Homeowners wishing to spruce up their properties this spring can look to these top tips from home improvement experts to give homes a refresh in time for the new season. From improving natural light levels and energy efficiency, to transforming a room with a bold statement wall, the specialists at Stormclad have compiled a list of their top five tips for homeowners to consider when looking to improve and spruce up their homes this spring. As many of us are spending more time indoors, working from home, educating our children and looking after loved ones – it’s important to consider how a property complements or inhibits new living habits and routines, and ways in which you can upgrade your property to suit lifestyle changes. John Evans, managing director of Stormclad, said: “As spring is just around the corner, it’s a great time to give your home a mini makeover, refreshing it with upgrades that are not only going to improve your living space, but also add value to your property. “We’ve compiled this list of ideas to consider for improving your home ready for the new season, many of which are simple and easy to do and will provide you with lasting results. The comfort, space and quality of our homes have become even more important since lockdown, so whether you’re looking for a productive home working space or somewhere to relax away from the rest of the house, these tips can help you enjoy your home as the days grow longer and summer approaches. “With everyone spending more and more time in the comfort of their own homes during lockdown, now is the ideal time to make new and valuable home improvements.” Here is the list of five top tips to spruce up your home for spring: 1. Home office space If you are working from home, it is worthwhile creating an environment that will inspire productivity. Whether you have dedicated an entire room as an office or have a nook to yourself in one of the main living areas of the house, it is important to make it uniquely yours so that you’re always in the right frame of mind for a day’s work. Consider adopting a minimalist style for your home office space, as clutter can often become distracting and leave you wishing you were somewhere else. Desk plants and flowers will offer a burst of greenery, livening up the space as well as improving the air quality around you. Adding some of your favourite artwork to the walls will inject some personality and colour into the space, brightening it up and making it your own. 2. Conservatory refurbishment Conservatories offer valuable extra space to homes that, if properly maintained, can be used all year round. If your conservatory is suffering from lack of upkeep, is struggling with temperature control or has a damp or leaking rook, it may be in need of refurbishment. Refurbishment is a great way to utilise some of the old components or rebuild a new structure on your old conservatory’s base to provide a refreshed space.   Consider transforming an under-utilised conservatory into an entirely new room – such as a home office or somewhere to enjoy a hobby you have chosen to start in the new year. 3.  New doors Investing in new external or internal doors can completely transform the look and feel of a home – providing a modern and contemporary upgrade that is both practical and aesthetically pleasing. New patio, bi-fold or sliding doors that lead out to a garden or courtyard will help to bring the outdoors in, connecting you with nature, and allowing natural light to flood into your home. A new front door will make a huge difference to the exterior of your property, making a modern statement and improving your home’s security, insulation and energy efficiency, that could save money on energy bills over time. 4. New windows Although often overlooked as one of the obvious home improvements – installing new windows in your home can make an instant impact on a number of fronts. From increasing the amount of natural light that comes into your home, to drastically improving insulation, outside noise levels and home security – new windows are a fantastic investment that will last for years to come, adding quality and value. 5.  Add a splash of colour For a quick and easy home improvement that really makes a splash, consider painting a statement wall in the living room or bedroom. Simply choose one wall to paint with a bold colour – such as a deep blue or warm mustard yellow – the braver you are with your colour choice, the bigger the impact! You can be extra creative with it too, by selecting an alcove or fireplace wall, so that the colour really stands out and becomes the main feature of the room.

