Are Home Improvements as Recession Proof as Property Itself

Doing improvements to your home will without doubt increase its overall value. Even in times of recession, property and real estate is still the safest and most secure investment that anyone could make and even if house prices do fall somewhat , they are always guaranteed to rise again when a countries economy becomes stronger again, recession proof? No, but property has always recovered, so even during a recession you should still try to improve your home or at the very least maintain your home to high standard.

So what kinds of improvements are still being carried out by home owners across the United Kingdom?

There are many types of home improvements being carried out in the UK today, even during the current recession and property crash, but the most popular one’s at present are external home improvements such as replacement windows and doors, driveways, conservatories, loft conversions, extensions, cladding and guttering and even roof improvements such as roof coating, however, there has been a decline in internal home improvements such as fitted kitchens, fitted bedrooms, new bathrooms and general renewals such as furniture and carpets, which tells us that people are more concerned about increasing the value of their homes rather than renewing their surroundings and basic creature comforts.

What Improvement is going to add the most value to your home?

A loft conversion, Extension or a Conservatory is going to add the most value to your home, basically because you are adding an extra room or rooms and house prices jump dramatically when the number of rooms in your house increases, of these three choices the most cost effective and quickest is a conservatory, which, due to new and better manufacturing techniques, healthy competition and a high demand now cost less than ever and you can save even more money by opting for what many people are now choosing which are DIY Conservatories, these self build conservatories come flat-packed and can be put up by any proficient do-it-yourself enthusiast in a matter of hours.

What if I want to go for a less expensive option?

If you are on a budget you should choose the improvement that is going to have the most impact on a prospective buyer and yourself when viewing your home from outside, take a look at your home, are your windows looking a bit shabby? Is your driveway overgrown with weeds? Do you have panel fencing missing or rotten? If your budget doesn’t allow you to replace your tattered windows with new UPVc windows then you can just paint them for now. If you can’t afford imprinted concrete for your driveway then simply weed it and maintain it with weed killer and sealers. Fencing on the other hand is a totally different story, rotten and missing panel fencing can be a real eyesore and you should deal with it right way.

Many households wrongly choose budget fencing panels that are available from well known DIY chains, these budget panels are cheaply made and poorly fitting, the result is that they tend to rattle or even blow out in high winds and don’t stay looking good for very long, so if you really want to make an impression you should get in touch with a professional fencing manufacturer and have heavy duty, pre treated ( the wood is treated before assembly) vertical boarded fencing panels, the cost of these panels if purchased direct from a fencing manufacturer isn’t much more and the cost of a budget version from a DIY chain, they look better, fit better and last from many years.

In summary, there are many options available for improving and increasing the value of your home, property isn’t recession proof but is able to ride out a recession, home improvements done now will probably cost less than they would cost during a property boom so what are you waiting for?