Think Twice Before You Start that Home Improvement Project

Home prices aren't the only thing that has plummeted recently. So, too, has the value of home improvement projects, according to Remodeling magazine.

Overall, homeowners can expect to see just 63.8 percent of their remodeling dollars added to the value of their home, according the the magazine's annual Remodeling Cost vs. Value Report. That's down a whopping 26 percent from the peak return of 86.7 percent in 2005. It's also the fourth consecutive year that the return on remodeling has dropped.