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There have been quite a few stories in the news recently about how more and more of us in this generation and the one following us are finding it hard to buy a home.  It’s been predicted that quite a lot of generation X and millenials will end up renting into retirement.

One possible option for us renters to get on the housing ladder is to try and reduce costs by buying a fixer-upper property.

The thing is though, even that wouldn’t necessarily be cheap.  Data from the Office for National Statistics suggests that in the UK we spend about £30 billion each year on home improvements, which is just a huge amount of money.

So is it worth it?  Can you really add that much value to a property with home improvements, to make buying a home that needs work worth it?  This is a question that DM Design, a specialist designer of fitted and bespoke bedrooms, has been looking to answer.

The main thing they’ve been looking into is the different areas in the home that you can do up that could potentially increase the property’s value.

Fitting a new kitchen

In an interview with The Telegraph Phil Spencer, the property guru, stated:

 “If you are only going to improve one room, make it the kitchen. This has now become the showpiece area of the home. We don’t just cook in it, we do homework in it, we watch television in it and hold dinner parties there.”

The thing to remember though is to make sure to match the price bracket of the kitchen to that of the home in general.  See, you wouldn’t add that much value by fitting a £25,000 kitchen in a house worth £170,000.

If you can get the balance right though, Phil believes you can add about 4.6% to the value of a home by fitting a new kitchen.  This statement is backed up by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, who say that a brand new kitchen can up the property’s appeal and add about 4% to its overall value.

Fitting a new bathroom

After the kitchen, the bathroom is the next room that most people will think about updating in their home.  And it might be worth doing because, according to the Nationwide Building Society, adding either a new en-suite bathroom or creating a second bathroom can add around 5% to the overall value of a property.

Phil has some solid advice on this area too, suggesting that we should try and keep things simple when doing up a bathroom.  He says:

“You don’t need to do a lot with the room, it’s all about the features that you put in, such as a set of new taps, a heated chrome towel rail, a big new shower head, a power shower, and a glass screen or glass door instead of a shower curtain.”

Phil has worked out that putting in a new bathroom can increase your home’s value by 2.88%.

Converting a loft

The Nationwide Building Society says that adding a loft conversion to your home could potentially add up to 21% on to the value of the house, so this could definitely be worth considering.  In particular, house that were built before 1975 and those with a loft maximum headroom of 2.3 metres are just right for loft conversions.  And if you can make the space into a double bedroom then that would be perfect, because adding one can add more than 10% onto the house’s value.

One thing to keep in mind though is that you would need to get some professionals in to help with a loft conversion, because those kinds of projects have to meet building and fire regulations.

Converting a garage

If you don’t want to go down the loft conversion route but still want to add value to the property by adding another double bedroom, you could think about converting a garage.

Apparently 90% of the garages in the UK aren’t actually used for cars, so all that space could really be put to good use by converting it into another bedroom, or just extra living space for the home.

Adding a conservatory

If you don’t have a garage that you could convert, you could still add an extra room to the house by building a conservatory.

This is one area you don’t really want to scrimp on though.  You want to try and make the conservatory with glass rather than uPVC.  Mark Hayward from the National Association of Estate Agents told The Telegraph:

 “Conservatories will add value to a home, but they need to be made with quality materials and provide a lot of light in order for the value to be significant.”

If you make the effort to add a high quality conservatory it could add up to 5% to the value of the home, or as much as 11% if it’s part of a full-blown extension.

Improving the garden

If you do plan on adding a conservatory, just make sure it doesn’t end up taking away too much garden space because a home’s outdoor space can really help add to its value.

Think about making the garden accessible and adding double glass doors to whichever room opens out into the garden, so that it can be enjoyed more from inside the house too.  It might also be worth following Phil Spencer’s advice and putting some decking around the garden, as this can add 2% to the value of the property.

So, it does seem like, with a bit of planning and thought, it really might be worth looking at homes that need a bit of work and then adding value with some home improvements.

Disclaimer: this is a collaborative post.

We live in a relatively small house at the moment.  The children share a bedroom and we don’t have any kind of playroom to speak of.  They keep most of their toys in their bedroom but as a family we spend most of our time in the lounge.

What I would really love though is a separate family room.  A space that we could all spend time in away from the lounge.  I think if I were to build my dream house it would quite possibly have a conservatory or an orangery that we could use for the perfect family room.

The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that orangeries may well make the perfect family room.

