Surprisingly, some of the small home improvements can make a huge difference to your home and provide an impressive return on investment.
On the other hand, it’s important to remember that particular home improvements could actually decrease the value of your home, potentially meaning that it is less appealing to buyers.
In this article we will be discussing some of the home repair and improvement projects that should be avoided.
Transforming Your Bedroom In To A Closet
Although a walk in wardrobe is an extremely modern and sought after home improvement, it can actually reduce the value of your home. A buyer would be much more likely to place value on a clear, newly renovated bedroom over a larger closet.
This way the homeowner can adjust the space to their own personal preferences. A walk in wardrobe is a great addition to a home, but not if it comes at the expense of losing a bedroom.
It’s important to remember that each bedroom would add a huge £10,000 in value to the property!
If you decide to replace your bedroom with a walk-in closet, you could be decreasing the home’s value by a huge £7,000! This doesn’t include the cost of materials and the labour that will be needed for a project.
Sources state that converting a bedroom into a closet may be a sophisticated and modern home improvement project, but reiterate that the loss of a bedroom will reduce the value by a huge amount.
The functions within a property is incredibly important to the potential buyer, but not as important as the amount of bedroom that it has.
Combining Bedrooms
The amount of bedrooms within a property will determine its value. For example, older houses may have more architectural detail and a traditional, visual appeal but they will mostly always have much smaller bedrooms.
Some home renovators may think that they are upgrading or modernizing the home by collating two bedrooms into one larger space.
There is no doubt that this will add a contemporary-looking, spacious appeal to the home, but if the open plan structure is created at the expense of another bedroom, this will reduce the value of the house.
However, if the property has a lot of bedrooms originally, then combining two rooms probably won’t make much difference.
On the other hand, if most of the houses in your area have 3 to 4 bedrooms, reducing the amount of bedrooms even further won’t be beneficial when it comes to selling your property.
Permanent Customization
As you are the homeowner, you will be keen to ensure that the home matches your home style and preferences.
Customization is absolutely fine, but it is vital that these designs can be easily neutralised if you decide to sell your home.
For example, bright colours are of a selective taste. Classic colours such as beige, taupe and cream are universal and are consider much more attractive to a larger audience.
When selling your property, steer away from designs that you may love, but suspect that other people won’t. Neutral décor themes will always be on trend and will most definitely be one of the renovations that increase home value.
Bold Paint Colours
Painting your home is a quick and easy way to improve your home and increase the value. However, it is very important to stay away from vivid paint colours.
Painting the interior or exterior of your home in non-neutral colours could de-value it and take away the option of appealing to multiple buyers, as everyone has different tastes.
Buyers tend to expect neutral colours when they first buy a house. It’s important to remember that your home is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it, so be sure to match as many tastes and preferences as possible.
Not Maintaining The Original Design Style
Some homes are created with a unique architectural style that can help to boost the property value. This unique architecture is a statement feature of the house and will stand out against the competition.
If you’re going to commit to a home improvement project, ensure that it does not consist of cheap, incongruous materials as this will only de-value your home.
You may be thinking that replacing the old windows with new double glazed windows would increase the property value; this is not always the case.
If the old windows were of a traditional Tudor style, replacing them with modern uPVC windows may only reduce the value.
Lowering The Style
New buyers love high ceilings, as they can help to make spaces appear larger than they actually are. It is definitely one of the home renovations that increase home value.
Lower ceilings are beneficial when it comes to saving money on your utility bills, as the rooms in your home will be smaller and it will be easier to insulate heat.
On the other hand, higher ceilings can help to create a ‘grand’, defined space, whilst reducing the feeling of claustrophobia and extenuating the original architecture of the building.
Whilst lowering ceilings may be a popular solution when it comes to lighting or wiring solutions, it could ultimately de-value your home as it would take away its unique selling point.
Adding A Pool
A pool is considered a luxury home improvement by many, but it is still a personal preference. Experts suggest that a pool could affect your home’s value as it is not necessarily to everyone’s taste! A home with a pool would have once been swamped with offers.
In the era of COVID, people were spending more time at home and a facility like a pool would have been considered a must-have feature for a home improvement project.
This also depends on the weather and the location of your home. If your property is located in a part of the world with a cold weather climate, then a pool wouldn’t be suited.
Even in warm countries, not every buyer will appreciate a swimming pool. It’s important to consider that a swimming pool would require a lot of upkeep and maintenance.
The maintenance and the costs associated with the pool, could most definitely affect the value.
Whilst most home improvements would be considered essential when adding value onto your home, some would drastically decrease the value.
This usually occurs when the home’s traditional style is compromised with new, ‘contemporary’ additions or when the amount of bedrooms decrease post home renovation.
Be sure to research the home improvement project and determine how much value that each will add to your home!
At Apply For Grants we offer funding on double glazed uPVC windows and doors for your home improvement projects.
Kerb appeal is incredibly important when trying to add value to your home as just a few superficial changes can help to create a fantastic first impression among potential buyers.
Our products are guaranteed to add value as they provide your home with additional security, thermal efficiency and weather resistance, whilst improving the visual look of your property.
Experience the fantastic service from ‘Apply For Grants’ for yourself!