Home Improvement Ideas to Increase the Value of your Home

Increasing the value of your home is not as difficult as most people think, there are a number of things that you can do on a reasonable budget that can add significant value to your home – which is great if you want to sell it, or even if you want to keep it.

I’ve outlined a few of the best home improvements you can make to your home to increase its value on the market. These tips range from small things such as redecorating, or painting, and others are quite big – for instance building extra rooms – but whatever your budget and your resources, you’ll find some improvement ideas here which you can take away and apply to your own home.

Adding space and light

Add More Space & Increase Light
Dark or cramped rooms are no good in the world of real estate, a little bit of light goes a long way. So if your house has small rooms with not much light, then you might consider knocking down some of those walls and creating an open-plan living type space. If your budget allows you could even add an extension on to your home by building outwards, or upwards.

Open-plan living usually involves combining the kitchen, dining and living areas in to one big space. If your house is small, combining these 3 rooms into one light and airy open plan living area can make it seem much larger and give it a more pleasant ambience.

If you don’t want to (or can’t) knock down walls or build an extension, then even widening your doorways will go a long way to making the space seem larger than it is.

Boosting kerb appeal

Make Your House Attention Grabbing
Your house has to look great from the outside – this is the first thing that any potential buyers will see when they come to inspect your house, and it’s the sight that will greet them every time they return home if they do buy the house. So, it has to look good. Use of plants and trees work well – be sure to drought-tolerant and easy to care for plants, you don’t want to end up with dead plants outside the front of your home as that will not have the desired effect. Make sure you choose colours and exterior details that match the period of your house.

Having a paved driveway or walkway is always something which adds value to a home, if you don’t already have a driveway then having one installed could help you to increase the value of your home.

Refreshing your home with paint

Paint those Walls
Painting is one of the cheapest ways to freshen up your home and improve its look. You can paint both the interior walls of your home and the exterior walls, as well the siding, trim and other elements like the decks and the sheds.

In the past neutral colours have always been favoured, but more recently people seem to be heading towards colour. Just avoid the super-bright colours such as hot pink, or neon green. One thing I would recommend is that if you’re not a very good painter, hire a professional. A professional painter is not expensive, and the difference in quality will be easily visible.

Give your Kitchen a Facelift
The kitchen is quite rightfully known as the heart of the home. You can add huge value to your home by remodelling your kitchen; upgrading the appliances, ensuring there is plenty of space, and that everything co-ordinates well with each other. Island counters are a great way to improve your kitchen if you have the space, they not only provide additional counter space but can also be used for a place to snack, read the paper, do homework, and many other things!

Hopefully these improvement ideas have given you a few pointers for increasing the value of your own home.

Summary

This article suggests home improvements that can add value on a reasonable budget, from opening up small rooms with more light and knocking through walls, to improving kerb appeal with plants, paths and a paved driveway. It also covers repainting inside and out, and remodelling the kitchen with better appliances and storage as ways to boost a home’s value.

Questions this article raises

• Which home improvement gives the best return on investment?
• How much does a professional exterior repaint typically cost?
• Is knocking down a wall for open-plan living always worth the cost?