Renovations

[sarahbowen82]

I have just bought my first house (yea!). Unfortunately i could only affors a 2 bed terrace badly in need of some TLC (boo!). I would love some advice as to how to go about making improvements that will also put value onto my house in a relatively short space of time. I have spoken to my estate agents who have told me to redecorate - however I have some other ideas I would like opinions on

1. is it worth spending money on your backgarden, block paved patio etc

2. at the moment i have a partking space at the bottom of my garden. I could put a garage and a single car park, or alternatively tarmac/block pave to make a double drive.

3. bathroom has no seperate shower - is this worth putting in.

4. all the light fittings are offset at the side of the room so make the rooms / hall way etc very gloomy indeed. is it worth moving them?

any ideas /tips are GREATLY APPRECIATED as i am a very keen but inexperienced DIYer. Thanks

[vehelpfulguy]

It depends on what you are in the house for. Are you in there to enjoy living in the house, or just to improve the value and then move on.

One important general thing is to NOT do anything just because YOU like it, but the next buyer may not.

So for example, dont put a big fancy fireplace in one of the rooms, that you love, but the next buyer may hate it and want to rip it out.

If you have watched House Doctor on Channel 5 you will know that new buyers want a clean, well lit, tidy house so aim towards that.

It is important to get the structural things done first (new windows, rewiring, new doors or whatever) BEFORE decorating.

It may be worth moving the lights, but getting that done will cause some disruption so get it done early.

I always think new windows make a house look good, they keep out draughts, and make the whole house seem cleaner, can be expensive though.

Do NOT spend a lot of money on anything. You were fairly happy to buy the house as it was, so might the next buyer.

I think the best thing you can do is visit the library, or somewhere like WH Smiths and get a book on renovating an old house, or maybe a book about buying and selling houses for profit. There will be lots of suggestions in books like that.

[Clanad]

In addition to the help from vehelpfulguy (what a mouthful!), it's been found that attractive and well planned bathrooms and kitchens are both the most enjoyed by the the owner as well as add most value to a prospective buyer. So, since one of the areas you state needs attention is the bathroom, you can plan to upgrade it to your satisfaction as well as add the value. Keep in mind that in doing some/most/all of the work yourself, get good advice and have it checked for code compliance (and safety). Here in the U.S. most DIY stores have inexpensive, instructive books and pamphlets on remodeling these two rooms. Good luck!