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7 Surefire improvements to add value to your property

7 Surefire improvements to add value to your property | H is for Home

Not only can home improvements make your time spent at a property much more enjoyable, they can also benefit future saleability and actually increase the value of the property. Here are 7 renovation ideas to suit all budgets and time-scales.

Tins of paint and rollers for painting walls

Whip out the paintbrush & roller

Give the entire house a couple of coats of emulsion. Areas such as around doorknobs and light switches can look grubby & uncared for – and flaking paint can raise unnecessary alarm bells for potential buyers. If you’re trying to sell your house opt for magnolia, cream or white walls. It might seem a bit boring and unadventurous, but research shows that they’re most agreeable to viewers.

Narrow cloakroom with diamond tiled floor and walls wallpapered with fish designcredit

Install a downstairs cloakroom

It will save you and guests having to go all the way upstairs – and it’s amazing how often the sight of a downstairs loo is greeted by positive exclamations of relief by house viewers. This facility can be sited in all kinds of under utilised spaces such as former larders, pantries or under-stairs cupboards. You could even steal a corner of a large room to accommodate it. Costs could be relatively low too, especially if the connection of pipes to existing drainage is straightforward.

Compact kitchen

Change the cupboard doors, handles and worktops

This improvement is much cheaper than ripping out entire kitchen cupboard carcasses – and the transformation can be just as dramatic. You could give a drab old kitchen real wow factor relatively easily. Different, distinct looks can be achieved from the same starting point, whether it be modernist & sleek, vintage industrial or rustic country. Be creative and have fun, but choose a style that suits the character of your house.

Studio loft conversion

Convert the loft

This can be done to varying degrees, from simple boarding out and installation of power, heat and light – right up to the creation of luxury bedrooms with en suite facilities. The more simple options can provide useful storage, craft or office spaces. A total renovation with associated roof & wall alterations, installation of windows, bathroom, electrics, heating and so on might run into the thirty or forty thousand pound region. However, the creation of extra bedrooms is almost guaranteed to add value – and it will be a godsend to a growing family whilst you’re still in residence there. The conversion of former loft spaces can produce some very interesting, characterful and memorable rooms which is always a plus point when it comes to selling.

Wall-mounted boiler

Upgrade the boiler

It puts a potential buyer’s mind at ease knowing that the central heating system isn’t going to breakdown at the first hint of sub-zero temperatures. A new boiler will cost about two thousand pounds. It provides more reliable service and a certain peace of mind. An old tatty boiler will usually require expensive ongoing repairs and cost much more to run in general. It’s hardly likely to fill buyers with any confidence about the general condition of your property either. Boiler installation from My Plumber is a recommended route to take to tackle this particular job. Also, the energy efficiency rating in your Home Information Pack (HIP) will surely benefit from an efficient, well-maintained boiler.

French doors leading out on to a patio area

 

Build a summer house

Whether it’s an office at the bottom of the garden, hobby space or man cave – some form of summer house will prove attractive to many home owners… and buyers too. A place to escape! You could install Aluminium French doors leading out into the garden. Light can then flood in – and there’s no better way to connect indoor & outdoor living spaces. These doors can be a very successful addition to kitchen, conservatory and bedroom areas too.

Green lawn mower on grass

Tackle the weeds

Whether you have an acre of land or just a small patio make sure that, at the very least, it’s clean and tidy. A major outdoors project will be very off-putting to most buyers. Going a bit further than tidying up is highly recommended, of course. Essentially, an attractive garden area provides an extra living and socialising space. In addition to growing plants or vegetables, you can create cooking and dining areas with seating, a barbecue and even a pizza oven. Heaters and fire pits allow you to stay outside long after the sun has gone down. And, if you have the space, there’s also the option of installing a hot tub or saunas.

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How to make your room look classier without throwing anything away

Bright, modern living room

You may have recently been looking at the glossy home decorating magazines and finding the recommended room makeovers to be hugely expensive. Without breaking the budget, you’d probably prefer to find a way to make your existing room look classier and perhaps include the odd addition to jazz things up for that finishing touch.

Here are a few suggestions for improvements and upgrades that look upmarket without being exorbitantly expensive.

Plant on a bedside table

Go natural

Adding some plants or freshly cut flowers to a bedroom brings new colour, vibrancy and air purification into the room. Look for a vase that you haven’t used in ages. Maybe it’s in storage or tucked away at the back of a cupboard. If you’re unable to find an attractive one, look at a local charity shop to see if there’s something affordable that someone decided they didn’t like any longer.

Watch a YouTube video on flower arranging to get an idea how to put fresh plants together in an attractive arrangement for your bedside table. And there you have it; a fresher looking bedside table that brings a little nature into the bedroom.

Grey buttoned sofa with collection of throw cushions

Rethink the throw cushions

Older cushions, and particularly their covers, tend to look a bit weathered over time. The colours fade a little with each washing cycle and the fabric isn’t as interesting any longer. Changing cushion covers for new ones with an interesting pattern is inexpensive to do. Anyone who is a dab hand with a sewing machine can take some fancy fabric and turn it into a usable cushion cover. If you’re not this handy, then consider buying separate covers but keeping the existing fillings.

With cushions that don’t feel plush, consider adding a second foam or fill to the inside of the cushion to double its size. There are many new, inexpensive fills for cushions delivering refreshing comfort even to an older sofa. And when your sofa’s fabric or leather has seen better days, consider a long throw to cover the length of the sofa adding that touch of luxury and increased comfort without needing a complete replacement sofa.

Grey buttoned ottoman bed

Knowing when it’s time to replace the bed

Older beds lack suitable under-bed storage options and don’t necessarily provide the simple luxury and elegance that’s much needed. Wooden Ottoman beds provide new options for home-owners who feel it’s time to replace their tired bed frame with a more complete, modern one. Made from wood and covered in attractive fabrics or leather, these Ottoman beds offer something different than the typical brass bed frame we’ve all seen before.

Minimalist whitewashed room

Reduce clutter

Reducing the amount of clutter is often the last thing that anyone thinks to do; however, it’s effective in making every room look larger while giving the existing decorations and furniture a better chance to get noticed. Many of us collect too much of everything over the years. By cutting back on what we actually need to keep hold of and finding places to discretely store items out of sight, it transforms a living space and opens it up for further refinements to entirely change how it feels.

Adding a touch of class to every room doesn’t have to cost the earth. In many cases, it takes some re-imagining of each living area to determine how to get the most out of it along with a few small additions to bring something new.

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