What about stainless steel? Too industrial?
Agree that Formica is cheap to replace, but if people donāt use cutting boards it can be ruined quickly. Iād probably go for one of the engineered stones like Silestone. Resists heat and stains. And it can come in more industrial looking finishes/colors. Take a look at āsteelā for example. https://www.silestoneusa.com/color/steel/
The house came with formica, a guest quickly bubbled it up by putting a hot pan on the island. The least inexpensive thing to do was a large cut out and installed a cutting board, looks great. A few weeks later another guest burned another spot and, as the home is just hitting one year old, the entire sink run needs to be replaced as the edge is warped. Itās lovely looking laminate, but apparently the quality is junk.
Good to know about the concrete, I was thinking that would be more rugged than yāall are saying. I am trying to get in touch with one of the only two GCs in our remote town. A lot depends on who even does countertops in town!
Stainless is an interesting option, pretty gutsy, but that would be darned bomb proof.
Every type of counter can be damaged if you donāt take pains to treat it gently. Some people just donāt care when itās not theirs, the drunken vacation mentality prevails and they do things they would never dream of doing at home.
Depending on the size of the counter, Iād be tempted to go for pre-formed laminate counters like they sell in HD:
Iāve used this stuff in apartment rentals, it has held up pretty well for me. Itās not the prettiest, but it is cheap and easy to install and replace.
If renters burn counters, I would go with SS or granite. Both are highly heat resistant. SS can be tricky - you have to use good, industrial grade steel, and it needs to be installed properly (or it could dent). Another option is that horrid black composite that chemistry labs use, like a material from here:
We are thinking about gutting the master bath and starting over. Our current bath is 18 years old and has the original builderās grade materials. The room is 10 feet by 11 feet. I want to go with a larger shower enclosure, heated floors, and a standalone tub. Iāve had remodelers give me estimates from 15-20K for the labor alone- not counting materials.
Not sure if this is reasonable for our area so have to do more research. I also want to remodel before we sell when we retire (in about 10 years). I want to enjoy my new bathroom and feel like I got my moneyās worth. Can anyone tell me what the ROI is for bathrooms?
According to this, 50%:
[Bathroom Remodels Increase Home ValueāFact or Myth?](How Much Does a Bathroom Remodel Increase Home Value?)
The ROI sounds about right. I never really care that much about it, tbh, because I have no intention of moving for at least 20 years, if at all. So by then everything will in my house will scream 2010ās.
Been super busy lately with a whole mess of things on my plate that Iāve barely had time to read CC, much less post. Iāve missed this thread. 
Hoping sometime in April work will start on the patio Iām having put it. But who knows since I woke up to more snow today!
@notrichenough - thanks! I guess this means if we remodel within the next year, then spend at least another five years in the house before selling, we should feel like weāve got our moneyās worth out of the project. 
Go with the project with your personal enjoyment ROI in mind!
Thanks, I will. I just remember years ago when we sold my momās house. Replaced the carpeting, painted, did other minor updates. It looked great and made it harder to sell. I figure if we do this remodel now, then we can enjoy the work that was completed before we sell years from now.
Agree 100% with BB. I did both my big bathrpom and my powder room two years ago. I spent more than I needed to for sure but I am so glad I did. My bathroom is my happy place now.
Whoever buys our House2 in the future will likely bulldoze the place flat and build 3 5000 sft, 3 story boxes in its place. We are still going forward with reno projects - for our own enjoyment.
Interesting. Homeopathy opt to remodel instead of moving elsewhere:
I fall into that category. I actually went shopping for a downsize house and realized there was nothing in my criteria so am going to do a whole house remodel to brighten everything up, try to reduce maintenance and get ready for aging. These were my criteria:
Single story (this was hardest to find)
Large Water view, either ocean or harbor
Large covered patio for outdoor entertaining (I do a lot of entertaining) or ability to build one
āLock and goā to travel away from home easier
Easy Parking for my friends (2nd hardest thing to find)
Low maintenance yard or happy with no yard (#1 and 3 didnāt seem to be sold with this criteria)
So Iām going to live with way too much yard in order to keep my house that meets the other criteria (except for lock and go). Just going to have to bite the bullet and realize I am going to have to pay someone to maintain a large yard and pool in order to stay in my house. I have never had any interest in gardening or pulling weeds. But I like looking at it:)
@ChuckleDoodle ā
Did you mean to say that the updates made it easier to sell your momās house?
In retirement, if one is staying in the same area it may be that it doesnāt make sense to sell and buy but instead stay put. We are a few years away from that decision, but will be doing the āhome improvementsā as we edge towards retirement. DD1/SIL/Grandchildren will be moving probably next year and we will see where they land. Thinking of having a 5th wheel camper for stays/travel. Will see. 2.5 years to go and counting.
Coralbrook, how is the big house build next to you going? Does if damage your home environment?
@ChuckleDoodle why do you think it made it harder to sell? Did people complain about the carpet color?
I think the ROI for a bathroom will depend a lot on what it needs. If itās all cosmetic you can get most of it back, but if you start moving walls around, not so much.
A lot of my work is people looking around and realizing updating their almost all right house is much cheaper than finding a new house. Especially if they like their neighborhood.
Thatās why Iām so happy we never upsized. Iām on one floor, including the laundry. About 1800 sq feet after a fam room addition. House has been renovated from top to bottom. The best thing is my mortgage is only $800/month (not including taxes.)
Iām only on 1/3 acre but H just doesnāt have the time for yardwork, so have a lawn guy now.
A good friend is getting ready to put her huge 6 bedroom colonial on the market by June. Her H finally retired and they are moving to their second home in Vermont. She has 5 kids and a gaggle of grandkids scattered all over the country. She is worried that her house (which is beautiful) is going to sit on the market as who the heck needs a 6 bedroom house? She was telling me how much they have spent remodeling (her kitchen is almost as big as my whole house after several remodel) and I didnāt have the heart to tell her she is never getting that money back.