Creating Dream Homes

Property renovations to improve appearance and value

Whether you want to refurb a single room or your entire property, our in house team of skilled tradesmen will take the hard work of what can potentially be an intimidating idea with an end result of your home having increased in both value and appearance. Before you consider doing any cosmetic improvements or repairs to your home i.e. installing a new floor, bathrooms, kitchen or redecorating, you should make sure you sort out all major structural problems (if any). Although cosmetic home improvements can hide many problems from potential buyers, home valuers can’t be fooled. To avoid getting embarrassed or losing a sale, it is better to focus on structural problems first. Great examples of structural problems you should fix first include; a leaking or sagging roof, rising damp, bowing walls, cracks on walls, rotten roof timbers or joist, insect infestations, broken or missing roof tiles, a collapsed slab/floor, unstable chimney stack, etc. These structural problems can be repaired easily. However, it will cost you a significant amount of money. In fact, structural problems are by far the most costly to fix of all building defects. Fixing structural problems will, however, add the most value besides being essential given the consequences of living in a home with structural defects/problems. It is important to consult a structural engineer, builder or surveyor to help you assess if your home has any structural defects. These professionals can also help you differentiate between cosmetic faults and structural defects if you are having problems distinguishing the two. Also, the importance of identifying structural defects early can’t be overlooked given the challenges associated with fixing structural problems. For instance, you may have to take down your entire roof to solve a structural roof problem such as a sagging roof yet such structural problems can be identified early i.e. in the construction stage or before you move in.

KITCHEN MAKEOVER

A hygienic and great looking kitchen will definitely increase the value of your home. Potential home buyers, as well as home valuers, focus on the kitchen, so it’s important to consider a kitchen makeover when renovating or remodeling your home. However, you need to consider factors such as space and position before you start your kitchen makeover. For instance, you need to decide if you want to make structural changes that alter the space. You also need to consider relocating your kitchen elsewhere if possible. In most cases, renovating your existing kitchen will be enough. You can start by assessing the doors and worktops for signs of damage or peeling. In such cases, simple upgrades can be made without changing everything. If basic building blocks are salvageable, you can use them alongside new components to save on cost without compromising on the outcome. To get the best outcome, consider adding components of designer kitchens i.e. timber veneered interiors as well as doors which are recessed into units as opposed to being surface mounted. You can also add new worktops, doors, and handles. High-quality worktops, doors, and handles are crucial since they are the most noticeable components in any kitchen. To get great kitchen layout ideas, consult many suppliers of kitchen components since most offer free design services to their customers. When doing a kitchen makeover, it’s also important to set aside adequate room for your fridge, washing machine and dryer. When selecting kitchen components, choose bright colours i.e. white since such colours look neater. It is possible to conduct a complete kitchen makeover with £1,500 to £2,000 including fitting. However, there is nothing wrong with investing much more for better quality i.e. bespoke features, high-quality draw runners, etc.

BATHROOM MAKEOVER

Bathrooms should look fresh and hygienic at all times, so it’s important to consider them as well when remodeling or renovating your home. The walls of your bathroom should be sparkling clean. You can achieve a sparkling clean look by using a neutral light shade of paint (ideally white). You should also make sure your bathrooms have ample light. Adding a more powerful lighting unit will help. For instance, you can replace single pendant lighting with triple halogen spotlight units. It’s also advisable to add some luxurious components to the bathroom to add even more value. A fancy bathtub, mirror, showerhead, sinks and taps will do wonders. Luxuries aside, make sure at least one of the bathrooms in your home has a shower since showers are essential for many home buyers. You should also ensure your plumbing system matches the units you buy. For instance, if you have a gravity fed system, you should consider installing a power shower. Converting roof spaces i.e. loft conversions may also require compliance with current building regulations. For instance, you may be required to add more insulation (approximately 100 mm of urethane between roof timbers and approximately 45 mm of urethane underneath trusses to reduce. Such requirements may reduce the overall headroom introducing other challenges. Safety requirements must also be considered i.e. adding fire doors to all habitable rooms. Lofts also require adequate lighting via roof lights or dormer windows. When creating dormer windows, you will require planning permission if the windows are to be installed on the front of your home i.e. facing a highway. It is advisable to do thorough professional consultations before converting your roof space for the entire process to add value and functionality to your home without a hitch.

Converting Roof Space

If your remodeling involves converting roof space, it is important to consider factors like cost. For instance, it will cost you approximately £500 to £600 per meter squared for a typical loft conversion while an extension costs twice as much. Nevertheless, both will add value to your home making them great investments. You will, however, need to consider factors such as an additional staircase among other components that might use up existing space. Before you decide whether to convert your roof space or not, make sure your efforts will be cost effective. Converting roof spaces can be costly since you need to build roof structures using attic trusses or roof timbers. You might also need to replace some roofing structures if you have thin timbers and move header tanks if any. You also need adequate headroom. In cases where you need to perform significant structural changes to your roof, it’s advisable to hire a roofing contractor to discuss your options and assess the financial viability thoroughly. Converting roof spaces i.e. loft conversions may also require compliance with current building regulations. For instance, you may be required to add more insulation (approximately 100 mm of urethane between roof timbers and approximately 45 mm of urethane underneath trusses to reduce. Such requirements may reduce the overall headroom introducing other challenges. Safety requirements must also be considered i.e. adding fire doors to all habitable rooms. Lofts also require adequate lighting via roof lights or dormer windows. When creating dormer windows, you will require planning permission if the windows are to be installed on the front of your home i.e. facing a highway. It is advisable to do thorough professional consultations before converting your roof space for the entire process to add value and functionality to your home without a hitch.

