If you’re looking to make improvements to your home, are you looking at improvements that are going to have the biggest return on investment, either increasing the value for you or increasing the value for others when and if you come to sell your property? Definitely not the most exciting upgrade, but money well spent would be upscaling your garage door.

Wood is the classic choice but isn’t as weather resistant as more durable materials like steel, wood composites and aluminium that can also have additions like energy-saving glazing and insulation. The improvements that give you the most value are normally external improvements. You could also have a manufactured stone veneer. It has the same look as real stone but is a man-made composite material shaped on moulds and is installed in the same way as real stone. A composite deck or patio will also add value. 

You have bought your dream home. However, it needs some improvements to make it perfect.  Any modifications are going to take a substantial amount of money, but how can you afford it. 

There is an option called a Purchase and Improvement Mortgage.  In essence, this is a mortgage and a home improvement loan wrapped into one package. This allows you the flexibility to purchase the new property and renovate it without worrying about two separate payments coming out of your account monthly.

This option is not only for people purchasing a new property. You can also apply if you own your home already and wish to home improvements.  The amount you can add to your existing mortgage depends on the value of your property, how much is left outstanding and your income. 

To find out more about this type of loan, we suggest contacting your mortgage provider for more information.

Renovating your home does not need to be overly expensive.  Sometimes the smallest of changes can make a massive impact on your home.  Here are a few low budget home improvement ideas for you to try.

Paint your kitchen cupboards/bathroom cabinets – When changing the colour, ensure you properly prep the surface before applying paint. If painting the bathroom cabinets, ensure you use a paint suitable for bathrooms

Chalkboard paint – Why not paint the indented area of a kitchen cupboard with chalkboard paint to create a unique feature.  Why not use it for your meal plans or shopping lists?

Upcycle an old door – Turn an old door into a feature with coat hooks.  Create a box and attach it to the bottom for a place to store shoes.

Frame your bathroom mirror – create a vintage look by adding a frame to your bathroom mirror.  This simple trick can change the look of the room instantly.

A conservatory can add a room to your home and increase its value, but do you need planning permission to build one?

In May 2019, the UK government made changes to the planning laws to make it easier to understand when planning permission is required and when it’s not.

In most cases, a conservatory can be built without planning permission as long as the following rules are abided by:

Terraced and semi-detached homes can build a conservatory of up to 6 meters without planning permission.

Detached homes can build a conservatory up to 8 meters without planning permission.

Further stipulations are:

The maximum height is not over 4 meters high (or 3 meters high is within 2 meters of your boundary)

The conservatory does not cover more than half your garden

The roof peak is not higher than the eaves of the property

We hope this has helped to clarify the position on conservatories.

If you are in a home or have bought a home that you wish to add, replace or move windows in, you may be uncertain as to whether or not you will need Planning Permissions prior to doing this. Adding, replacing or moving windows is typically not a project that would need planning permissions but there are stipulations where you would. For instance, if you are in a listed building, you would not be able to conduct any major window changes with only Permitted Development (PD) rights.

Another reason why you might need planning permissions is if there had previously been conditions attached to the original permission, for which you would need to speak to your local authority. However, usually to insert a new window or doorway you are able to do so, with PD rights as long as any upper floor windows on the side of the house are glazed. They must also be fixed to a non-opening frame, unless opener is more than 1.7m above the floor.

So typically no, you will not need planning permissions for adding, replacing or moving windows.

If properly planned, loft conversions can be an excellent way to add property value and increase your living space. There are many people out there that have run into some major problems and set-backs during a loft conversion, but if you know a couple of these handy ways to avoid certain possible risks, it will help keep your project moving smoothly.

1. Plan the Stairs well- be sure to put plenty of thought into how the stairs will work and flow in your home and what the best layout is for efficiency and effectiveness downstairs and upstairs.

2. Plan furniture during design- whilst the design stage is happening, be sure to plan what furniture you want to put in, to ensure the space will work as you need it to.

3. Plan windows and doors carefully- consider how to maximise natural light flow into your loft conversion and thoroughly consider the placement of all doors and windows compared to the space usage and furniture.

Planning a loft conversion can be tricky, but by using these tips, doing some research and taking plenty of time to plan before beginning a project, it will help to greatly decrease the chances of serious unexpected problems.

It is a known fact that for many people, engineered flooring is preferred to solid oak flooring and this is because engineered flooring is cheaper and it has a lot of other practical advantages. The reasons to avoid buying solid oak flooring are big enough to convince many people to go for engineered flooring and the reasons are as follows:

Heating Systems:

If you’ll choose to buy solid oak flooring, you will also have to say goodbye to under-floor heating system. It is because under-floor heating systems are not compatible with solid oak flooring.

Moisture:

The solid oak flooring is highly susceptible to wet or moist places and cannot be put to use in bathrooms. Besides that, it is also not fit to be used in basements as well. It tremendous decreases the usability of this flooring.

Forget DIY:

Unlike other floorings, this type of flooring cannot be installed by a person on its own. It requires a professional floor fitter to be installed and costs you a good deal
of money.

Expensive:

It is not only expensive to install, it is costly as well. It needs you to pay extra to
the seller as well as to the floor fitter making it less economical. That’s why
you should avoid buying this type of flooring.

Ageing Effects:

You might be able to use it for sometime but as it gets old, it becomes susceptible to
contracting, expanding, cupping and bowing. Thus, it costs you even more money
to get it repaired every time there is something wrong with the flooring.

Using engineered flooring is very advantageous as compared to solid oak flooring. Its
quality is much better as compared to solid oak flooring making it resistant
against the seasonal wear and tear. Besides that, the aesthetics of engineered
flooring is always a pleasure to the eyes.