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Adding Value to your Home

Extensions and Improvements

You will not generally recover the full cost of extensions and improvements. The proportion of the original cost that is recovered will depend upon the nature of the improvement, for example:

High cost recovery (up to 100%)

• Addition of extra bedroom in a style that is in keeping with the original property.
• Addition of central heating.
• Redecoration in a neutral style.
• Addition of a garage.

Medium cost recovery (up to 50%)

• Addition of ground-floor flat-roofed extension.
• Addition of conservatory.
• Fitted kitchen.
• Modernisation of bathroom.
• Loft conversion.

Low cost recovery (less than 25%)

• Addition of outdoor swimming pool.
• Addition of ground-floor bathroom.
• Double glazing.
• Cavity wall insulation.

Negative improvements

Some improvements can substantially reduce the value of the property, for example:

• Extensions that occupy the entire garden.
• Stone cladding.
• Double glazing on period property.
• Removal of period features (fireplaces, decorative plasterwork, etc.)

Repairs

As with improvements, you are unlikely to recover the full cost of repairs that have been made to a property. Most buyers underestimate the cost of repairs and some are prepared to pay a premium for a house in poor condition in order to have the satisfaction of refurbishing it in their own taste.