Improve the Value of Your Home

Here is a great article from The Times giving some great tips about adding value to your home.

1 INSTALL AN ENSUITE BATHROOM

If you have three or more bedrooms, people these days expect more than one bathroom. The best option is to squeeze an ensuite bathroom into the master bedroom, leaving the original as the “family” bathroom. This could mean shaving a bit off your bedroom with a stud wall or, if you’re lucky, pinching a bit of the landing.

Bathroom companies have clever designs for tight spaces. Look for “quadrant” showers, shaped like a quarter-circle to fit in corners; you can also get corner loos and sinks. If you must have both a bath and shower, go for a combination bath with a curved screen at one end to give you more showering space.

Cost: From £2,000, depending on how involved you get.

Can you do it yourself? A competent DIYer could do the flooring, tiling and painting to keep costs down. Plumbing, and probably electrics, are best left to the experts.

Money back? Yes – unless you go crazy. The National Association of Estate Agents says that a second bathroom or ensuite can add up to 5% to the value of your home.

2 CONVERT THE LOFT

This is one of the most cost-effective ways to add space – especially if you turn it into an extra bedroom and bathroom. Bear in mind that you need to have at least 2.3 metres of headroom, and think about where you will put all the stuff you’ve been storing up there.

It’s probably better to use a specialist loft conversion company than a general builder, as whatever problems you have, they will have solved them before. Julie Eveleigh used Outlook Loft Conversions (www.outlooklofts.co.uk) to add a bedroom and a bathroom to her Edwardian house in Wandsworth, southwest London. “In our area, it’s a huge leap to move up to the next level, the five-bedroom houses, even if it were possible to move in the current market,” she says. “Instead, we’ve bridged the gap and made ours into a five-bedder with the loft conversion. The builders were great. They said it would take five weeks to get it done and it took exactly that.”

Cost: The most basic conversion starts at £7,000, but the price will run well into five figures if you need to put in a mansard or a dormer – though it is still much cheaper than digging out a basement. Try www.loftquoter.co.uk for quotes, but be sure to shop around.

Can you do it yourself? Not the structural work, but you can keep costs down by decorating yourself.

Money back? Yes, particularly if you use it to add a bedroom. Depending on the area, this could add between £20,000 and £50,000 to the property’s value.

3 EXTEND THE KITCHEN

Open-plan kitchen/diner/family rooms remain in vogue – and the bigger the better. Building an extension should be easier thanks to changes in the rules, introduced last October, allowing you to extend terraces and semis by three metres and detached properties by four metres without planning permission (www.planningportal.gov.uk).

Chris and Jan Wright, who bought a fairly standard four-bedroom new-build detached house 10 years ago in Heswall, Wirral, knocked the kitchen and dining room together and extended to create three areas. “We’ve got the kitchen area with an island, a dining table that seats eight and two three-seater sofas at the other end,” says Chris, a financial services consultant.

The Wrights, who used Architect Your Home to plan the extension (www.architect-yourhome.com), use the new space to entertain in, too. “Our guests can get comfortable on the sofas with a drink and talk to us while we get the meal ready,” Chris says.

Cost: About £15,000 for a small extension, plus the cost of kitchen units and appliances, if needed.

Can you do it yourself? Probably not, unless you are a builder. If you touch a supporting wall, you will be closely supervised by the local building-control service and will probably need a structural engineer, too.

Money back? Probably: kitchen/dining spaces are in demand, especially if you have a small kitchen. Get advice from local estate agents.

4 CONVERT THE GARAGE

Does the car really need a room of its own? Turning a garage into a playroom, study, extra bedroom or games room is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to extend – as long as you still have somewhere to park. If you have a double garage, convert half of it. The structure is already there, so all you need is heating, insulation, a window, plastering and decorating.

Cost: As little as £5,000, all in.

Can you do it yourself? Possibly, but you will need electrician’s skills and will have to meet building regulations.

Money back? Yes: the extra space can add 10% to the value of your home.

5 PUT IN A SKYLIGHT

There is plenty you can do to your home on a smaller budget. With prices starting at less than £100, skylights can transform loft and attic rooms, corridors and stairwells, flooding the house with light. You’ll need blinds if the skylight is in a bedroom. If you’re a light sleeper, be warned that raindrops can make a racket in the middle of the night. Competent DIYers could fit one themselves, but if that’s not you, get the store to recommend someone, ask a glazier or pay a specialist company to do it.

