When it comes to home renovations, it can be easy to fall into the trap of huge alterations that don’t add a lot of value. Aesthetic considerations are important for making your home as attractive as possible, but you can implement certain renovations that will ensure your home is appealing to everyone who walks through the door.
These renovations do not need to be incredibly time-consuming or extensive, either. Just a few simple alterations can change everything! Read on for some quick and easy renovation ideas that will add value to your home.
1. Add Built-In Storage Space
Storage considerations are key when deciding on whether to move into a particular house or not. Buyers are looking for plenty of storage space in homes, so give yourself a leg-up in house appeal and value through storage. Even in the smallest properties, additional storage can be managed.
Dressers and cupboards are great, but built-in wardrobes and other storage units are even better as they don’t take up floor space. If you have an open area beneath your staircase, create extra storage by walling it in and adding a small door for access.
2. Bring the Outside Indoors
If your home has the room for large opening doors, like bi-folds, sliding doors, or French doors, you can easily bring your outdoor space to the inside. Connecting the two realms of your property is a great way to make everything feel more spacious and united, brightening the space and allowing easy access to the outdoors.
Additionally, large opening doors will add a pop of style to your house, functioning as a sort of picture frame for the garden or patio area beyond. You will add not only a wow factor to the room but value to your home.
3. Convert Other Spaces
A popular method of extending your property and adding both space and value, converting areas of your house to living spaces can be a great idea. Attics, basements, and cellars are the most common conversions and allow you to add up to 20% to your home’s value.
Space conversions are not for the faint of heart, but your house value and appeal will rise significantly by transforming an unused space into a bedroom, family room, or extra storage.
4. Enhance Curb Appeal
Some small renovations can greatly enhance the curb appeal of your home. While it isn’t the most important consideration in purchasing a house, buyers will be more attracted to a home with a nice outlook than one with a cluttered or run-down front. It doesn’t have to be difficult to increase curb appeal either—the following are some easy steps to take:
- Add a new paint job to the doors and window sills, removing any old patchy or cracked paint.
- Outdoor lighting, such as lanterns or pathway lamps, is a great way to add ambiance and practicality to your property. The twinkle of lights both guides your way at night and can help deter burglars.
- Replace peeling, yellowed, or fissured caulk around windows with fresh caulking.
- Weed the cracks between the sidewalk blocks and driveway slabs and make sure the concrete is scrubbed clean. Try using a bottle of Coke to easily clean away any oil or tar residue from the driveway.
- You can replace your garage door for quite an inexpensive cost and give the home a shiny new appearance.
5. Update Your Garage
Garages are so much more than just tool storage and car shelters, and through some simple renovation steps, you can highlight that even more. Add plenty of storage, a washing-up area, windows, better lighting, or a dedicated workspace to get the most out of your garage space.
Alternatively, if you don’t use your garage for automotive considerations, consider converting it into additional living space. You can turn your garage into a home office, playroom, or man cave quite easily, as there is little structural alteration to be done.
6. Have a Low-Maintenance Garden
Eye-catching landscaping and well-maintained gardens can add a surprising amount to the value of your property and heighten the likelihood of attracting buyers. It’s also a part of your home where less is more—a nice, low-maintenance garden will be more appealing to buyers than cluttered outdoor spaces.
Consider some of the following improvements and outdoor renovations to add beauty and value to your property:
- Comfortable al fresco dining areas are increasingly popular, including protected terraces, cooking areas, and dining places.
- Easy nighttime lighting such as Christmas lights or solar-powered lamps can transform a garden into an evening paradise for nighttime viewers.
- Grassy areas are often more attractive to families with children, but a well-appointed rock garden can also add a touch of class to the outdoors.
- Implementing tall plants, hedges, or fences will give the feeling of privacy and seclusion, as long as they do not block the natural light.
- Mature greenery is one of the most popular aspects of house shopping for gardeners. If you can plan ahead to plant trees and hedges that will be matured by the time you sell, it will improve your home’s value significantly.
7. Consider a Conservatory
Conservatories add ground floor extension without being too difficult to complete and also perform well for outdoor dining or entertainment, not to mention the opportunity for summer and winter plantings!
8. Improve Smart Home Technology
Smart home technology certainly seems to be the way of the future, so investing in such devices will only help your home’s value and appeal increase. Smart thermostats, doorbells, utility meters, and home security are all popular and will add a greater sense of safety to the property.
9. Install a Wood-Burning Stove
The popularity of wood-burning stoves and multi-fuel stoves has increased astronomically over the past decade. Not only are they cozy and aesthetically pleasing during the winter, but they are also a safer alternative to open fires and will save you money on the heating bill. Plus, they are inexpensive to run if you have access to free wood sources.
10. Create an Open Floor Plan
This could seem like a daunting suggestion, but you can open the space up by removing unessential internal walls. Open-plan rooms make your house appear bigger inside and will let in more natural light for a better feel. One of the most effective transformations is removing a wall between the kitchen and dining room for a more sociable layout.
11. Add More Light
Similarly, windows and skylights are essential to freshen a space and make it appear bigger. Ensure that your windows are not blocked by trees or bushes outside or excessive curtaining inside. The more sunlight a room has, the happier its occupants will feel, so take advantage of this natural instinct!
12. Optimize Energy Efficiency
Making simple and low-cost improvements to your home’s energy efficiency will make it more appealing and add value. You can improve attic and wall insulation, implement draft-proofing, and install energy-saving light bulbs for some quick alterations. These are DIY-able projects that won’t strain your wallet.
Upgrade your central heating system for more added value—an out-of-date water heater could be problematic to buyers. A-rated appliances are a selling point, so updating your heating beforehand will add even more appeal to your house!
You can invest in renewable technologies such as solar panels, wind power, or state-of-the-art compost systems. These do come with a heftier price tag but will add an incredible amount of value to your home.
13. Reinstall Period Features
If your home was built in the 1950s through the 1970s, it could have had period features such as cornices or ceiling roses that were stripped. Now that such features are back in vogue, reinstalling these add-ons will definitely add more value to the home.
14. Repair Structural Defects
Making sure that your home is safe and secure structurally is one of the easiest ways to add permanent value to your property. Keeping on top of these foundational issues like subsidence might be a costly endeavor but is essential to add value to your home.
Other structural considerations include the following:
- Bowing walls
- Broken, curled, or missing roofing
- Cracks in the walls or foundation
- Depressed or collapsed flooring
- Insect or pest infestation
- Rotten joists or timbers
- Sagging or leaking roofs
- Unstable chimneys
15. Update the Kitchen and Bathrooms
Two of the most influential rooms in a house for buyers are the kitchen and bathroom. If you work to bring these areas up to date, you will inevitably raise your home’s value and overall appeal. For easy kitchen renovations, try replacing the flooring and backsplash, updating the cabinet fronts, and exchanging drawer handles for more modern ones.
Invest in nicer facets and new toilet seats, fresh tiling for the walls, and even a high-power shower head in the bathrooms. Installing underfloor heating is a good selling point, and if you can, having a shower and a bathtub is a major plus for most buyers.