Maximising Your Home's Value How To Add Value To Your House

Date Published:

25/06/2008

Gone are the days when everyone wanted a separate kitchen, living room and dining area- now most of us want open-plan living, with lots of sociable space and big windows to let in plenty of natural light. Getting the balance right is a must- opening up the whole of your downstairs is a mistake and will put off many future buyers, but creating an open plan kitchen-diner, for example, is a real winner.

Money Pit Or Maker?

Installing extra or bigger windows won't add value to your home but will certainly make it a brighter place to live. As a result they could make it more desirable to future buyers, particularly as lighter rooms look bigger than they are. Think about fitting French doors into the garden, or even in a first floor bedroom to increase the amount of light.

Undoing bad design decisions also helps. Replacing faux-leaded windows will give a cleaner finish, or you could swap shabby patio doors for ones that concertina back or slide into the wall cavity. This will involve knocking out some of the wall, but the end result is gorgeously streamlined. Skylights are unobtrusive yet effective, and fitting glass into a portion of a wall (whether external or an internal) will also add to the feeling of space. The Glass and Glazing Federation (www.ggf.co.uk) has a list of expert glaziers in your area.

Credit: Jan Baldwin/Narratives

The best open-plan rooms are "zoned" to define the different areas within them- a solid piece, such as a breakfast bar, is an effective division between kitchen and dining areas.

Profit vs Loss

Think carefully about changing windows if it will make your house stick out like a sore thumb. Planning restrictions may apply for changes to the front of your house, so a better approach might be installing patio doors to the rear. Original (or authentic replacement) wooden sash windows are a big plus in Victorian homes; buyers love them so it would be a mistake to rip them out in favour of modern, sheet glass.

Anything you do to your home will have to comply with Building Regulations governing factors such as thermal heat loss, ventilation and fire safety. Changing windows falls within your permitted development rights, but if the council has withdrawn this, or if you live in a listed building, you may need to get planning permission. The government's planning portal is a website that explains all the rules and regulations in full detail (www.planningportal.gov.uk).

Expect To Pay

Replacing the windows for an average three-bed house would set you back around £3,000 according to Anglian (0800 500 600; www.anglianhome.co.uk). Patio doors start at £1,630.

Credit: Ray Main/Mainstream Images

Doors that fold right back are the latest must-have. For best effect, choose flooring indoors and out that is either an exact match, or of similar colour, that way, your living space will seem to extend right into the garden.

Knocking Through One Room To Another

Knocking two rooms into one has been popular for years, but it's really in vogue at the moment. Dining rooms are prime candidates for opening up either into the kitchen or into the sitting room. Combining two bedrooms to create one large one is generally not a good idea unless you have lots of them or a ridiculously small box room. After all, you don't want your home to drop from a three-bed des res to a two bedroom starter home. Large rooms are great for limited open plan living, but it's a good idea to factor in concertina doors or doors that slot into the wall so you can regain the privacy of two rooms, if necessary.

If you are opening up a larger space, such as the whole of your downstairs, plan carefully how you will use the space first, and work out how the different "zones", such as the seating area, dining space and kitchen will work together, and if you'll have enough room for each. And don't forget, many buyers will expect a separate reception area downstairs somewhere, so it's a good idea to plan one in.

As for knocking down walls, if they're not load bearing the process is pretty quick and easy, and it will cost around £70. If it is load bearing, you'll need a supporting steel beam installed (at around £1,000) plus planning permission.

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