In-Wall Tank: Effect on house value?

[discoreefer]

I'm thinking about building an in-wall tank in my house. In terms of value of your house, do you think it would decrease, increase or have no effect on value?

I'm sure there are many variables involved, just wondering what peoples thoughts are on this? (Sorry if it's a duplicate, couldn't find anything recent.)

[kendrid]

I'd say decrease. Most people don't care about fish, especially a reef.

I would still do it if you want it. You can always tear it out and replace the drywall when you go to sell.

[gone fishin]

I agree with Kendrid. Last time I was house hunting if the house had a pool I just walked away. Niche items can be tough to market.

[nvladik]

I would think part of the prep for the house, just like filling in cracks and painting would be to remove the tank first. I would plan for that if I had a built-in tank.

[JoelA7]

Or give your buyer the choice and put the tank as the added value item like so:

House with wall restored = $xxx
House with tank and all required maintenance items = $xxx + $

Good luck!

[Mark426]

Definitely a negative. Just having a large aquarium in the house, built in or not is a negative.

[igot2gats]

Originally Posted by Mark426

Definitely a negative. Just having a large aquarium in the house, built in or not is a negative.

I wouldn't say a stand alone tank is necessarily a negative. The only time a stand alone tank could be a negative, is if it's a large tank in a small room. Thus, not showing the full room's capacity.

But, an in-wall is a negative like everyone else said: most people don't care for fish tanks, buyers like to envision the house as 'theirs', and the thought of having to replace the drywall can be annoying.

But, I would just replace the drywall before you put the place on the market, if you ask me.

[wetWolger]

negative unless you find just the right buyer.

Besides droping the value of the house, it is more likely just going to turn people away from it. They will think something like "This has to be repaired or restored"....or "this will be a maintance pain", etc, etc.

[ca1ore]

Fully agree that built in tank = swimming pool. Most likely you will have to remove it at your cost, and repair the wall, should you desire to sell the house. Far better to have a free standing tank IME. BTW used market for a large tank is pennies on the dollar.

[TitansFan]

I agree with all the above posts. Most likely future buyers will want it back to original. You bought the house though use it as it makes you happy. If you plan to live there awhile who cares what value impact it will have. Enjoy the house and your chance for an in wall. I envy you, I just bought a house and the wife wanted an open concept which equals no in wall chance.

[tkeracer619]

It's just drywall. No big deal as long as you deal with the humidity properly.

[JohnniG]

I see the consensus is the tank may have a negative impact on the value UNLESS you find the perfect match of buyers. And sadly, I have to agree. Few people have the extra time/knowledge to run and utilise a reef tank .

[Eric45]

I don't know about all that. When I saw the pool in the back of the house I was looking at several years ago, it sold me...so I think it depends on the buyer. Of course a lot more people would likely appreciate a pool than a reef tank.

[slief]

I have a 480 gallon reef tank built into my house. Between the sump and two refugiums, I have about 600-650g in water volume. My tank is a 96" x 48" x 24" tall three side viewable peninsula that divides two rooms and is drywalled in from floor to ceiling.

When I bought my house I had 3 main criteria.. First was a place to build my tank in, second a 3 car garage and 3rd was a good place for a home theater. I was able to satisfy all criteria.

That said, the way I look at it is that the tank doesn't necessarily decrease or increase value. To a salt water aquarium lover, the tank will help close a sale but to a non tank lover, the tank will inhibit a sale. Fortunately, tanks are much easier to remove than they are to install. As such, removing a tank and fixing a wall is a relatively simple thing if you plan for that possibility going into it. If you are contemplating building a tank in, there are a couple things I would suggest.

First, avoiding using carpet in the room where the tank is. Floods ruin carpets and no matter how prepared you are, crap happens. I tiled my entire downstairs for just that reason. If you can finish the floor under the tank, do so. If not, make sure you retain enough tile or wood to finish that space down the line. I kept a few boxes of tile just in case I remove my tank if or when I sell the house or move.

