Build It for You: Why Resale Value Shouldn’t Run Your Renovation
Can we please stop designing for the next owner?
They’re not paying your mortgage. They’re not raising your kids. And they might bulldoze the house anyway.
Every week, a well-meaning client in Fairfield or Westport says something like:
“We don’t really want a bathtub here, but maybe the next buyer will?”
Or:
“Do you think we should go more neutral in case we sell in five years?”
Let’s be honest: “resale value” is the boogeyman of bad design decisions. It keeps smart people from living beautifully in their own homes—all in service of some hypothetical future buyer, whose taste may not even remotely match yours.
At House of Huck, we’re officially over it.
Resale Is Not a Design Strategy
Spoiler alert: Johnny and his Developer friends from Fairfield County to Martha’s Vineyard? They’re not comparing cabinet colors. They’re running spreadsheets. And if the market’s right, your entire home—yes, even that “great for resale” soaking tub—might be leveled and replaced with a white box "modern farmhouse" that no one actually lives in full-time.
So why are you making decisions for them?
Designing with resale in mind is like dressing for the next person who might wear your clothes. It’s not only futile—it’s absurd.
Here’s What Actually Increases Home Value
You. Enjoying your home.
High-quality materials. Functional floor plans. Bespoke details that make a house yours. These are the elements that give a home character, integrity, and longevity—whether you sell in two years or twenty.
Real estate agents love to say “don’t over-improve for the neighborhood.” We say: if you’re in New Canaan, Watch Hill, or a coveted corner of Nantucket—elevate the neighborhood.
A Home Should Serve the People Who Live in It
You’re the one brushing your teeth at that vanity. Cooking in that kitchen. Collapsing on that sofa at the end of a 12-hour day in NYC.
If you hate taking baths? Skip the tub.
If you want bold tile in your Vineyard mudroom? Go bold.
If you’re dreaming of a moody Newport library instead of a fourth bedroom? Let’s make it happen.
The only ROI that actually matters? Return on enjoyment.
Permission to Design Selfishly (It’s Okay. Really.)
Your home should reflect your values, your lifestyle, your version of luxury—not the next buyer’s.
At House of Huck, we create homes in Fairfield County, coastal Connecticut, and New England’s top vacation spots that are deeply personal, highly functional, and unapologetically beautiful—because that’s what you deserve.
Thinking about your next project?
Let’s design it for you.
Book a discovery call. Because good design isn’t about playing it safe. It’s about making your home feel like yours—resale be damned.