If your goal for this year is to redecorate your home, it’s worth considering what additions and changes will add value to it. While changing the paint colour of your bedroom or putting up new curtains can refresh your space, there are bigger things you can do to revamp your home and add value to it.
Here are some home projects that will not only help you to transform your home and make it more suited to your needs but could also help to boost its value for the future.
New Kitchen
Not only do you want your kitchen to look good, but you also want it to be fully functional too. Many older kitchen styles can be quite bulky and may not use the available space well, making the room seem smaller. Updating your kitchen – even if it’s just to modernise what you already have – can make a difference.
Ideally, you want a kitchen that gets a lot of light, allows for easy movement and is easy to keep clean. This doesn’t always mean you need to gut it and buy a whole new kitchen. Updating the doors to existing cupboards, changing worktops, laying a new floor, incorporating new lighting and installing new appliances can all make your kitchen look like a new space without needing a huge budget.
Of course, if your current kitchen could do with a total change, this is likely going to make your life easier and increase the value of your home. In this case, you should consider whether the space works as a kitchen or if you might want to move it to a different room or create an open-plan living area. You should also think about how you want to use your kitchen, as this will impact the design you choose.
Modern Windows
Installing new windows can transform the look of your home, change how you use the space and make your house more energy-efficient. There are so many styles of windows available now that you can create a very different look for your property with this one change alone.
From installing sliding or folding doors to help you use the garden more, installing skylights or switching from small windows to larger ones that make your home lighter, it is amazing the difference new windows can make.
It’s also worth considering whether triple glazing may be worth investing in. Triple glazing can cost more than double glazing but it reduces the amount of heat lost through your windows and also improves noise reduction, which could be beneficial if you live near a busy road.
Update Bathroom
Like your kitchen, your bathroom is a heavily-used area that may often get forgotten about when redecorating. However, a great bathroom can help to boost the value of your home and make it more attractive to potential buyers when you so want to sell.
Ideally, you want your bathroom to make the most of the available space, especially if you only have a small bathroom. This can mean totally rearranging the room and even completely switching out the features – such as swapping a bath for a good-sized shower.
Changes like removing bulky airing cupboards and under-sink cupboards can also make your bathroom look bigger while also giving your more space to work with.
If you can’t re-do your bathroom, small changes can still make a big difference to how it looks and the impact it can have on your property value. Re-tiling, new flooring and added touches like heated towel rails will modernise the room and make it more attractive.
Installing Air Conditioning
When it comes to revamping your home, many people don’t consider air conditioning – until the summer hits! But installing air conditioning can help increase the value of your home while also ensuring you’re cool and comfortable all year round.
Houses in the UK are built for the colder weather and while the added insulation and heat-saving features are great during the winter months, they can leave you sweating in the summer.
The last few years have seen high summer temperatures that are incredibly uncomfortable, especially if you live in an apartment or city. More people are now looking for properties that come with air conditioning as a result, which means that installing it could add another selling point while also helping you to stay cool throughout the year.
Even better, our fully-internal water-cooled air conditioning solutions can be installed in any type of property – including apartments, listed buildings and homes in conservation areas. They don’t need an external condenser, which can affect the look of a property’s exterior, and offer a compact solution.
Larger Living Spaces
Improving the existing layout of your home can mean that it better suits your lifestyle and looks more attractive to potential buyers when the time comes to put it on the market.
Many properties tend to have several smaller living areas that can make your home feel cramped. Opening these up into one large open-plan area or a couple of bigger spaces can make a big difference and help you better utilise the room you have.
Drawing up a simple floor plan, identifying the loadbearing walls and considering what spaces are underused is the best place to start and will allow you to see if an open-plan design might be the best option.
The result will be a home that feels larger, living spaces that are used more and a much brighter living environment that looks more attractive.
Improved Kerb Appeal
Even before someone walks into your house to view it, they will have formed an opinion of it based on how it looks outside. Improving your kerb appeal can make a huge difference to a property’s value while also allowing you to make the most of your outdoor space.
As well as changes like a coat of paint, a modern front door and new windows, changing your outdoor space to make it more practical can be a good idea. This can mean creating or updating your driveway, making your garden more low maintenance, creating clear areas of your garden (e.g. a patio, a play area and a lawn) or installing a new fence.
Thinking about how you use the outside of your home now and what would make things easier for you will likely help you fulfil other people’s needs too for when it comes time to sell up.