Not all renovation dollars come back. Some return value every month, some return it at resale, and some are pure consumption dressed up as investment. Here's how the common projects actually rank.
The payback ranking
Why the ranking looks like this
- Income beats finish. A legal basement suite is appraised on rent as well as resale, which is why it's the only project that routinely returns more than it costs.
- Kitchens sell houses — to a point. Payback holds through mid-and-high spec, then falls off a cliff at ultra-luxury unless the whole house matches.
- Energy work pays twice. Envelope and heat-pump retrofits return partly at resale and partly as 20–40% lower operating bills every year you stay.
- Additions carry soft costs. Permits, structure and envelope mean added square footage costs more per foot than most owners expect — worth it for space you need, weak as pure investment.
85–100%+Suite payback plus rent
$2,000+Typical monthly suite rent
20–40%Bill reduction from energy retrofits
1Contract for design + build
The real rule: renovate first for how you live — then let us shape the scope so the money lands in the layers that hold value. That's a design decision, and it's exactly what design-build is for.
Planning a renovation this year?
Book a Free ConsultationWe'll help you weight the scope toward the work that pays back — free consultation, honest numbers.
✱ Representative planning figures for Metro Vancouver, mid-2026 — assembled from municipal permitting schedules, the BC Energy Step Code framework and Armacan project records. Every lot and scope is different: treat these as orientation, not a quote, and confirm against your property in a free consultation.