Use a pond liner below the tank and make sure you run it several inches up the walls. That can spare you thousands of dollars in repairs should you deal with a leak and will insure that water doesn't come in contact with the floors or walls.

Cover your walls above and below the tank. Not the outside walls. Just the ones that come in contact with high humidity. I covered mine with white FRP. Not only does it look great but it also is water proof and protects the drywall.

If tank noise is an issue or concern, use sound proofing drywall above and below the tank. I did and even insulated the walls with sound proofing fiberglass insulation. I also used solid core doors cut down for my access above and below the tank. All of which keeps my tank very quiet as I have my home theater room alongside the tank.

Plan your sump and plumbing well so that you can do everything in your power in advance to mitigate the possibilities of floods and the resulting damage. All of which can spare you thousands of dollars in repairs down the line.

If you can create some ventilation to the outside of the house to deal with humidity, do so. This assuming your tank is a large one. I have a duct from my light soffit above the tank that uses a large 10" fan running 24x7 that ducts heat and humidity out from above the tank. It also draws some air out from below the tank through channels in the wall.

[SGT_York]

Won't do much to the value but it will make it much harder to sell.

[shesacharmer]

As a Realtor I can tell you it will be a distraction during the showing. If they like it they won't listen to a word I say while they oooh and ahhh...if they don't like it they will wonder how to cope with it...deal with it...get rid of it. It's not going to bring you one red cent in resale value but it might sell your house to the right buyer.

[tclndcrz]

i think it is definitely a negative. if you get really serious about selling the house i would remove the tank and redrywall the room. this is coming from someone who is trying to sell my house right now. buyers are really critical of what they are buying.

even if i am a reefer buying a reefer house i would disagree with half of what the last person had built.

[Av8bluewater]

Statistically it is a negative. You will need to tear it down and re dry wall before any showings.

As for pools.. they do increase value some in the south. The further North you go it can be a negative value. You're a lot more likely to find a pool lover than a built in tank lover though.
As much as I love fish tanks I still would not want a tank already built in. I would like to do my own thing.

[discoreefer]

Thanks for the comments everyone. Some things to consider. I only plan on being here probably another 4-5 years.

[Av8bluewater]

I say just go for it.
Have you ever done drywall work?
It's very easy so putting a wall back to original probably isn't that much work. Of course depending on how elaborate we're talk'n.

[kurfer]

Why live your life catering to potential buyers, most of them are finicky idiots anyway. **** em, just build your tank and when you're ready to sell patch it up and move tank with you or sell on craigslist.

Never will I ever make decisions on my home worried about potential buyers, there will always be someone to buy your home. Don't be "that guy".

[snorklr]

well keep in mind when you do move...you'll need to own your new home and set the tank up there before you can put yours on the market...unless you want to sell off or flush everything and start over....4 yrs goes by fast....by the time the tank is mature and stable you'll get a year or 2 out of it and it'll be time to start breaking it down....dont build it in...the real estate market still sucks(at least where i just moved from) and what sells a house is neighborhood,school district,condition, and how much below market value you're willing to accept

[MorganAtlanta]

What's the difference if you have to rip it out in 5 years? Maybe $1000? Compared to what you'll have put into the tank over 5 years, it will be insignificant. Go for it if you want one.

[criticalencore]

I'm going to say decrease also. I built a 550g plywood in wall tank in my house. To have the room to fit it I had to remove the closet in the room. For a room to be considered a bedroom it has to have a closet so I now have a 2 bedroom instead of 3. I'm wanting to refinance so what I'm doing is building a 360sqft room attached to the back of my house and moving all the filtration out there but also going to build a closet in that room to get me back to a 3 bedroom. My tank is actually in the wall but if you cut the hole and frame around it and just set your tank behind the cutout it will still look in the wall but easier to repair if you want to sell. Plus if you don't have a wide enough tank the 4" or so covered by being in the wall may be an issue. Good luck

[Waggyss2000]

I have purchased 2 systems from built in displays because it was recommended by Realtor to remove and repair..