HOW TO ADD VALUE TO YOUR PROPERTY - THE TOP 10

Any repairs can add value to your home and cosmetic changes can uplift your properties value significantly.  Look at your local area to see what value you can add to your home and talk to your local Architect.

Here is our Top 10 list of ideas that will not only make your home a more pleasurable place to live but will potentially add value to your home.  If you are thinking of selling, then some of these increase the appeal of your house.

1.    Declutter and Deep clean - start with the basics

Declutter before you deep clean your property.  Find a better place for your things or have a good clear-out and dispose of anything you don’t need anymore, don’t be a hoarder!

Prepare the ground floor first to clear and then move up.

Remove dust from all surfaces.

Deep clean the windows inside and outside.

Deep clean the floors.  For soft floors, vacuum first and undertake a carpet wash, maybe hire a carpet cleaner, and do a decent job.

Wash all soft furnishings, i.e couches, beds etc.  Dry down cushions, pillows etc with clean tennis balls to prevent clumping.  For large bulky items, hit the local laundry and use one of their extra-large front loaders.  

For mattresses and couch bases, sprinkle baking soda on them, leave it for an hour and then vacuum with the hose attachment.  Flip them over and repeat the process.

Wipe all hard surfaces with hot soapy water, be careful with walls as some paint can be thinned down if wiped with excessive water. Use a damp cloth (not a wet soaked cloth) for wallpapered walls.

Do the above for each room, i.e. do it room by room.  It is better to plan and complete this room by room.

If you run out of time, it is better to have a few rooms completed, then it is easier to return to and soon you will complete the whole house.

Once completed, it is much easier to maintain this to each room and even easier if the whole house is decluttered and deep cleaned.

2.    Decorate- a lick of paint can change a room

• Identify your favourite decorating trends or hero.
• Pick a general colour for the main areas of the house.
• Review current colour schemes and review houses of a similar nature for inspiration on colours and decor for rooms.
• Make a space plan, target this room by room in a priority list.
• Touch up/ repaint architraves, shirtings and window and door frames.
• Touch-up/ repaint ceilings as required. 
• Paint your walls
• Be intentional with art and if you use art, make it a a feature in a room.

3.    Kerb Appeal

Probably the most important features for kerb appeal are well-maintained front door, windows and a roof that appears in good condition. 

A well-maintained front garden, pathways and fences are also important as this shows the house has been given care and attention.

4.    Increase the Energy Efficiency of your home

Ways to improve your home to make it energy efficient:

• Reduce your heating and look at using a secondary heating source.

• Use a new, energy-efficient boiler.

• Upgrade/ install insulation - look at your ground floor, walls and loft/roof.  Upgrade as required.  Think of this as the external shell of your home and protect it!

• Install/ upgrade windows and doors - they should be Double or triple glazed windows and external doors.  For external doors, metal and aluminium are very good for security and they give a clean and modern look.  They are also very easy to maintain.

• Draught-proofing - ensure that all external windows and doors are well-sealed inside and outside.

• Generate your own energy from renewable sources. (ground or air source heat pump, solar panels, hydroelectric systems, wind energy, biomass etc)

• Use Energy-efficient fittings.

5.    Change the layout - make the living area more open plan

As a general rule, planning permission for your open plan layout is only necessary if: 

• Your property is a listed building. 
• You'll be removing a load-bearing wall, chimney or beam. 
• When your open plan layout significantly affects an escape route or fire exit.

Changing the purpose of your rooms can make a big difference to your home, i.e. can you swap the living and dining rooms over?

While many homes still appreciate the concept of the open floor plan, more people are now working from home and many are reconfiguring their living space to create a dedicated office and more private work area.

If you would really like and enjoy an open plan living space then you may need to consider making structural changes.  This can involve removing load-bearing walls and creating new walls or structural columns to cope with opening up the layout.

Always seek professional advice on this before you begin any work.

6.    Improve/ Upgrade/ Replace the Kitchen

• Add or change the lighting.

• Install new cabinet handles,

• Recover/replace your worktops.

