Wondering if that home improvement project you've been considering is really worth it? According to a recently released report from Zonda, a data provider to the homebuilding industry, the home renovation projects that deliver the best return on investment (ROI) are often those that involve your home's exterior.

Zonda's 38th annual Cost vs. Value report ranked the most common home renovation projects across the nation by ROI, revealing that exterior home improvement projects consistently deliver more value at resale than larger discretionary interior remodels.

Which exterior projects deliver the most ROI? For the second consecutive year, garage door replacement takes the top spot on the report, followed by steel entry door replacement and manufactured stone veneer. Each of these projects more than doubled the cost of investment, highlighting the outsized value that curb appeal brings in today's selective housing market, according to Zonda.

"Exterior replacement projects remain the clear winners when it comes to adding resale value," said Clay DeKorne, chief editor of Zonda's JLC Group. "While large interior remodels may be personally rewarding, their appeal is often too subjective to deliver the same return when it's time to sell."

Here are other notable highlights from Zonda's 2025 Cost vs. Value Report:

- 8 of the top 10 projects are exterior replacements, underscoring the continued strength of curb appeal.
- A minor kitchen remodel remains the only interior project in the top five, demonstrating the enduring importance of a livable kitchen.
- A backup power generator entered the top 10 for the first time, with ROI exceeding 100% in hurricane-prone and storm-affected regions.
- Regional differences are pronounced, with the Pacific and West South-Central regions reporting the strongest overall returns.
- Newly added projects—including basement remodels, accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and rooftop solar panels—show varying payoffs, with basement remodels proving most consistent nationwide.

Here are the Top 10 projects based on ROI from Zonda's 2025 report:
 

Rank	Remodeling Project	Job Cost	Value at Sale	Cost Recouped
1	Garage Door Replacement	$4,672	$12,507	267.7 %
2	Steel Door Replacement	$2,435	$5,270	216.4 %
3	Manufactured Stone Veneer	$11,702	$24,328	207.9 %
4	Fiber-Cement Siding Replacement	$21,485	$24,420	113.7 %
5	Minor Kitchen Remodel	$28,458	$32,141	112.9 %
6	Vinyl Siding Replacement	$17,950	$17,313	96.5 %
7	Backup Power Generator	$13,534	$12,902	95.3 %
8	Wood Deck Addition	$18,263	$17,323	94.9 %
9	Composite Deck Addition	$25,096	$22,199	88.5 %
10	Fiberglass Grand Entrance	$11,754	$9,9959	84.7 %