Conservatories are lovely too, but I’ve never been a huge fan of spaces that are made up of so much glass.  You know the ultra modern homes you often see on Grand Designs that feature floor to ceiling windows everywhere, they’ve never been my cup of tea.

An orangery though would be just right for me.

There’s enough brickwork there so they feel more solid and part of the house, but they still have the large windows to let in lots of gorgeous natural light.  And there are so many benefits to having that much natural light flooding in.

Studies have shown that people who spend time in natural light are far more productive than those working in dark rooms or in artificial light.  So an orangery would be a great place for me to do my work and for the children to focus on their homework.

Spending time in natural light has also been found to help our production of dopamine which in turn helps to lower the risk of shortsightedness in children.

Sunlight is also incredibly important to our circadian rhythms, and exposure to it in the morning especially can help us to sleep better at night.  So I can just imagine us all eating breakfast together in our orangery with the sunlight flooding in (in the summer at least!).

We also need natural sunlight to help increase our levels of vitamins D and B.    This is especially important for our children as vitamin D helps with growth and development of bones and teeth.  It’s also important for a healthy immune system and can also boost our happiness too.

So a room in the house where we could all just chill out together while getting a dose of vitamin D would be wonderful! 

The addition of a slim roof lantern is a great way to let even more light into the room.  They also work to keep the room warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, so you can enjoy spending time there as a family all year round.

And if you’re like me and sometimes like a break from sunshine and rather like the rain, then just think how lovely it would be to curl up as a family and watch a film while listening to the rain pour down on the glass above you!

What do you think?  Would an orangery make the perfect family room for you?

Disclaimer: this is a collaborative post

One home trend that is becoming less of a fad and more of a way of life is outdoor living.

People are investing more money into their gardens and are, naturally, wanting to spend more time enjoying it.

Research has shown that 39% of people in Britain have changed the way that they use their gardens in recent years. For example, 35% of those asked said that they had changed their garden into a relaxation area and 11% had made changes in order to create extra living space.

So, what garden trends are current and how can you make your back yard a pleasant place to wind down?

Which furniture to buy?

Investing in the right outdoor furniture can really transform your garden. Sales of garden furniture, barbecues and accessories are expected to grow by 3-4% annually up to 2021 — what are you waiting for?

As we’re spending more time in the garden, it means that it must be suitable for us to eat out there too. No more sitting on plastic chairs with paper plates, get with the times and make your garden suitable for dining alfresco. Why not create a sunken fire pit in your garden, surrounded by some cosy seats? With a comforting source of heat in your back garden, it’s likely that you’ll find yourself outdoors more than you would have thought. Or, if you have the space, invest in a durable table and chair set.

The number of barbecues that we have as a nation is rising year-on-year. In fact, between 2006 and 2016, the average number of barbecues held per family each summer rose from 2.5 to 10 — demonstrating our growing love for outdoor dining. Of course, you can go as premium or as basic as you like here, depending on the size and features that you’re after. More people are making purchases of verandas now too, allowing them to spend time outdoors despite what the weather is doing!

We need to be making the most of the space that we have. Although, space efficiency is important, as gardens aren’t as large as they used to be. One way to be space efficient is with a shed. The Posh Shed Company saw a massive 300% increase in sales of its Chelsea shed in 2017. This type of shed is all about space-saving and has features such as built-in shelving on the outside so that internal space isn’t compromised. You can store your outdoor furniture in here when you’re not entertaining and keep everything nice and tidy.

Which plants to buy?

Garden plants are a great way to make a garden look more aesthetically pleasing. What better way to brighten up your green space?

One type of plant that is easy to maintain and suitable for brightening borders is the shrub. You can use shrubbery to line the pathways of your garden and the lawn edge, filling in a space that might’ve been left bare. Choose shrubs that look nice in every season so that your garden looks its best all year round. When planting shrubs, remember to plant them at least half the width of the shrub apart from other shrubs and boundaries as they can grow outwards.

Why not start growing your own produce? This is set to be a big trend in 2018 due to rising food prices and a new love for organic food. When cooking for your guests, you can head to the bottom of the garden to gather some fresh herbs and vegetables to go with their meal.

A combination of the right furniture and plants can get your garden ready for outdoor living in no time. Spending more time in the garden is guaranteed to lift your mood and stop you getting cabin fever, especially in those colder months.

Disclaimer: this is a collaborative post