• Ensure all sink areas have a suitable tile backsplash, install as required.  For upgrading existing tiled areas, look at tiling over these areas as this is usually a lot easier than removing and replacing tiles.  Also, look at the range of vinyl tiled sheets available as these can easily be stuck over the existing tiles and they can look great. Make the tiles a feature of the room.

• Re-decorate the kitchen cabinets, walls and ceiling.  Satin paint is usually the best for kitchens as this is good for durability and easy to clean + there are now many paints available to specifically painting the kitchen units.  This can save you a lot of money instead of fitting new kitchen units and they come in a huge range of finishes, you can achieve any look you desire with paint.

• Ensure all surface junctions, i.e worktops to wall, tiles etc are adequately sealed with a mastic sealant.  This is easy to install and there are many tutorials on how to do this online.

• Patch up flooring as required or install new flooring. Look at vinyl stickers or new flooring.  There is a great range of flooring sheets available & suitable for kitchens for quick and easy application that an look great.

7.    Upgrade or add a new bathroom

Install a new bathroom or update as follows:

Ensure all the drainage works before you start any work and unblock and install anew piping to ensure it works well before you continue.

• Replace or install a shower.

• Adding a standalone bathtub.

• Adding an extra sink or shower-head.

• Ensure the ventilation extracts work, clan as required or install a new one.  Make sure the extract is to the outside, either through the external wall or via the roof.

• Review the location of plumbing or electrical features.  Ensure that you know the route of the drainage, the location of the soil pipe as this will determine where certain elements of your bathroom will be located.

• Re-tile/ install tiling to the shower, walls and backsplash.

8.    Improve (landscape) the garden(s) 

• Ensure the garden is regularly weeded.  Avoid using chemicals and look at sustainable methods of garden maintenance.

• Use rubble and reclaimed material for stone chipped areas or paving.

• Grow your own vegetable and fruit trees from seeds. Lemon and orange trees are easier than you think from the seeds and they can look great in a garden.

• Plant self-seeding flowers.  This can save you a lot of money in the long term, as you can grow your own from just a handful of plants.

• Make your own compost. Collect all compostable rubbish, i.e. fruit/ vegetable peelings, left overs from meals etc.

• Mow the lawn regularly - EXCEPT in ‘NO MOW MAY’, protect the bees!

9.    Convert the garage, loft or cellar

The main works involved when converting a garage include:

• Firstly, decide on your budget.

• Include a 20% contingency fund for any unforeseen items.

• Make design decisions at the start for the layout and the fixtures and fittings, ie. flooring, tiling, fixtures and fittings, and decoration. (Do this in the design phase of your project, i.e. before you employ a builder!). Do this before you contract a builder to start.  

• Floor slab – the existing floor may need to be levelled, damp-proofed and insulated.

• Infilling the door – Most garage conversions simply brick-up the garage door or if possible look at turning into a feature window.

• Wall insulation - if the garage has good solid brick wall, this is often a single skin of brickwork so it requires a second layer of blockwork to create a cavity wall.  To avoid any upgrade to the foundations for this, many garage conversion use a insulated timber stud wall to create the cavity wall.

• Roof insulation - dependant on roof type and internal look you want, this can be at ceiling level or in the rafters if you require more head height and an more open roof space.

• Windows & doors.

• Heating and electrics - depending the location of your house to the garage, this can often be done by extending the electric and heating systems of the house.

• Get multiple Builder contractors quotes (in writing!) that include the complete process from start to completion (i.e. labour, materials and VAT to avoid surprises).

See you post on Converting the Loft 'Loft Conversion, where do you start? 26th April 2024.

10.    Build an Extension

• Firstly, decide on your budget.

• Make design decisions at the start for the layout and the fixtures and fittings. Do this before you contract a builder to start.  It can save you time and a lot of money if this is correct from the start as any changes and additions can affect the projects timeline and the cost.

• Include a 20% contingency fund for any unforeseen items.

• Get multiple Builder contractors quotes (in writing!) that include the complete process from start to completion (i.e. labour, materials and VAT to avoid surprises).

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While every effort has been made to check the accuracy of this article, readers should always make their own checks.  

The Author does not accept any responsibility for misstatements made or any misunderstandings arising from it.

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