Berto Posted February 6, 2013 Report Share Posted February 6, 2013 Wondering if there are any tax gurus on here. I am faced with a dilemma.....are the home improvements I did to my house last year tax deductible? It looks like the discussion is whether it was a repair or a legitimate improvement. Some examples site repairing a patch in your roof vs replacing the entire roof. My specific example is that I redid all the flooring in my house. Got rid of the old carpet and put in 1200 sq-ft of wood laminate and a bit of tile. Yes the carpet was old but I would consider it an improvement rather than a replacement. I see arguments for that if it extends the 'longevity of your house'. My Laminate wood flooring has 20 yr warranty, where carpet would generally not last that long. From an energy efficiency stand point could I at least target the insulation padding I used under the flooring? I was feeling like a boss and bought the premium insulation/padding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akula Posted February 6, 2013 Report Share Posted February 6, 2013 As I understand it, they need to be approved energy efficiency type improvements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaewsky1 Posted February 6, 2013 Report Share Posted February 6, 2013 I saw on the news yesterday that home improvement stuff, even energy efficient stuff is no longer deductible on the 2012 taxes. (I am not a tax man, just relaying what a tax man said on the news) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennyFKINPowerz Posted February 6, 2013 Report Share Posted February 6, 2013 I just did mine and the deduction section for this is still on TurboTax. I didn't have any to file but know that it was still there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iwishiwascool Posted February 6, 2013 Report Share Posted February 6, 2013 If it is a renovation for a home office it's deductible, but if you sell you'll have to pay taxes on the depreciated value. Edit, You have to have income associated with the home office. The value of the improvements can't be greater than the amount of the associated income. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miller Posted February 6, 2013 Report Share Posted February 6, 2013 If it is a renovation for a home office it's deductible, but if you sell you'll have to pay taxes on the depreciated value. Edit, You have to have income associated with the home office. The value of the improvements can't be greater than the amount of the associated income. +1 on the office part, that makes it a deduction. If you're referring to the energy credits: You cannot target the insulation/padding as an energy improvement. The padding you used probably has an R-Value of 3, maybe 4. The R-Value necessary for our regions Climate is R-38 to maximize efficiency as prescribed by the IRS using IECC's 2009 map. You couldn't fit that type of insulation in anything but an exterior wall or attic. Anyway, if you think of anything that does qualify it will be reported on form 5695 with a credit up to 10% of your cost excluding installation charges subject to a $500 maximum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dammit Charlie Posted February 6, 2013 Report Share Posted February 6, 2013 Pretty much what has already been stated. I know exterior doors/windows qualify. Got to write off $1700 this year thanks to new garage doors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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