Recessed Shelving on Shared Walls (Townhouse)

[Cassidy Osgood]

I’m working on my first flip (a townhome) and to make the most of the smaller spaces I’d like to add in some recessed shelving. I can’t seem to find any information on whether or not I am within my bounds to install recessed shelving into portions of the shared walls with the neighboring townhomes. Any advice/information on this topic would be appreciated! Thanks in advance.

[Isaiah Williams]

@Cassidy OsgoodAre!

First and foremost get a hold of whomever is in Charge of the HOA in that area. Town homes (condos I'm assuming?) Can have very specific guidelines on what a home can look like outside of the home, and I believe inside as well. I've never invested in townhouses but I wouldn't want to do something I'm not actually allowed to do. That being said, I'm not sure how much financial sense it would make to install recessed shelving. Sure it might look nicer and you might be able to raise the rent slightly, but not by much. General rule is you should be able to recover your investment within about 2-4 years from the rental increase. If you can't Raise the rents I personally wouldn't bother with installing that shelving.