6 Kitchen Upgrades That Cost Ohio Homeowners More Than They Add in Value

An upscale kitchen gut remodel in the East North Central states, which is the Midwest region that includes Ohio, returns about 34 cents for every dollar spent.

That’s not nearly as much as many homeowners picture.

In some cases, they’re lucky to break even.

These are the kitchen upgrades that often cost Ohio homeowners more than they add in value.

Note: This is general information, not financial or real estate advice. Renovation costs and resale values vary by market and are subject to change.

1. Custom Cabinetry in Bold, Trend-Chasing Colors

Custom kitchen cabinetry in a bold, trend-driven color turns heads at an open house.

It doesn’t always turn into a higher offer.

Charissa Bright, owner of the real estate company Bright Buys Houses, watches this pattern play out on flip after flip: major kitchen remodels and other heavily personalized upgrades are losing their pull with buyers.

Martin Boonzaayer, chief executive of The Trusted Home Buyer, says a kitchen or bathroom remodel built around one owner’s taste can cost tens of thousands of dollars without adding back an equal amount in value.

A neutral palette costs about the same amount of paint. It just doesn’t shrink the buyer pool on the way out.

Taste isn’t universal.

2. Built-In Wine Fridges and Beverage Centers

A built-in wine fridge or beverage center is a luxury kitchen upgrade.

It carries a luxury price tag too, once the cabinetry and electrical work are finished.

Not every buyer wants it.

Madalyn Suits, a top-selling real estate agent in Atlanta, Georgia, sees the same problem with other niche luxury built-ins. She tells sellers it isn’t advisable to spend big money on items like a wine cellar, since even serious enthusiasts usually already have their own setup in mind.

When the neighbors don’t have the same feature, a buyer’s offer won’t match what it cost to add.

That fridge stays behind at the sale.

The homeowner doesn’t recoup what it cost to install.

3. Gutting the Kitchen for a Luxury, High-End Remodel

Gutting the kitchen down to the studs for a luxury, high-end remodel is the biggest swing a homeowner can take on a house.

The numbers back that up.

An upscale major kitchen remodel across the East North Central states, the Midwest region that includes Ohio, costs $160,333 on average.

It adds back just $55,119 at resale, according to the 2025 Cost vs. Value report.

That’s 34.4% of the money recouped.

It’s not even half.

4. Waterfall-Edge Stone Islands

A waterfall-edge stone kitchen island extends the same slab down both sides to the floor instead of stopping at the countertop’s edge.

That takes roughly six extra square feet of stone per side compared with a standard countertop, according to Angi.

More stone means a bigger bill before installation even starts.

The look reads as high-end in photos.

Buyers won’t pay for photos.

An appraiser still prices the island against what’s typical on the block, not against the size of the slab.

5. Commercial-Style Appliance Packages

A commercial-style appliance package brings a restaurant-grade range and a matching hood into a home kitchen.

The price rises fast once every burner matches that standard.

Sellers eat that cost alone.

Many home cooks never touch half the features.

Cindy Chen, a licensed real estate agent at Compass in New York City, says spending more than $15,000 on professional-grade appliances rarely pays off unless the rest of the home and neighborhood support that level.

A buyer touring the house sees a nice range.

The sale price doesn’t move for burners they’ll never touch.

6. Ultra-Premium, Imported Countertop Stone

Ultra-premium, imported countertop stone, the kind quarried overseas and priced well above ordinary quartz or granite, sets a kitchen apart from every other listing on the block.

Comparable sales don’t care.

An appraiser pricing the home afterward starts from what similar kitchens nearby sold for.

The price tag at the stone yard doesn’t factor into that math.

It’s the same neighborhood-ceiling math Ray Mihara, a real estate agent in Tampa, Florida, has watched sink other big-budget renovations.

His advice is to pay attention to the price range in the neighborhood. Spending far beyond it erodes the return instead of building it.

Return on a Smaller Refresh

A smaller Ohio kitchen refresh tells a completely different story than a full gut job.

New cabinet fronts, updated hardware, fresh paint, and swapped-in countertops make up what the same Cost vs. Value report calls a minor kitchen remodel.

Across the East North Central region, that project costs $27,005 and returns $27,318 at resale, a recoup rate of about 101%.

The math runs backward.

A homeowner who wants a kitchen that pays for itself gets closer by doing less, not more.

Outshining the Block

Appraisers have a name for a kitchen that outshines every other house on the street.

They call it an over-improvement.

It caps what a homeowner gets back no matter how much the renovation cost.

A comparable sale is a similar home nearby that already sold, the number every appraiser starts from.

Jamie Owen, a state-certified appraiser in Northeast Ohio, has written about this exact pattern from a Cleveland-area home he appraised.

His point is simple. Spend past what nearby comparable sales support, and a seller doesn’t recover that money.