Quotes: from Dallas Morning News Abode article..

"These ‘invisible’ upgrades give your house a different kind of luxury"

Eric Cantu, owner of Eric Cantu Remodeling, has a few more suggestions for an upgraded bathroom. “Get a thermostatic valve for $300. It is bougie. It’s fantastic. You set it on 110 [degrees] and leave it, and every time you open the shower, it’s going to be that temperature.” Cantu also recommends upgrading to a high-quality vent fan. “Everyone has the eight-inch, $30 cheap noisemakers that don’t suck anything. Buy the $120 bath fan. It’s quiet and will suck all the humidity out of the bathroom when you take your long shower.”

Speaking of showers, all the contractors that we spoke to had a tankless water heater on their quiet-luxury wish lists. “It’s relatively inexpensive if you have to change the water heater anyway,” says Cantu. “It adds extreme value and comfort. You’re getting unlimited hot water.”

If you’re not doing any other remodeling but would still like some sound dampening, Cantu recommends swapping out builder-grade interior doors for solid-core doors, which cost about $100-$200 more per door. “That solid door is heavier; it feels high-end. It blocks noise, especially for kids, and no one will notice unless you knock on the door.”

Variable-speed AC. “The regular air conditioners that most people have, it either blows really hard or it turns off,” says Cantu. “With a variable speed, the air kicks on low, medium or high, so you’re not getting that high blast of air. You’re getting less noise, and if the system needs to cool a certain area for a little bit, it’ll just turn on low and not blast you out of the house.”

Washing your home’s exterior. A good washing twice a year can help your home look like a showpiece. Power washing takes care of cobwebs, dust and most sidewalk and driveway stains. For certain surfaces such as natural stone, windows and your home’s facade, a technique called soft washing is preferable; it requires a garden hose and a specialized cleaner. In either case, “you can do it. Your yard guy can do it. Your teenager can do it, but it really does make a difference,” says Cantu.