The data debunks "remodel to profit." In Zonda's 2025 Cost vs. Value Report, exterior replacements dominate ROI — garage door replacement recoups ~268% and a steel entry door ~216% — while big interior projects recoup far less (upscale primary-suite addition ~18%, upscale major kitchen ~36%). The rule that falls out of both major reports: the more expensive and custom the project, the lower the percentage recouped. Remodel for how you live; treat resale recovery as a partial rebate, not a return.
This guide is the ROI chapter of our remodel planning series. All figures are cost-recouped percentages from the two authoritative industry sources, labeled by edition — they are survey-based national estimates, not guarantees, and they vary by region and market timing. For what projects actually cost, use our room cost guides, computed from dated models: bathroom, kitchen, basement, attic, garage, and home addition.
🏆 Zonda Cost vs. Value 2025: ROI Is an Exterior Story
Zonda's 38th annual Cost vs. Value Report (released September 2025) examined 28 projects across nine U.S. regions and 119 markets, pairing real-estate-professional surveys with modeled construction costs. Its headline finding: 8 of the top 10 projects by cost recouped are exterior replacements. A minor kitchen remodel is the only interior project in the top five.
National Cost Recouped — Zonda Cost vs. Value 2025 (selected projects)
| Project | Cost recouped |
|---|---|
| Garage door replacement | ~268% |
| Entry door replacement (steel) | ~216% |
| Manufactured stone veneer | ~206–208% |
| Siding replacement (fiber cement) | ~114% |
| Minor kitchen remodel (midrange) | ~113% |
| Siding replacement (vinyl) | ~96% |
| Deck addition (wood) | ~95% |
| Deck addition (composite) | ~89% |
| Bath remodel (midrange) | ~80% |
| Window replacement (vinyl) | ~76% |
| Basement remodel | ~71% |
| Roofing replacement (asphalt) | ~68% |
| Bathroom addition (midrange) | ~53% |
| Major kitchen remodel (midrange) | ~51% |
| Bath remodel (upscale) | ~42% |
| Accessory dwelling unit (ADU) | ~41% |
| Major kitchen remodel (upscale) | ~36% |
| Primary suite addition (midrange) | ~32% |
| Primary suite addition (upscale) | ~18% |
Read down the table and the pattern is unmistakable: recoup percentage falls as project cost and customization rise. Cheap, visible, standardized exterior swaps recover multiples of their cost; expensive, taste-specific interior projects recover a fraction. (Regional variation is real — Zonda noted the Pacific and West South Central regions strongest in 2025, and a backup generator ranged from ~139% in one region to ~69% in another.)
📊 NAR/NARI 2025 Remodeling Impact Report: Same Ranking, Different Lens
The second authoritative source uses a different method — Realtor-estimated resale value divided by NARI contractor cost estimates — and lands on lower percentages but the same ranking: doors and small refreshes above large interior gut jobs. The 2025 edition (published April 2025) covers 12 projects in its cost-recovery chart:
Recovered Project Cost — NAR/NARI 2025 Remodeling Impact Report
| Project | Recovered cost |
|---|---|
| New steel front door | 100% |
| Closet renovation | 83% |
| New fiberglass front door | 80% |
| New vinyl windows | 74% |
| Basement conversion to living area | 71% |
| Attic conversion to living area | 67% |
| Complete kitchen renovation | 60% |
| Minor kitchen upgrade | 60% |
| Add new bathroom | 56% |
| New primary suite | 54% |
| Bathroom renovation | 50% |
The report's other famous metric points the opposite direction. Its Joy Scores (owner satisfaction, 1–10) put primary-suite additions, kitchen upgrades, and new roofs at a perfect 10, and bathroom renovations at 9.8 — the highest-joy projects are among the lowest-recovery ones. That inversion is the entire argument for remodeling for use rather than profit: the value you keep is the years you live in it.
Don't mix editions. The 2025 NAR report restructured its project list — the widely quoted "hardwood floor refinishing recoups 147%" figure is from the 2022 edition and does not appear in 2025. When you see an ROI number, check the report name and year before repeating it.
🧭 How to Actually Use These Numbers
- Selling within ~2 years? Prioritize the top of the Zonda table: garage door, entry door, siding, and curb-appeal work. It is the only category where you may recover more than you spend. (The garage door calculator covers the #1 project's full spec.)
- Staying 5+ years? Optimize for Joy Score and utility — kitchen, bath, primary suite — and treat the recoup percentage as a partial rebate on a purchase you are making for yourself.
- Adding space? Conversions beat additions on recovery: basement (71%) and attic (67%) conversions outperform a new primary suite (54%) in the NAR 2025 data, because the shell already exists. Plan them with the basement and attic conversion calculators — both check the code gates (ceiling height, egress) that decide feasibility first.
- Choosing a finish tier? Both reports agree: midrange beats upscale on recovery in every category where both are measured. The upscale premium is almost pure consumption.
For the rest of the planning picture — scope, budget ratios, permits, and sequencing — start at the planning pillar, and browse everything remodel-related on the Remodel Planning hub.
Estimate your Attic Conversion materials
Live attic conversion cost — bonus room, habitable, or full ADU. Dormer, stair, joist sister, mini-split adders. IRC R305.1 & R310 callouts.
Estimate with the Attic Conversion Calculator →