Mason contractors should expect a little more business if the information in recently released Remodeling 2021 Cost vs. Value Report is correct. According to this annual nationwide survey, when homeowners opt to update their home’s exterior with manufactured stone veneer, they receive a 92.1% return on investment. This rate of investment was second only to garage door replacement. The value of manufactured stone veneer was 20 percentage points higher than the third project on the list, minor kitchen remodel.

The annual study compares the average costs of 22 remodeling projects with the value those investments will retain at resale. For manufactured stone, the study looked at replacing a 300-square-foot band of vinyl siding from the bottom third of the home’s front façade with manufactured stone veneer, sills, corners, and address block, along with two layers of WRB underneath, lath and fasteners, and nominal ½-inch-thick mortar scratch coat and setting bed.

The ROI on manufactured stone veneer is slightly less than the 2020 Cost vs. Value report, where it was at the top of the list with 95.6% cost recouped.

On a regional level, manufactured stone veneer retained its second-place spot in all but two regions, with costs recouped of 90% or more across the board. In two regions, manufactured stone veneer had to most ROI. In the West North Central region (North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri), it delivers 94.1% ROI. In the South Atlantic region (Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida), it recoups 94.1% of costs.

Overall, 11 of the 12 home remodeling projects offering the highest return on investment were for the exterior.

(Remodeling 2021 Cost vs. Value Report: © 2021 Zonda. Complete data from the Remodeling 2021 Cost vs. Value Report can be downloaded free at www.costvsvalue.com.)