With the summer bank holiday due, we can expect to see that traditional spike in home improvement activity. In anticipation of this, the UK’s leading electrical certification body is cautioning homeowners against dabbling in dangerous electrical DIY.
According to research by NICEIC, more than three quarters (76%) of British households will attempt to do their own DIY in the home as opposed to using a professional; and that is in spite of 60% of respondents ranking their DIY skills as ‘average’ at best.
As a result of this, almost two thirds (64%) admit to having to call in a tradesperson to sort out a botched electrical job. Where a professional has been called in to rectify a DIY project which has gone wrong, almost one quarter of respondents (24%) have ended up with a bill in excess of £1,000 – but this has even exceeded £25,000 in some cases. Over a fifth (21%) wish they’d got a professional in to start with.
Ironically, a desire to save money is the main reason for Brits carrying out DIY themselves (69%) but 53% admitted to being happy to ‘have a go’ at DIY in the home without any prior experience or formal qualifications.
Paul Collins, Head of Technical Services at NICEIC, comments: “With the cost of living at unprecedented levels, it is hardly surprising to see that so many UK homeowners are willing to have a go when it comes to DIY as a way of saving money.
“However, a botched electrical job can easily lead to hefty costs and further underlying issues that may not become noticeable until it’s too late, putting UK homes and families in danger.
Martyn Allen, Technical Director for Electrical Safety First, adds: “There is only so much that online videos can tell you. Even watching the better ones will not give you the knowledge or experience to carry out more complicated tasks.
“Ask yourself: ‘If I have to Google this, should I really be doing it?’ If in any doubt, get a professional in – it could not only save you a lot of time and money in the long run, but could also avoid a serious electrical accident impacting you and your loved ones.”
Paul continues: “With almost two thirds of people admitting to calling out a professional when things go wrong, the message is clear – when it comes to electrics in the home, leave it to the professionals and use a certified electrical contractor such as those with the NICEIC.”
To find your nearest NICEIC Certified Contractor, visit NICEIC.
Making the most out of existing space could drastically add to the value of a property, with additional bedrooms increasing the value by as much as 20% according to experts, or £51,200 considering the average house price in England (£256,000).
The research by self-storage company, Space Station, found several ways in which homeowners can increase the value of their homes without paying for an extension, and instead simply making the most of existing space in a property.
Creating an open plan living area, installing an additional bathroom, or adding another bedroom can all be accomplished for a lot less than the cost of an extension, and in many cases, this does not require planning permission.
Here are five ways you can maximise existing space to increase property value:
1. Convert a room into a bedroom (20% increase in value, £51K of average house price)
Converting the purpose of a room can add extra value to a property and costs very little to do effectively.
Having an office or a games room may seem desirable, but when it comes to adding value, the number of bedrooms is the figure buyers pay the most attention to, so converting a room into a bedroom will see the greatest increase in value.
As a compromise, consider making a room dual purpose, allowing it to serve as both a guest bedroom and a home office.
Holly Herbert, from We Buy Any House, said: “Not every homeowner is in a position to renovate their property, so thankfully there are other things that they can do on a budget instead.
“A great option is to use an existing room as another bedroom, especially if you have office space. Adding a bedroom to a property can increase the value by up to 20% and can be done easily enough with some redecorating and reorganising.”
2. Convert your loft space (20% increase in value, £51K of average house price)
Alternatively, a more expensive solution is to invest in a loft conversion. This is especially useful if you do not have spare rooms which you’re able to convert, or if you want to increase the number of bedrooms whilst keeping your office space.
As lofts are generally used for storage, some homeowners may be left with a temporary shortage of space for these items. This can easily be solved however by temporarily renting storage whilst you undertake the work. Long term, you can find inventive and creative ways to create storage as part of the loft conversion, by installing storage units in the dead space.
Holly said: “For homeowners who are keen to add an extra room but don’t have an office space or dining area to sacrifice, a loft conversion can be the perfect solution.
“You will need to make sure that if you’re intending to advertise your loft conversion as another bedroom that it’s up to regulations, as it will need to be a certain size and have a door, as well as being safe.”
3. Create an open-plan living area (15% increase in value, £38K of average house price)
Open plan living areas are incredibly desirable for house-hunters, and they are a great way to make your living area and kitchen feel modern and bigger than they would as separate rooms.
Knocking down the interior walls could be a DIY job, but it’s important that you establish whether the wall is load bearing. If it is then you will need to ask for expert help to find a solution, as knocking down a load bearing wall could have disastrous consequences.
