.

"We once had a listing (in which) the man of the house was very proud of his urinal in the master bathroom," she says. "I have to say, quite a few other men thought it was an upgrade, but most of the women did not find it too appealing.'' Labor for installation would run a few hundred dollars.

Recoup rate: Zero to 20%, Garone-Blatz says. It can have a negative effect if your home has no toilet near the master bedroom.

How much longer your home will stay on the market: In the aforementioned scenario, it delayed the property's sale a month or two, Garone-Blatz says. "Many women thought it was just another fixture to have cleaned." she says. "On the flip side, many men thought it was a great, convenient idea and something neat to show off to their buddies."

• Video: Does home improvement add value
  
  
• 'Listed': Bye-bye, mudroom, and hello 'drop zone'
  
  
• Remodeling? Get ideas in the Design Center

Read:  10 remodeling projects that pay back most