Home improvements aren’t just perfect for making your house feel more like a home but also is a great way to add value to your property. In fact, statistics from Confused.com showed that around a third of homeowners throughout the UK were planning a major renovation throughout 2024, with 9% of the respondents admitting the reason is increase resale value.
While there are some obvious ways of adding immense value that requires a hefty budget, what are some subtler and less expensive ways to raise the value of your home? Logs Direct have teamed up with Dave Sayce, Founder and Managing Director at Compare My Move, to breakdown some great home upgrades to boost value.
Log burners
Not only do log burners bring a cosy atmosphere and look to your home, but they can also be a long-term investment to raising your home’s value. Dave Sayce outlined that they can add up to 5% to a property’s value, especially as they can be a great way to save on your heating bill with a readily available source of fuel. This is only enhanced with the presence of a woodshed and a readily available amount of firewood. But if the buyer deems it difficult to source their own fuel, it could reduce the amount of value the burner would add.
One of the key benefits to adding a log burner to your home is that the work and cost required compared to much larger renovations is considerably lower. Stephen Talbot, sales director of Logs Direct, has emphasised the benefits of upgrading your home with a log burner: “If you have a chimney already, then replacing an open fire with a log burner is a straightforward switch. And when you’re burning well-seasoned, kiln-dried logs, you can be sure that you’re using it with sustainability in mind, as the low moisture content means less smoke is produced. Plus, log burners tend to be made with long-lasting and easy to maintain materials, meaning that you’re unlikely to ever have to replace it.”
Garden upgrades
For many, gardens are a source of pride. But many may not realise just how crucial they can be to add value to a home. This is one area that Dave Sayce emphasises is a key oversight that he sees in homes around the UK: “Having an unkempt and messy garden can deter buyers, whereas having a well-maintained and landscaped garden can add up to 20% to the value of your home. This value increase will differ depending on where you are, in places where space is limited like large cities, a garden can add a lot more to your property than when the property is in the countryside, in which there is a lot of space.”
How you choose to landscape your garden will be to your own tastes and there are many different options to choose from. This can include replacing real grass with artificial astroturf which requires much less maintenance, installing decking or patios, and levelling and terracing your space.
Double glazing
Adding double glazing comes with a myriad of benefits that extends beyond increasing the value of the property by 10% with their installation. Dave Sayce identifies that it’s compulsory for all homes built after 2002 to have double glazed windows, so they all get the benefits of keeping heat in and cold out. This means that your home experiences better temperature moderation year-round and that you can improve the energy efficiency rating of your home through the windows and saving money on heating bills, making them lucrative to potential buyers.
Additionally, if your home is in a built-up area or near a main road where there’s lots of noise, double glazing can reduce the noise pollution that filters into homes. This makes it even more attractive for future buyers as they can be assured that they won’t be disturbed by the sounds of road and foot traffic.
Loft, cellar, or garage – conversions
While extensions are one of the best ways to add value, they can also be incredibly expensive. However, converting a space within your home that seldom sees use like a loft, cellar, or garage can be a practical choice to add a useful room to your property while also adding value. Dave estimates that a conversion can add up to 20% to the house value, depending on the quality of the conversion and the conversion’s intended purpose. Converting any of these spaces into a bedroom will add the higher end of the 20%.
These spaces can be changed into all sorts of spaces such as an additional bedroom or an office. Plus, depending on the budget that you have, you could convert it into a wetroom with plumbing for more practicality.
How you upgrade your home will come down to budget and how much time you can commit to your home being disrupted. What you might not realise is that even minor maintenance and cleaning can add value when your home is being valued, which can be as simple as gutter repairs and replacements and window seals.
