A remodel is part home, part investment — and not every dollar comes back the same. Before you decide how far to take a kitchen or bath, it helps to know what each kind of project actually recoups at resale here in Pennsylvania. The short version: targeted, midrange work beats luxury gut jobs on return almost every time.
The best return rarely comes from spending the most. It comes from spending it in the right places.
The numbers for our region
Pennsylvania sits in the Middle Atlantic region of the industry's annual Cost vs. Value study. Here's how the main projects land:
- Minor / midrange kitchen remodel: recoups the most — the large majority of its cost, and in our region often more than 100%.
- Major (upscale) kitchen remodel: around 51% — a full gut is about lifestyle, not payback.
- Midrange bathroom remodel: about 80% — its strongest return in nearly two decades.
- Upscale bathroom remodel: around 42%.
The pattern jumps off the page: the midrange version of a project consistently returns far more, as a percentage, than the luxury version.
Why midrange wins
It's about the buyer pool. A clean, well-built kitchen with durable, classic finishes appeals to almost everyone who walks through. A $150,000 designer kitchen with bold, specific taste appeals to a much smaller slice — and the next owner won't pay a premium for choices they'd have made differently. Quality and timelessness travel; extravagance and personality don't.
Kitchens: where the return lives
The high-ROI kitchen updates the things buyers see and use — cabinetry, countertops, hardware, lighting and appliances — without the cost (and taste risk) of moving walls and relocating plumbing. If you're choosing surfaces with resale in mind, our quartz vs. granite vs. quartzite guide and the kitchen cost guide are the place to start.
Bathrooms: the keep-one-tub rule
Bathrooms reward the same discipline. A midrange bath recoups around 80%; a tub-to-shower conversion in a home with two or more bathrooms returns about 65–80%. The one rule worth following: keep at least one bathtub in the home for the buyers who expect it, then upgrade another bath to a walk-in shower. We unpack this fully in walk-in shower vs. bathtub value.
The value the report doesn't measure
Resale percentages assume you're selling soon. Most people aren't. The years of actually enjoying a kitchen that works, or a bathroom that's safe to age in, are real value too — they just don't show up in an appraisal. If you're staying put, weigh daily life alongside resale, and don't let an ROI chart talk you out of the thing you'll use every morning.
How to maximize what you recoup
- Don't over-improve for the block — match your neighborhood's ceiling, don't blow past it.
- Choose durable, neutral, classic finishes that read well to any buyer.
- Fix function, not just looks — a better layout and quality construction outlast a trend.
- Keep one tub, and aim midrange unless you're building for the long haul.
- Hire a registered, insured contractor so the work is permitted and holds up at inspection and resale (see how to choose a contractor).
Plan it with real numbers
Resale value is always market-specific, so treat these figures as direction, not a promise. For a real ballpark on your project, try our cost calculator, or book a free in-home estimateand we'll help you spend where it pays back.