SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/home-improve-vs-repair

For your home's tax basis, which counts as an improvement rather than a repair?

Adding a room. Painting and fixing leaks are repairs.

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  1. Adding a room ✔
  2. Repainting the exterior
  3. Fixing a leak

Why: Improvements add value, extend the home's life, or adapt it to new uses, and you add their cost to your basis. Painting and fixing leaks only keep the home in good condition, so they don't count.

Huh, didn't know that: Replacing one broken windowpane is a repair, but replacing all the windows is an improvement.

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References

Answer: Adding a room. Improvements add value, extend the home's life, or adapt it to new uses, and you add their cost to your basis. Painting and fixing leaks only keep the home in good condition, so they don't count.

  1. IRS Pub 523: Selling your home www.irs.gov/publications/p523
    Improvements add to the value of your home, prolong its useful life, or adapt it to new uses.
    Checked 2026-10-10.
  2. IRS Pub 523: Selling your home www.irs.gov/publications/p523
    Examples include painting (interior or exterior), fixing leaks, filling holes or cracks, or replacing broken hardware
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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