Most Profitable Renovations

Renovation costs are shooting higher and homeowners are getting a lot less bang for their remodeling bucks, according to a report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and Remodeling Magazine.

Last year, for example, adding a master bedroom suite to a house cost an average of $75,959 nationwide and boosted the home's resale value by $64,419 - that's 84.8 percent of the cost recouped. The same job this year cost a lot more - $94,331 - and returned just $68,458, or 72.6 percent.

The Harvard University Joint Center for Housing Studies estimates that Americans will spend nearly $160 billion for home remodeling projects over the next 12 months.

Many costs associated with remodeling have spiked. Last year, the national average for a midrange kitchen renovation was $43,862, according to NAR. But this year, that average cost had leaped to $54,241.

Read more about renovation costs here…