Q. I read your article on the top 10 improvements one can make to one's home. I live in Rockville Centre, N.Y., in a 3-bedroom English Tudor built in 1931. The house is worth roughly $700,000. My wife and I have been meeting with contractors to renovate the kitchen. The average quote has been $50,000. This renovation would involve knocking down a wall to double the size of our kitchen. Is a $50,000 kitchen too much compared to the value of our home? I've read that in some towns you can receive more than 100% back on a kitchen or bath renovation.

Home buyers are looking for "living kitchens," or kitchens with plenty of space for a family to gather in, according to Kelly Dougan, associate broker at Links Realty of Rockville Centre.

Many older homes in your area feature tight kitchens that aren't appealing to young couples with children. By knocking down a wall and making your kitchen larger, your home will be more marketable when you choose to sell.

"The kitchen is the heart of the home," Dougan says. "People want to have the whole family in there."

You can't expect your home to instantly appreciate by the $50,000 you spend on a new kitchen, especially with home sales down and prices falling in most cities.

The most recent cost-versus-value home improvement survey by Remodeling Magazine and the National Association of Realtors found that every dollar spent added an average of 70 cents to a home's value. Kitchen projects usually fared better than average, adding something like 80-85 cents for every dollar spent.

Those averages have been dropping the last couple of years, and we expect they'll continue to do so.

But it doesn't sound like you're planning to go anywhere soon. That's even better, Dougan says. You'll have time to enjoy your investment with no worries about selling in the current market.

By the time you're ready to sell, say three to five years down the road, the market surely will have improved. The odds are good that you'll get $750,000 -- at least -- for your home at that time, Dougan adds.

"Five years from now, it's going to sell the house," she says of the kitchen renovation.