Holly said: “Creating an open-plan living area can increase your value by up to as much as 15% when done well and will almost always encourage potential viewers to make an offer on the property.”
4. Install additional toilets or bathrooms (5% increase in value, £13K of average house price)
A spare storage room or under-stairs cupboard could be converted into an additional toilet, and you can even add an extra bathroom to a property if you have the room.
This is especially worthwhile for homes with a limited number of existing bathrooms, but you should beware of losing a bedroom. A good option would be to create a small en-suite if you have a large bedroom.
Adding extra bathroom facilities could increase the property value by as much as 5%2 and is especially worthwhile in older houses that may have fewer existing bathrooms.
5. Create storage solutions out of spare space (up to 5% increase in value, £13K of average house price)
Making the most out of nooks and crannies in your home can really make features stand out, as well as adding value.
Converting under-stairs cupboards or alcoves into storage areas helps to make your living areas more practical, as well as adding value by making your home look more unique and functional.
Holly says: “The value added by storage is difficult to pin down and varies hugely depending on the storage in question. Large scale projects like a wine cellar or basement renovation can add a significant amount to the value, whereas low key storage solutions will increase it by a lower amount.
“However, storage is very appealing to buyers, so even if it does not significantly increase the overall value, it will help to make a property more desirable.”
Vlatka Lake, Marketing Manager at Space Station, said: “Adding value to your property is something that can be easily done by any homeowner, and whatever the size of their budget.
“We hope that these tips can inspire people to make the most of their spare space, helping them to maximise their property value when they come to sell.”
Most of us have spent more time in our homes in recent months than ever before, so it comes as no surprise we are seeking to make home improvements, with Google searches for DIY once again on the increase during the latest lockdown.
For anyone thinking of sprucing up their home decor, one of the most common considerations is if it will add value to the property.
Providing expert guidance, Hitachi Personal Finance has looked at the most effective home improvements you can make on a low budget, for less than £100.
1. Painting a room – £71
Nothing brightens up a room more than a fresh lick of paint and this is something that can easily be done yourself. Rather than paying for a professional decorator, why not invest in some brushes, rollers and have a bit of fun picking the colour you want for a room.
To cover the cost of a main room, such as a lounge, kitchen or bathroom, paint will cost around £711 and will give your living space a much fresher look. If you are someone who monitors internal décor trends, choosing the right colour at the right time could even add more than £1,400 in value to your home if you came to selling2.
2. Kitchen spruce ups – £60
They often say the kitchen is the heart of the home, but a full-scale kitchen refurb is not always necessary, and can prove very costly. It can be easy and cheap to make just a couple of subtle changes to change the whole complexion of the room.
Adding or swapping a glass hob splash back can cost as little as £603, whilst tiling a wall could be just what you need to reinvigorate your kitchen area. The cost depends on the type of tile and size of your kitchen, but the average kitchen tiling will set you back just £35 per square metre4.
3. New curtains and blinds – £50-£90
Old drapes in your window frames can make a room feel stale and dull, so replacing those with something more vibrant and colourful can really make a difference.
Providing you have had them installed previously, just replacing curtains or roll up blinds won’t cost as much as you think. Home interior retailers sell a range of good quality curtains for between £50-£905 that can totally transform the feel of a room.
4. Decluttering – free
A really simple way to improve the feel of your entire home is organising and decluttering from top to bottom. Excess belongings are commonplace in a lot of households and can often be forgotten for long periods, leading to even the most spacious properties feeling cramped and messy.
Taking the time to go through each room, organising items to keep and collecting ones you want to recycle or donate to charity, will free up storage space that you can then make good use of. And, of course, this will cost you virtually nothing and if donating unused items to charity it will help others and the environment too.
5. Sprucing up your front door – £80
Make sure you don’t forget about the exterior of your home, as improvements on the outside can really add value to your property.
Sanding down and re-painting your front door will help alleviate any looks of tiredness from the outside and will certainly add kerb appeal. Although this sounds like a big job, the average cost of the paint and tools required to take this project on are attainable at just £80
Vincent Reboul, Managing Director at Hitachi Capital Consumer Finance, said: “The start of the year is often a time of reflection, and this applies to our homes as well as our careers and personal lives. The lockdown means even more of us will be looking to take on home improvements in the coming months.
“Although a lot of DIY jobs can be quite large and costly projects, there are certainly tweaks and changes we can be making ourselves to have similar benefits without forking out huge sums of money.
“We hope this guide inspires homeowners looking to try their hand at a few upgrades to give their house a fresh feel for 2021.”
For more information on the home improvements you can make on a budget, visit:
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