Home Improvements

Use this List of Expenditures to help document additions to the cost of your home which will reduce the gain on the sale later on. Establish a permanent file which can be used to accumulate receipts for items on this list. (Includable in Tax Basis of Personal Residence).

OUTSIDE ADDITIONS & IMPROVEMENTS

Additional acreage or lots
Surveying of property
Additions to buildings: 
  Porch
  Wings
  Breezeway
  Garage
  Work shed or other outbuildings
  Aluminum/Vinyl siding
Roofing additions or replacement
Flashing
Terraces and patios
Cement staircase
Swimming pool
Septic tank or cesspool
Sewers-assessment & connection
Lamp post
Electrical outlets
Telephone outlets
Barbecue pit
Pathways & Walks
Driveway - paving, blacktopping, or gravel
Retaining walls
Fences and gates
Play yard
Clothes dryers
Waste collecting and burning apparatus
Mail box
Storm doors
Screens & screen doors
Termite proofing
Gutters, leaders, drain pipes and dry wells
Bird bath
Garden and grounds:
  Rototill soil
  Grading
  Topsoil & fill
  Fertilizers & condition
  Grass seed
  Plants, bulbs, seeds
  Trees
  Shrubs, bushes, vines
  Waterwell & pump
  Lawn sprinkler system
Trellis

INSIDE ADDITIONS & IMPROVEMENTS
Convert basement or attic into recreation room or bedroom
Inside walls:
  Altering and plastering
  Wood paneling
  Wall tiles
Room dividers & partitions
Ceiling (acoustical)
Replace or add stairs
Flooring - wood, tile, etc. linoleum
Cabinets, closet shelves, etc.
Bookcases & other built-in furniture
Cupboards
Closets
Fireplace mantel
Radiator covers
Ventilators
Window seats
Windows:
  Replacement
  Storm sash
  Weather stripping
Accessories and equipment:
  Kitchen:
    Counter tops
    Dishwasher
    Drain boards
    Food Freezer
    Garbage dispose
    Range
    Range hood
    Refrigerator
    Sinks
    Ventilator

INSIDE ADDITIONS & IMPROVEMENTS
   Laundry:
    Dryer
    Hot plate for boiling
    Ironer
    Mangle
    Sinks
    Tubs
    Ventilator
    Washing machine Hamper
    Linen chute
    Sorting table or counter
    Supply cabinets
    Drying racks
Bathrooms:
    Medicine cabinet
    Mirrors
    Shower cabinet
    Shower controls
    Towel racks
    Tub hanger
    Tub
    Bathtub sliding doors
Unit heater/Mechanical equipment:
    Heating & air conditioning
    Furnace and appurtenances
    Air conditioning
    Attic fan
    Boiler
    Circulating system
    Cooling equipment
    Fireplace heater
    Hot water heater
    Radiators & valves
    Space heater
    Warm air grills & register 

INSIDE ADDITIONS & IMPROVEMENTS
Electricity & lighting:
  Circuit boxes
  Fuse boxes
  Lightening rods
  Wiring system
  TV antenna & wiring
Plumbing & sanitation:
  Cold water pipe
  Copper tubing
  Floor drains
  Grease traps
  Hot water tank
  Hot water pipe
  Lawn sprinkling system
  Pumps
  Septic system
  Traps
  Vent pipe
  Water supply system
Hardware fixtures/locks:
  For cabinets/closets
  For doors
  For windows
  For curtains/draperies

Lighting fixtures
Communication:

  Call bells or chimes
  Intercom system
  Telephone raceways
  Fire or burglar alarm systems
Miscellaneous items:
  Dumbwaiter
  Garbage disposal
  Insulation:
    Ceilings
    Floors
    Pipe & duct
    Roof
    Walls