Adding or improving existing accommodation, amenities and storage space

Homes with more bedrooms are deemed more valuable so, adding bedrooms is always a good idea when you want to boost the selling price of your home. However, you must consider factors such as ceiling value which differs by street to ensure the additional cost of adding bedrooms makes sense. There are different approaches you can consider when you want to add extra bedrooms. For instance, you can add walls to create additional space. This approach is perfect when you have a large bedroom. You can also add existing accommodation by creating extensions. You can remove walls to improve existing accommodation. It’s also a good idea to add amenities like bathrooms especially if such remodeling creates en suite bedrooms. Homes with en suite bedrooms always fetch a better price so, consider adding a bathroom to a bedroom if possible. An extra bathroom on its own will also add value. To add the most value, you should add a full bathroom. If that’s not possible, WC facilities are adequate. A small shower will also come in handy. Ideally, every bedroom in a high-end property should have a bathroom. In regular properties, there should be one full bathroom per floor or per every three bedrooms. The master bedroom should be en suite. Storage space is also a selling point. Potential home buyers tend to shy away from homes with inadequate storage space, so it’s important to create additional storage space if possible by building shelves and/or fitting doors to fabricate cupboards. You can look for dead space under staircases, besides chimney breasts, at the end of corridors, in the attic, beneath beds, beneath bath tubs, alongside cisterns, above sinks, on unused wall spaces, etc. There is plenty of unused space in most homes. You just need to look carefully and identify what will work for you.

Adding Central Heating

You can update or add a central heating system to add value to your home. Such an upgrade almost always adds more value since many home/property buyers, as well as mortgage valuers, consider central heating systems to be essential. The average cost of adding a central heating system to a typical house i.e. a three bedroom Edwardian or Victorian house is £3,000 to £4,000 when you use a plumber. The cost can go down further if you get a free installation.

To be able to get the best out of this renovation/remodeling endeavour, you will need to add or update your central heating system while making general energy efficiency changes to your property. For instance, you will need to

Seal all drafts (if any) around windows and doors. Leave out airbricks.
Replace regular windows with double glazing. (Great for preventing heat loss)
Insulate the loft space.
Add a new heated towel rail and radiators or an underfloor heating system to the existing system to take advantage of the heat output. This, of course, applies if the existing boiler has sufficient output that meets the heat requirements of the building. This also applies if the existing boiler works perfectly.

Wiring

Updating wiring can be a very disruptive job that involves lifting floors among other tedious and time-consuming tasks such as chasing out plaster walls. As a result, it is important to find out everything that is needed to complete the work before you start making cosmetic improvements.

Electrics

Electrical upgrades may be crucial if the house hasn’t been rewired for years. Houses which need electrical upgrades exhibit some signs i.e. the house may have an old fuse box. In such an instance, you will need to rewire as well as install an upgraded (modern) consumer unit with a residential circuit device for added safety. You should also consider adding extra sockets to add value. In some instances, it may be worthy installing attractive face plates for all or some of your sockets and switches. You can use this opportunity to update your lighting as well as add extractor fans in your bathrooms.

Plumbing

The importance of getting rid of old pipe work can’t be overlooked given the effects of having furred up pipe work i.e. heat loss, poor hot/cold flow, rattling or knocking sounds as well as burst pipes in worst case scenarios. When redoing plumbing work, consider pressurised plumbing systems as opposed to gravity-fed plumbing systems. Pressurised plumbing systems stand out because they don’t require header tanks which require a significant amount of space to install. Pressurised plumbing systems also guarantee constant pressure for hot and cold water supplies. You can, however, consider installing a cylinder if you have space. A cylinder comes in handy for storing hot water to fill a bath quickly. A combination boiler is also a viable solution for providing hot water on demand. You must, however, choose a boiler with a great flow rate i.e. at least 10 litres per minute for a great power shower.

Restoring a building’s character

It’s worth noting that making inappropriate additions or alterations to a property can compromise its value. In some unique cases, you need to reconsider some additions or make some alterations to add value to your property. For instance, removing internal stone cladding, pine cladding, polystyrene ceiling tiles, textured ceilings/walls, plastic beams, poorly laid flooring as well as mismatched period details like fireplaces and mouldings may be a great investment. It is also a good investment to remove inappropriate porches, a conservatory featuring a flat polycarbonate roof as well as old windows. You should restore character to your property by getting rid of the above and replacing or restoring with original style fireplaces, panelled doors, decorative mouldings, appropriate style windows, polished floorboards, stair banisters & handrails, concealed timber beams, etc.

Conclusion

The above information lets you know everything you need to know for your home remodelling or renovation efforts to be fruitful. The first factor to consider should be structural problems. Once you address any structural problems that may be present, you can consider making cosmetic changes that make the most financial sense whilst adding the most value to your property.