As house prices continue to rise and the cost of moving escalates, many homeowners are looking at their current property and thinking about home improvements. Moving home can be expensive. If you like the area you live in, it can make more sense to spend the money you might allocate to stamp duty and other costs on turning the property you already occupy into the home of your dreams.
Add Value
The kitchen is usually the heart of the home and the most valuable room in any dwelling. Home improvements can make a huge difference to any part of the home and increase its value, but changing the kitchen is often top of the list. For many homebuyers, the kitchen is the room that makes or breaks a sale as this is the space that most families use every day.
Breathe new life into your home
Kitchen extensions can not only breathe new life into the area where meals are prepared, but they can also give the entire home a facelift. Carefully planned extensions can increase space, bring in more light, make room for extra seating or appliances and generally make the kitchen a more welcoming and comfortable space for cooking and just generally relaxing.
Make the most of your space
Depending on the layout of your home, kitchen extensions can include adding on a bright indoor area, perhaps with a conservatory-style glass roof, that seamlessly opens onto a patio or terrace and creates an ‘indoor-outdoor space’. Designed properly, the indoors can blend with the outdoors on warm days and evenings. This will be wonderful when family and friends gather, with the doors open while perhaps a barbecue sizzles outside and your new space and the garden area are enjoyed together.
Bring the outdoors in
Homes with a space that effortlessly transitions from indoor to outdoor are very fashionable right now and are perfect for casual entertaining. Even planning kitchen extensions that incorporate French doors can mean more light and bring the airiness of the outdoors closer while making the most of any views of your greenery. Kitchen extensions can also mean adding skylights to vaulted ceilings which will make this part of the home a pleasure to spend time in.
Space to entertain
There is a large range of other home improvements that can choose to enhance a kitchen. With the extra space that comes with kitchen extensions, you can think about a large table where big groups of friends or relatives can gather, a kitchen island where guests can sit as meals are put together or even a gas fire with sofas, making the kitchen the hub of the home where everyone can relish time together. Adding on another bathroom adds value and convenience too.
For properties with smaller outdoor spaces, home improvements that include an attractive courtyard can encourage making more use of the outdoor area while adding functionality and value to the home.
Upgrade the appliances
Of course, upgrading tired appliances will make the kitchen area more welcoming for those who like to cook. A responsive hob, an oven with precision temperature control and a fridge that keeps everything at the right temperature are all valuable additions. Tying all this together with attractive and hardwearing worktops and cupboard doors in a cheerful colour can give any kitchen a completely new look.
Don’t forget flooring
While you’re thinking about home improvements, don’t forget about the floor. There is a huge range of beautiful materials you can incorporate in your flooring to complete a makeover, ranging from the timeless natural beauty of slate tiles to engineered wood flooring. While you’re looking at improving the appearance of the floor, you might also want to consider adding features such as underfloor heating, which will make the kitchen so much cosier during winter. If you’re installing new windows or skylights, or glass doors, you might also want to think about double glazing that keeps warmth in and sound out for winter, and in summer will help keep the space cool.
Make your house a home again
You may be surprised at the options that exist for improving your home. It may be worth investing in some professional advice, but home improvements could very well provide the space and facilities you desire and will invariably be less stressful and expensive than buying elsewhere.
