In spite of the daily bad news report about the economy and the housing industry, I decided to see if I could find some trends for remodeling in 2009. After all, I reasoned, not everyone is going to use all the doom-and-gloom reports as an excuse to crawl under a rock till the media tells us things are going to get better. Right? RIGHT!

Lo! And behold! I found results for a poll recently conducted by the Chicago Tribune, in which a variety of builders, contractors, real estate, and remodeling professionals were asked:

• What renovation projects make sense in the current economic climate?
• What improvements will let folks live better now and make the home more saleable later – and deliver a return on the investment?

The poll turned up 9 projects that the pros agree make sense, with the overall caveat that small projects will dominate the remodeling scene this year:

1. Siding replacement and window replacement
2. Energy efficiency and all things green
3. Deck additions
4. Cosmetics
5. The pizzazz factor
6. Kitchen remodel
7. Bathroom remodel
8. Teaching old rooms new tricks
9. Electric radiant heat

A discussion about these findings is taking place on the Home Savvi blog, where the fun of the pizzazz factor has elicited some comments. The “pizzazz factor” includes things like adding crown moldings, faux painting, lighting effects, tile backsplashes in the kitchen, and so forth.

Of all the trends, the pizzazz factor is my favorite, too. Why not have some fun with whatever budget you have available for remodeling this coming year? It’s a great way to combine optimism with practicality, and that’s an approach that makes sense in lots of ways. One of the best antidotes for depression/recession is optimism/expansion – in however small a way, these affirming behaviors just plain feel good.

Before you decide what your first 2009 remodeling project will be, you might want to compare these new trends with the findings published in the 2008 Cost vs Value report, reported on here in CalFinder’s blog.

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