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Spring is said to be the best time of year to start renovating your home. The warmer and dryer weather, longer days and the urge to refresh something in your life.
You may love your property now, but if it’s not where you envision yourself staying permanently, you can start making changes now in order to fully maximise the value of your home. It goes without saying that renovating your home can up the value of your property, but what you want to know is the most cost-effective and most efficient way.
More people are renovating than ever. According to research from Hiscox, there has been a 400% increase in those deciding to improve and not move, over the past five years.
WHERE TO START…
There are many different ways that you can make changes to your home, it’s just finding the right place to start. So if you’re renovating to increase the value of your property, then your reasons will be different from those who are looking to stay in their home for a longer period of time. You need to analyse your reasons and how much money you have for the renovations before you put your plans into action.
According to the National Association of Realtors, there are three key home improvement areas: the kitchen, the bathroom, and the exterior. Even starting off small can be very effective: painting the house both inside and out, replacing the flooring, re-landscaping the front and back gardens – even tasks like these can help to add value to your home if a total renovation is out of your budget.
Your aim is to improve the efficiency of your home to make it appealing to future potential buyers and stand out from other homes in the market.
Enhancing the look of your house is important, but ensuring your systems are running efficiently is important for those looking to stay in their home and those looking to attract a buyer’s eyes.
Assess your house; hire a licensed home inspector to check your house from top to bottom before deciding where to start. Check where needs improvement: are your appliances’ energy efficient? Or is your plumbing ready for renovation? All these things can not only increase the value of your property but also lead to less cost in running the house.
TIPS FROM LOCAL EXPERTS!
According to Jamie Shrewbrook from Westcountry Tile & Bathroom – a local bathroom, tile and wet room specialist: “ Once you have established the plumbing, you need to look at what items work best for the space! Consider recessed light fixtures throughout your ceiling to brighten up the room. Include one or two in your shower.”
“Do you have the space for a cabinet? Recessed cabinets are often a great way to save a few inches of space over a shallow vanity, and the additional framing typically isn’t going to break the budget.”
FINDING THE RIGHT CONTRACTOR
Enhancing your home will not only be a great way to update and refresh your living space, but home renovations can also lead to a greater profit and increase the value of your property; but only if they’re done professionally by quality home renovators. So how do you choose the right one?
It may be tempting to carry out certain renovations by yourself, but hiring a professional is the sure fire way to a successful outcome that will increase the value in your property, and that’s not something you want to risk.
The most important thing is to do your research. You need to be properly informed before making any rash decisions.
Go online and research local home remodeling contractors and read their online reviews. Shortlist the contractors that you’re interested in and confirm that they’re fully licensed and insured.
Interview your potential contractors, check references, review previous work and testimonials and pay attention to how they treat their subcontractors – ensure you’re finding out all the information you need before trusting someone with your home renovations.
Hiring an unlicensed contractor can lead to bad work, permitting issues, code violations, and financial liability for injuries or accidents.
Ashley Ward from Swaye Electrical – a domestic, residential, commercial and industrial electrical service based in Plymouth – explain that “any home renovation must start with planning. Whether it is deciding the colours of the walls or the style of the sockets and switches, productive planning is key to a successful renovation. Having professional and experienced tradespeople is a must and before any renovations take place.”
Make sure to go with your gut feeling and hire the person who is going to increase and not decrease the value of your home.
It’s integral to have a plan before renovating – as we’ve already established – but there are certain renovations that will add more value to your home than others. Make sure to find out how much your property is currently worth and how you can maximise its assets. Here are some suggestions on how you can renovate your house and add potential value:
HOW TO ADD THE MOST VALUE TO YOUR HOME
1. ADD MORE ROOMS
In many cases, it’s much more cost-effective to turn a two-bedroom house into a three-bedroom house than it is the invest in a new property with an extra bedroom. You can do this by reconfiguring the floor plan or add more living space with an extension or a conversion.
TIPS FROM LOCAL EXPERTS!
Wayne Egan of Plymouth Home Improvements – family run customer friendly business – says: “Adding extra room to your home can be very official so an extension or loft/garage conversion is a brilliant way of enhancing your living arrangements while increasing the value of your home.“
2. ADD A PARKING SPACE
According to the Department for Transport’s Statistical Release, in 2014, 29.6 million cars were registered for use in the UK, which is a 9% increase on the previous year; so it will definitely be a good selling point from a buyers’ perspective!
Block paving your path can really increase the curb value and make your driveway look very smart. Wayne Egan of Plymouth Block Paving knows this too well: “Block paving will greatly enhance almost every type of house. Most new Installations involve extending the parking available adding valuable parking space and value!”
3. UTILISE YOUR GARDEN SPACE
Making your garden feel like another living space can add a lot of value to your property, especially if it’s something you currently neglect. Never forget curb appeal, sprucing up your garden space can really make an impactful first impression. If you want your garden to stand out but know that keeping up with maintaining it will be very time consuming, Wayne Egan of Plymouth Artifical Grass knows the trick:
“The current trend for garden makeovers is very much on low Maintenance. Artificial grass can greatly reduce maintenance and enhance the look of any garden with a natural look! No mowing no mud no hassle!”
4. ECO-FRIENDLY
Making your home more environmentally friendly with the likes of solar panels, wind turbines, and good insulation can increase its value. If your home is cheaper to run, it will stand out in the property market and you can usually add a premium to the price. Ashley Ward knows the best way to manage the energy in your home:
“An efficient home is a happy home. It doesn’t take a lot to increase the efficiency of your home or office.” 
“It could be as simple as replacing existing halogen lamps with LED lamps. This could help you save up to 90% in electricity on just your lighting alone, which would decrease your energy bill drastically.”
5. CHANGE UP YOUR BATHROOM
The style of your bathroom can increase the value of your home massively, it’s just finding the right renovations to carry out. Jamie Shrewbrook has some suggestions if you’re unsure where to start:
“Wall-hung toilets no longer break the bank, and they also save space since the tank is hidden behind the wall. Tiles on the floor or wall: you can either go for large format or smaller tiles, such as mosaics on the floor in a wet room.”
It is important to remember not to overdevelop. All properties have a ceiling price and you can’t have an asking price that’s much higher than other properties on your street.
TIPS FROM LOCAL EXPERTS!
Blinds are easy to forget, but they really tie a room together. Mark Higgins from Beacon Blinds – a reputable blinds manufacturers based in Plymouth – says: “Luxaflex and Eclipse Blind systems are ideal for home renovation as they have unique solutions to fit every type of window & situation. They are also of high quality and so made to last, giving the best value for money. “It is very important to consider blinds as they help to complete the room with the right finishing touch.”
Hopefully, these local experts have helped you with any of your property renovation inquiries! Remember that it’s your home and you want to make sure that the space reflects what you want it to. Make sure to always seek advice before carrying out any renovations and don’t cut any corners!
This editorial has been sponsored by Base Concepts, Beacon Blinds, Plymouth Artificial Grass, Plymouth Block Paving, Plymouth Home Improvements, Stormseal, Swaye Electrical & Westcountry Tile & Bathroom.
