30 Ways To Improve Your Home | 4Homes

Date Published:: 17/07/2008

With the housing market in its current state, the sensible householder's mantra should be 'don't move: improve'. With this in mind, we've come up with tips, advice and links to our best features to help you boost your home's value so that staying in put won't just make sense financially, it will be an absolute pleasure.

By Lucy Searle

Money House: 30 Ways To Improve Your Home

1. When you're planning and tightening your budget , the last thing you want to do is spend money unnecessarily on your home - so it's worth researching first which home improvements will boost your home's value and which jobs will devalue your house. That way, every penny spent will be spent wisely.

Glass Extension. Credit: Richard Bryant.

2. An extension could add between 10 and 50 per cent to the value of your home, depending on its size and how well it's finished. The key is to get its proportions just right. So, you've plenty of bedrooms but a tiny kitchen? Add on a downstairs extension to create a spacious kitchen diner. Got a huge garden but a small house? Put on a double storey extension to create the family home of your dreams. Want something state of the art? Add a glass extension.

3. Planning a new kitchen is an absolute must for anyone seriously looking to boost their home's value - it could add up to 10 per cent in value to your home, it's the first thing a potential buyer will look for in the future, and it's also the room you're likely to spend much of your time in, particularly if it is a kitchen diner and living space all in one. The secret? Pick one that matches the style of your home - so choose a contemporary kitchen for a modern home, or something more traditional for a period property.

Dish Washer: 30 Ways To Improve Your Home

4. Want a new kitchen but lacking the budget? Replacing your kitchen doors and old appliances with new, good quality appliances will go a long way to giving your kitchen that just-renovated feel, but at a fraction of the cost.

Kitchen Worktop: 30 Ways To Improve Your Home

5. New kitchen wall tiles and replacement worktops will instantly smarten up a tatty kitchen, as will new hard flooring throughout.

Loft Conversion: 30 Ways To Improve Your Home

6. A loft conversion could also add up to 10 per cent to the value of your home and, unlike a ground floor extension, it won't steal space from the garden. The ideal? Get a bedroom and extra bathroom up there, if you can.

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Comments

Hi Tyrone Sorry for the late reply on this - my 'post your comment' button wasn't posting! This is all about balance. If your house had three big bedrooms upstairs (or better still, four), it would clearly be a family home, in which case, I'd say yes to a shower room downstairs. As it is, it doesn't sound like the size of the house would justify it. As for extending, the cost you'd have to pay out to extend by 1.5 metres really wouldn't justify it - if you're going to do it, it needs to be big enough (ie, 3m at least) to make it worthwhile, or you'll never get the money back on it. Equally, you should only do all this if your house won't then be over sized and overpriced within the road. Can I suggest you get a builder to give you some rough estimates, then get an estate agent to give you some guestimates on what the new improved house would be worth. That simple sum should help you decide.

Posted by Lucy 4Homes Ed on 02/09/2008 21:25:37

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Hi there ive bought a small semi detached 3 bed home to do up i purchased for 80k which had no double glazin and no central heating which i deeply regret now.i have a 3 small bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs and a decent size lounge and a large kitchen diner room which i have done myself by knocking a wall down and fitting a brand new kitchen downstairs.It has a downstairs toilet and cloakroom which is very small which is positioned on the front of the property like a small extention coming off the house. my question is will i put much value on the house if i extend the downstairs toilet and cloakroom and put a shower room there is it worth me doing so.ive gutted the whole house and its been modernised completely new floor boards new carpets new bathroom its been rewired with spotlights and expensive electrical points new double glazing and new heating etc.I have a small back garden and small front garden i have also transformed the garden with a pond and flowers and re turfed the garden because it was a complete mess. My other question is that i have spent approximately 10k already on this property and i want to sell it within the next 5 years and i would like to earn some money back when i sell rather than break even is there any ideas or suggestions you can give me to proceed further the house has character a good shape and style to it i could extend the side of the house but i only got 3 metres maximum i can extend it by. the only positive thing i can say is that if i extend it by a metre and a half then il still have a pathway to walk around the house and the 2 biggest bedrooms of the 3 will be extended too by the 1.5 m along with the bathroom and the lounge and kitchen diner area too.it will be a large 3 bed home then but are the ideas worth it will i be wasting my money or doing a good thing if you could please help me at all thank you. kind regards Tyrone Bowley

Posted by Tyrone Bowley on 26/08/2008 15:46:27

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Hi Carolyn The turning circle I think is only a good idea if you will have decent garden space to put in some flower beds right in front of the house, round the side and possibly at the front. There's nothing uglier than a fully paved/gravelled driveway - you need to think of the view from the outside of the house, but also from inside looking out, which would be changed from one of greenery to one of cars... It doesn't sound like there's a massive parking problem where you live - if I was you, I'd leave it as it is.

Posted by Lucy 4Homes Ed on 14/08/2008 21:40:08

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We have a small drive to side of house & can park 2 cars 1 behind the other - no turning space or garage. Front garden,now lawn, could make a gravel turning space & park 2 more cars. Would this make your 'good idea' list? We can park in the road outside but it get's busy when school run on as the school is next door. You don't mention this subject in your otherwise excellant list on how to improve your house.

Posted by Carolyn Finbow on 13/08/2008 14:41:18

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I had the luxury of a useful budget when putting together a flat to let for self catering holidays. Your articles have given me ideas on how to do something similar with my own flat which doesn't enjoy the same funds. Particulary thwe advice on bathrroms and kitchens. A conservatory would be great but my space is miniscule.

Posted by Peter Ellis on 08/08/2008 18:46:03

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