When remodeling doesn't pay

2/28/2013 2:30 AM ET

By Marcie Geffner, HSH.com

If you're justifying home renovations thinking that you'll recover the costs when you sell, you may want to recalculate.

Homeowners who want to remodel will find both joy and sorrow in the 2013 Cost vs. Value Report, recently published by Remodeling Magazine.

The joy comes from the report's finding that remodeling projects overall could be expected to return a higher percentage of their cost at resale in 2013, reversing a six-year decline in the recovered value of such investments. Every project on the national list posted a higher return in 2012 than it did in the prior year. The sorrow is that while returns are higher than they were, they're still far short of 100%.

The complete list included 22 midrange projects, ranging from a $1,137 steel entry door replacement to a $152,470 second-story addition, and 13 upscale projects, ranging from a $2,720 garage door replacement to a $220,086 master suite addition.

In the mid-range category, the least costly project -- that steel entry door replacement -- posted the highest return at 85.6% of the cost.

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When remodeling doesn't pay