Cost: B&Q has a 45cm x 55cm skylight for £80 (www.diy.com), but you’ll pay much more for Velux and other brands. Having a skylight installed costs about £600 with a specialist such as www.simplyroofwindows.co.uk.

Can you do it yourself? Yes – if your DIY skills are up to it.

Money back? The price is so small relative to the cost of a home that it should be a winner. The property will also be more attractive to prospective buyers.

6 ADD A UTILITY ROOM

Reclaim your kitchen by getting rid of laundry clutter and cleaning kit. Like ensuite bathrooms, utility rooms are becoming de rigueur – especially as the kitchen turns into a living and entertaining space. The good news is, creating one is cheap.

The ideal time to create a utility room is when you’re extending the kitchen. Otherwise, section off a corner with a stud wall or commandeer the back of a garage. Utility rooms in cellars are another option. Jude Tugman, an architect based in London, has also fitted them under stairs: “Even if the space only allows for one appliance and somewhere for the mop and vacuum cleaner, it’s worth it.”

Cost: Minimal if you are sectioning off the back of the garage or fitting a washing machine under the stairs.

Can you do it yourself? Yes, with advice from DIY websites.

Money back? Difficult to say, but it should make the house more saleable.

7 FIRST APPEARANCES

Giving the door and woodwork a fresh coat of paint will make a big difference and won’t cost much. It will make you feel better about your home and, when you come to sell, should impress potential buyers. Choose blues, greens or a smart black, but avoid pinks, oranges and purples, as they’re too personal a choice. And don’t neglect window boxes or pots near the door in winter – there’s always something with bright berries or glossy leaves to be found at the garden centre.

Cost: You can keep it to a minimum by painting the door and windowsills and planting up a couple of pots.

Can you do it yourself? Yes.

Money back? In a weak market, a smart front can be the difference between a potential buyer walking past and coming in for a viewing.

8 TREAD THE BOARDS

Ripping up that tired fitted carpet to reveal the boards beneath is the easiest and most cost-effective way to update. “Renovating floorboards, like opening up fireplaces, increases the saleability of your home,” Clarke says.

You can hire a sander and do it yourself, but it’s noisy, dusty work and might be worth leaving to a pro. Staining or varnishing is a nicer job. Test a small patch first to see the effect – the more coats you use, the darker it will become. Now for the fun part: go and buy some new rugs to complete the transformation.

Cost: Hiring a sander, buying varnish and doing the whole job could come to about £150. Getting someone in will cost about £400, depending on the number of rooms.

Can you do it yourself? Yes – if you can stand the dust.

Money back? Easily.

9 LANDSCAPE THE GARDEN

A patch of lawn with a tree at the end is old hat: anyone who’s ever watched a garden makeover programme wants an outdoor space that will seem like an extension of their living room – which means glass sliding doors or french windows leading to paving or decking with nice furniture. Now is the time to plan, so you can plant in early spring.

Cost: It can easily run to thousands. Plants are pricey and so are designers; save money by hiring a student on a garden design course.

Can you do it yourself? Yes, with the help of green-fingered friends and by watching TV garden makeover shows.

Money back? Yes, provided you keep costs under control. It will certainly provide enjoyment in the meantime.

10 OPEN UP THE FIREPLACE

A working fireplace adds focus to a room, and most period houses have one – although, if it hasn’t been used for some time, the hearth may no longer comply with building regulations. This must be made of a noncombustible material such as stone, tiles or brick, be 48mm thick and project forward at least 30cm.

The Solid Fuel Association (www.solidfuel.co.uk) offers a step-by-step guide to get a fire working. You’ll need the chimney swept and checked for cracks; make sure you cover all your furniture and carpets, as soot can make a real mess of a cream sofa.

Cost: Minimal if you don’t need a new grate or hearth. It can cost as little as £25 to have a chimney swept.

Can you do it yourself? Yes, with the exception of the sweeping. Don’t be tempted to use the kids.

Money back? Who cares? You haven’t spent much, and it’ll make winters something to look forward to.