Home improvements can give you more than just a little more living space, they can add potentially thousands of pounds to the value of your home. Reinvigorating your living space could also be less hassle than moving to a completely different home.
If you’re new to home renovation, how do you know if you’re spending your money in the right place? Particularly if you’re looking to add real value to your home, and not just give the spare bedroom a lick of paint.
We’ve collated some information on the most popular rooms to renovate and building projects, along with some tips on how you could fund your home improvements, so you know exactly where you can add real value to your home.
The UK is incredibly house proud and spends around £30 billion a year on home improvements, that’s nearly £43 million a week.
Many homes have an untapped potential for unused space in the loft which can be converted into another room. A loft extension can cost anywhere between £10,000 and £40,000 depending on the structural condition of the building and quality of conversion, but it can add up to 15 per cent to the value of your property due to the increase in square footage it can give you in living space. A loft conversion is a large project requiring planning permission and help from an architect and engineer, which adds to the expense of the project. It can also cause a lot of disruption in your home compared to other renovations due to the time it takes, and the number of different trades required to complete the conversion.
Adding to the square footage of your existing property will almost always add value to your home. Extending your living space can be as simple as adding a single storey extension onto your home for a bigger kitchen or dining room, to a more complicated project adding a few rooms with a double extension. You should expect to pay upwards of £10,000 to £20,000 for a single storey extension, but you can expect to add an estimated 10 per cent on to the value of your property. This project causes a greater level of disruption than some light painting and decorating, and could also require planning permission and help from an architect to complete.
If you don’t want to add an extension to your property you could consider adding an extra room in the garden itself. The understated garden shed is quickly being replaced by bespoke offices, workshops and sun rooms at the end of our gardens. An extra room in the garden could add value to your property, homeowners should expect to recoup at least 75% of the total project cost on the property value according to Property Price Advice. Depending on the size of the project, you’re unlikely to need planning permission for this addition.
A new kitchen could add a potential of 4 per cent onto the value of your home[1] onto the value of your home. It’s also something many potential buyers look for – most likely because of the cost and difficulty that comes with replacing a kitchen, which makes one that’s already complete very attractive. A new kitchen could cost you anywhere between £5,000 and £40,000 depending on the size and scale of the refurbishment, and because of the number of services including gas, plumbing and electrics that might need to be moved or altered to meet your requirements. Compared to other bigger projects, a new kitchen is only likely to cause a week or two of disruption.
Adding or upgrading an existing bathroom to your property can increase the value of your home by up to 5 per cent[1] and can be a valuable future selling point to potential buyers. A new bathroom can cost between £2,500 and £6,000 depending on the quality of fixtures and fittings you choose. If you are adding a bathroom, it’s always better to carve out an en-suite from a large room or existing cupboard rather than converting a whole room, as you may ultimately devalue your home if you remove a bedroom or study to create a bathroom. This project is likely to cause the least disruption as it requires fewer trades to complete than other home improvements.
Catch the best of the summer weather while adding as much as 10 per cent to the value of your home with a conservatory. Having previously fallen out of favour with many home owners and potential buyers, the conservatory is back and no longer just the uPVC box added on to so many suburban semis. A new conservatory with bi-folding doors, self-cleaning glass and timber framing could cost you between £4,000 and £10,000, but is an easy and fast way to increase the value of
For many of the biggest home improvements, depending on your circumstances you may not be able to save up to complete your plans.
If you don’t have the savings to complete your grand designs, then a personal loan could be an option that would allow you to make some much needed home improvements.
With a personal loan from Shawbrook, we can offer you a quote online without damaging your credit score. We’ll give you a guaranteed rate upfront before you apply, along with a fixed repayment schedule, and unlike many high-street banks, our team can consider your personal circumstances as part of your application which, means you could get a better rate with Shawbrook than elsewhere.
An unsecured loan is also suitable if you’re planning a large project and don’t have enough equity in your home to borrow as part of a re-mortgaging agreement A personal loan from Shawbrook can allow you to borrow anywhere between £1,000 and £50,000, which should cover the cost of almost all home improvements.
Credit cards are also an option you may consider, however they do not come with fixed repayments and they generally have a higher interest rate than many personal loans, meaning you could end up repaying more for longer than you wanted to.
If you are planning on renovating your kitchen, bathroom or loft always make sure to hire qualified professionals and follow all planning requirements, or might end up paying for mistakes on top of your improvements.
Personal loans are useful as they come with a set interest rate and set repayments which can help you balance your finances, making it easier to budget your repayments around your other spending.
Find out more about our home Improvement loans.
