At Unicorn Windows, we’ve been noticing an increase in the number of home improvement programmes on TV. From interior design shows and DIY renovation ideas, there is no shortage of improvements you can do to your home, it appears.
However, if you’re carrying out those improvements with the sole intention of adding value to your home for when you come to sell, then read on. Not all home renovations you make will have that happy result. That’s because some DIY and interiors projects may actually cost you more money in the long run. These include:
Forget the fabulous kitchen
Who wouldn’t love a beautiful new Shaker kitchen or glossy laminated bright cabinets with handleless drawers? But, before you splash the cash, try to keep things in proportion.
That’s because for the majority of houses (ie those worth under £1m) a top of the range kitchen isn’t necessarily going to win you any big points with buyers. @JonathanHopper says:
“Yes, buyers want kitchens to be light, airy and practical. But the presentation and functionality of the units is more important than having a dizzyingly expensive oven or freezer.”
Keep your living room neutral
It can be tempting to go for bold with a feature wall i.e. put up a stand-out design and colour simply because you love it. But that doesn’t mean your buyers will.
To allow potential buyers to ‘see themselves’ in your house though, it’s best to keep it neutral. That means, beige, white, ivory, light grey – backgrounds that don’t impose and allow others to imagine their own designs to the room.
Don’t do away with rooms
The modern craze is for ‘open plan living’ i.e. where the back of the house is one big area of space for the family to cook, eat, and lounge around in.
But the desire for everyone to be in the same area may be changing – and sooner than anyone thought. The reason is home working.
The after-effects of the pandemic mean more people than ever before will be working from home. And that means creating their own home office – without the rest of the family being around to create noise.
Don’t ‘big up’ your bedroom
It can be tempting to knock down a wall between two bedrooms to create one large family-sized bedroom where you can also add an ensuite. But think about it.
Property is mainly sold based on how many bedrooms it has. Losing a bedroom will definitely be detrimental in that sense.
Don’t ‘over-green’ the garden
By ‘over green’ we mean don’t plant too many flowers, bushes, trees and other beautiful but high-maintenance items.
These are costly and a lot of work and a great garden may not necessarily appeal to all buyers.
Gardens have become the ‘be all and end all’ post-lockdown but how long will that last once things get back to normal and we’re all around to roam freely again? Chances are all your hard work may just get paved over.