Looking to up the value of your home? Whilst some people go to great lengths such as building extensions and remodelling the bathroom, there are easier and less costly ways to add value. Here are some cheap tricks to boost your home’s worth that can be easily DIYed.
Repaint the walls
A new splash of paint on the walls could help to make your home feel brighter and newer. This could be particularly worthwhile if your walls are stained or faded. When choosing paints to work with, avoid controversial colours – you’re best off sticking with white as this is neutral and bright and will appeal to all buyers. High-gloss whites can be easier to clean and can bring more light into the room. This is an easy job to do yourself and some people find it very therapeutic.
Insulate your loft
Insulating your loft can also add value to your home by making your property more energy-efficient. Whilst you can hire professionals to spray on foam insulation, there are much cheaper DIY alternatives. You can buy insulating wool from many places such as this website, which can easily be rolled out over the floor or ceiling of your loft. Just make sure that you wear gloves when handling this material – the like of fibreglass can cause skin irritation.
Strip the carpets
Carpets are no longer in vogue – most people want wooden floors in their home nowadays. The exception is the bedroom, in which a carpet is generally preferred. Stripping the carpets is an easy job that you don’t need professionals for. You can then choose to leave the floorboards beneath exposed or add a layer of laminate wood on the top. Exposing the original floorboards works better in older properties in which the floorboards are likely to serve an aesthetic purpose. You’ll still want to treat these floorboards with a sealant so that they’re more durable and stain-resistant. As for newer properties, the floorboards beneath may be a dull material like chipboard or plywood. Adding a layer of laminate wood over the top could help to spice these floors up – drop-fit flooring is easy to install and can be made to measure for a tight fit.
Upgrade your kitchen worktops
Upgrading your kitchen worktops will also add value. This is also an easy DIY job – you can buy countertops made to measure, which can be easily bolted in. Try to avoid materials that look overly synthetic when trying to add value. Materials like mahogany, marble and granite will add the most value, although they’re extremely expensive to buy. Consider buying materials that look similar, but aren’t the real thing – these are likely to be much cheaper. You may even be able to upgrade your existing countertop with a faux-spray such as a granite coating.
Replace old light fittings
Old light fittings could also be bringing down the value of your home. Unless these add a vintage appeal, consider replacing these with newer light fittings. You generally don’t need an electrician’s certificate to handle this kind of work, although you should be careful when DIYing this if rewiring is involved.
Spruce up old cabinets
There may not be any need to replace old cabinets around your home – you may be able to simply spruce them up by repainting them or adding new handles. You could add a mirror on a bathroom cabinet to transform it. As for kitchen drawers, it could be worth buying new drawer pulls and some soft-close drawer runners for a more modern touch.
Tidy the front of your house
Curb appeal plays a big part in the value of your home. Tidying up the front of your home could help to build a better first impression and raise your home’s worth. If you’ve got a driveway, make sure that this is presentable. It could be worth buying a pressure washer to clean it up – the homepage of this website offers some great advice posts on pressure washers. Make sure that there also aren’t any weeds growing out the driveway. You can add other embellishments to add value to your home such as hanging baskets of flowers for a cheery touch and exterior lighting to make it feel brighter in the evening. You could even repaint the exterior if it’s looking a little faded.
Tidy your garden
A well-presented garden can also add value. You don’t pour your time and energy into gardening – a low maintenance garden with few plants can sometimes add more value than a garden with lots of flowers and shrubs. Just make sure that any plants you do have are trimmed back and that the lawn is well cared for. If mowing and sprinkling is too much hard work, you could always settle for artificial grass. It looks good all year round, requires no maintenance and can add value to your property (it turns out most buyers are lazy and prefer fake grass to the real thing!).
Build a garden shed
If your garden doesn’t have a shed, building one could be an easy way to add some extra value. Sheds can be a great DIY project – if even you don’t want to build one from scratch, there are plenty of shed-building kits out there. Make sure that your shed is treated to help preserve it from weather damage.
Build a patio/decking area
Another garden project that can add value is a patio or decking area. This provides a social space in your garden for outdoor living that will attract many buyers. This can be a more extensive DIY project, but isn’t too challenging. It’s worth finding a design online that you like – you can then start to measure your garden’s space and order all the materials you need. As with a shed, any decking will need to treated to help preserve it.
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