Homeowners are spoilt for choice when it comes to upgrades. You might already have come up with a long list of changes you’d like to make, especially if you’ve made an investment in a fixer-upper. But your time and money might be finite, which means that you’ll want to prioritise certain upgrades at the expense of others.
Ideally, you’ll want to make the more important money-saving improvements first. That way, they’ll be able to pay for themselves more quickly. What’s more, certain upgrades will necessarily need to happen before others. You don’t want to lay new carpet down and then create a lot of plaster-dust during a rewire. Your personal taste and circumstances will also count for a little bit when you come to decide your priorities.
Heating Upgrades
If you know that you need a new boiler, or you’re thinking about replacing an old one-pipe heating system with a two-pipe one, then you might elect to do so before you carry out any cosmetic works. If you have pipes running beneath a concrete floor, then you might spring a leak in future which will be difficult to fix; biting the bullet early on will make life much easier. Besides this, another upgrade that goes together with heating is the energy efficiency in the whole house. Appliances that are making your electricity bill bigger are the ones to blame for. Be smart and replace them with their efficient versions.
The Loft
You might think of the loft as an out-of-the-way space that no-one’s really going to look at: but if you don’t have it available as a storage space, you’ll find that all of your clutter intrudes elsewhere in the home. Get floorboards down up there, and start using the space. You might also refresh the insulation while you’re at it! A loft that’s ready to go can help you to sell the home – especially if you go further and opt for a full conversion.
Painting
There’s no reason to live with rooms that you don’t much like the look of; a new pot of paint is inexpensive, and it can yield substantial increases in the value of your home. If you’re looking to ultimately sell the home and move on, then stick to safe, neutral colours, like off-white and magnolia. Recent research has found that slate and brown tend not to sell as well, but if you personally like those colours, this might not matter that much to you.
Flooring
Your choice of flooring can make a major difference to quality of life. Whether it’s a fluffy new carpet or a gorgeous hardwood, or epoxy flooring, what’s underfoot really matters – once you’re reasonably sure you won’t need to take up the floor. When choosing the floor material, always go for carpet instead of wooden. Those scratches made from your furniture or broken glass can be visible, not to mention that wood is more expensive to replace compared to carpets. After all, you can have many design carpet options to choose from, not leaving your feet feeling discomfort.
Revamp the Kitchen
The kitchen is a focal point for would-be buyers; it’s a functional and social hub for the entire property. Investing in appliances that are appropriate for the value of the property is something you should keep in mind. You will avoid returns because of its bad quality and leads you to buy new, which is not a good idea when you calculate the amount of money spent on small home appliances but still very much needed. You will immediately switch to a high-end cooker and save time and money.
