Adding Value to Your Home

Your home is an investment. Whether you want to work your way up the property ladder and reach your dream home, or simply improve your surroundings; you will be increasing the value of your property along the way. We take a look at the most effective ways to do this.

First lets talk about the costly ways of improving your home that will yield the biggest increase to your properties value. Building up; or creating a loft conversion, can add up to an average of 12.5% to the sale price, and is perhaps the easiest and cheapest way of improving a home.

Building out, or adding an extension is also a great way to increase value, if you have the floor space available. Remember that if you’re opting for a two storey extension to add another bedroom, it’s wise to check that this wont leave you with cramped bedrooms, as having smaller but more bedrooms can be counter productive.

On the other hand, if you are creating a single storey extension, this doesn’t usually require planning permission. You can expect to pay upwards of £20,000 for a good quality extension, but this can add up to 11% onto your sale price. Building down is perhaps the most expensive option, but if the choice is feasible, you can add a versatile further layer beneath your house. Whether you utilise the space for something fun like a game room, bar or gym, or something more practical like a study, storage area or living room, the possibilities can be endless. If you’re looking for the most scope, a basement can even be converted into an annex for that extra family member or growing teenager.

However you decide to add extra space to your property, creating more spacious areas can either benefit your family as it grows within your home or provide more scope for a potential buyer later down the line.

Connect Your Space

If these building projects sound a little too daunting, a re-jig of existing floor plans may work better for you. Modern trends are focused on open plan living spaces, and this may be the way forward for your home too. Create the illusion of more space with fewer walls and doors that can otherwise make a house seem cramped, dingy and outdated.

It doesn’t even have to be as dramatic a change as tearing down complete walls; sections or serving hatches can let in light and connect rooms, which can work well particularly with families. And, once your home is open plan, you can still seperate and distinguish spaces through the use of colour.

The best place to start is the kitchen; draw out your existing floor plans and make changes from this room outwards. As the heart of your home, making the kitchen a central element will bring your family together. A common and largely simple change is incorporating your dining room and even sitting room into an open plan layout, giving more entertaining space also.