Simple Ways To Add Value To Your Home
There can be money to be made by extending your home or even making more subtle home improvements. Regardless of whether you’re hoping to add value to sell now, or in the future, it’s well worth taking note of multiple ways you can add value to your home.
Making The Best Use of Space
Building an extension is often thought of as the best way to add value to your home, but it’s not the only way! Did you know that by adding a downstairs toilet to your home could increase its value by around 5%. Based on the UK average house price that could be an extra £12,600.
Where or how to position the second toilet will take a lot of people by surprise. You won’t need to knock down walls or build an extension to fit one into your home. If you have a large cupboard, under-stair space or a portion of a room you can syphon off, this could be the perfect place for an additional toilet.
Building Regulations will apply when adding a new toilet to a house, so be sure to do your research on requirements and notify Building Control of your proposed work.
DO Sweat The Small Stuff
It pays to sort out those niggly bits, don’t let them bring the standard of your house down. Fill those cracks, paint over that watermark and adjust that door that refuses to close!
Try replacing the handles on your kitchen cupboards with something more modern and on trend. Installing new taps or showerhead are also excellent ways to give your kitchen and bathrooms that new sparkly look that all homeowners strive for.
If you have an underutilised storage cupboard under the stairs, or a boarded-up void which isn’t suitable for a toilet, why not consider contemporary storage solutions to make best use of the space. Storage is a big must have in houses right now.
Freshen Up Friday
For those of you who follow Mrs Hinch or have partners who follow her, you’ll understand this! But in our books this doesn’t just apply to cleaning, it’s to freshen up the appearance of your house to give it a facelift.
It doesn’t matter how shiny and smart your new kitchen handles are – if they’re attached to shabby cabinets, you’re not going to be able to the best from them. Between transitioning from your old handles to your new ones, consider treating your old cabinets to a fresh coat of paint.
Straight forwarded jobs such as giving the walls lick of paint to remove those stubborn finger marks will really help lift the appearance of a room.
Removing old dilapidated fixtures from the front of your house such as an old satellite dish will give a much cleaner first impression. If you don’t have the budget to replace your front door but it looks shabby, give it a spruce up with a fresh coat of paint and new ironmongery. These few tasks will help improve kerb appeal and let’s face it, kerb appeal is invaluable.
Declutter
A house that gives off a great first impression is going to have far more saleability. A clean and tidy house is certainly going to help with this.
It’s quite normal for our possessions to build up over time, as we continue to buy items but forget to clear out the old disused bits. Grab a bag and load it up with items you don’t use or won’t use anymore and declutter your house. Storage containers are a great way to neatly store items you’ve decided to keep, making your house clean to the eye.
Don’t Forget The Garden
You can also add value to a property with a neat, tidy and well landscaped garden. If you can make your garden feel like an extension of your living space, rather than an empty patch of grass, you’re going to add value.
Consider structuring your garden with clear and defined spaces. A garden deck or patio is a great way of defining space for dining or lounging and creating raised flower beds helps to elevate colours and textures.
To avoid having a large mass of one material which can overwhelm a space, such as a substantial patio area, consider breaking up this area with different textures such as decorative gavel and a mixture of paving slabs in a variety of materials and colours.
We’ve barely scratched the surface of simple things you can do to add value to your home. Why not create a driveway, if you have the space to do so? Whilst this is less of a DIY task, it’s one worth considering as it could add as much as 10% to your property value. That’s a possible increase of £25,200 based on average UK house prices! It’s worth noting, you will need an approved council contractor like JH Group to complete this work to council specification and drop the kerb on the footway.
Another way to add value could even be to double glaze all your windows or incorporate some energy efficient / smart tech into your living space. In short, anything that improves the appearance of your home, or the quality of living, is sure to add value.
Are you looking to make home improvements? Get in touch today to discuss your ideas.