If you are also worried about getting your home ready for sale, you aren’t alone. With the right tips, you can successfully turn your house into one that attracts potential buyers. All sellers want to make a big profit by selling their homes quickly. However, that requires effort along with good luck. You need to carefully plan and discuss with your agent how you can professionally prepare the house that will convince buyers to pay you a large amount of money.  Here are some tips that will instantly make your house shine 1. Buy light bulbs and keep all of them on: Go ahead and buy as many light bulbs as you can. When a potential buyer visits your house, turn on all the lights and lamps. No one would find a dull property attractive. The house should seem bright and lit up.  2. Get your house deep cleaned by professionals: First impressions are often the last ones. Don’t let the dirty floors, dusty surfaces, or foul smell hurt the potential buyer and make them change their mind. Before you list your house and start the selling process, give your place a deep clean. You should contact a professional cleaning service provider so that they can make sure your home is in pristine condition. They will clean the toilets, wipe all the surfaces clean, mop the floors, clean all the rugs and scrub the bathrooms.  3. Declutter the house: To make your house appealing to buyers, you must declutter and organize your space. That will go a long way in making your house attractive. When your house would be free of clutter, buyers will only focus on the home instead of the junk and the overflowing cabinets/closets. Keep all your belongings in place and make sure there is minimal furniture in the house. Less is always more.  4. Contact a handyman: Having a handyman on speed dial is an essential thing in selling any house. It’s your responsibility to make sure that all damaged items get fixed. That includes leaky faucets, locker running toilets, hardware, broken appliances, chipped tiles, stained carpets, cracked windows, cracks in the walls, scuffed paintwork, and squeaky floors. Once you have fixed all the damaged things in your house, start the selling process. If you don’t do this, potential buyers will assume that your home is not well-maintained. The biggest turn-off for most buyers is wear and tear. They will get an alert that this house requires work. They will not buy the house, or they’ll ask you to reduce the amount of money you are asking for the property.  You can take advice from your agent about which areas in the house you need to overhaul before inviting potential buyers. You need to make sure that you are not overcapitalizing, but the house is still looking appealing.  5. Paint the walls: Before you list your house, it’s time to coat the walls with fresh paint. If you already have bright colored pigments on your walls like orange and green, coat with neutral colors. Try to stick to light Gray’s, whites, and light beige wall colors. These shades will help to make your house look brighter, bigger, and welcoming. If you repaint your home, the fresh coat will cover all the imperfections of the walls. Potential buyers will be more interested in buying a house that has clean walls.  6. Style your house: To give an instant facelift to your property, style it. That can provide a fresh look to your house and make it more appealing to potential buyers. You can either hire a stylist or order some new accessories and furniture and do it yourself.  7. Take professional photos: When you list your house on social media, opt for professional photography. The first impression of your property will be on the internet, so you must take out time to get some high-quality and aesthetic photos of your house.  8. Organize your closet space: All buyers need storage space for their belongings. Remove half of your things from the closets and transfer them to a storage unit. After that, organize the remaining items neatly. That way, highlight the storage space in your house. 

Home refurbishment projects can take many forms depending on what you’re striving to achieve. If you’re about to begin your home refurbishment project and you want to prepare properly, it’s important to consider the finances. Contrary to what you might believe, it is possible to get it done on a budget in most cases. We’re going to take a closer look today at what you can do to refurbish your home on a budget, saving money wherever possible along the way. It’s not going to be easy and, of course, the challenges of each project are unique. But you’ll want to make the most of the advice we’re about to discuss. Identify Your Renovation Goals First of all, you should take steps to define precisely what it is you’re trying to achieve with all of this. What do you want to do with the home? Are you focused on preserving and restoring period features? Or do you want to modernise the property and make it more functional in the present day? Different projects will have different goals and aims, and it’s up to you to be clear about those intentions before you begin. That way, you’ll waste less money later finding what it is that you want to achieve while on the job. Get Multiple Quotes and Set Budgets Getting multiple quotes from contractors and people you want to work with to carry out specific tasks as part of your refurbishment work. Getting multiple quotes from as many different sources as possible will make it much easier for you to find value and save money as you hire people. As you do this, you should also set budgets and make sure that you don’t let your spending get too far out of your control if you want to complete this work on a budget. Make Do and Mend Where Possible There are some situations in which you might be able to save money by renovating an item or an aspect of the home. Rather than replacing everything, which is usually far more costly, it often makes much more sense to fix what you can and make do with items that can be repaired. After all, that’s in keeping with the spirit of refurbishment. You’re upgrading the home rather than ripping everything out and starting over from scratch. Keep that in mind when you’re planning your approach. Image Source – CC0 License Employ the Right Professionals Employing the right professionals to help you with your refurbishment project will be very important. Of course, it would be cheaper to go it alone and complete all the work alone, but that’s usually not very realistic. If you want to get the work done efficiently and well, working with solid professionals is often necessary. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done on a budget. It’s about prioritizing the type of hires you make and only hiring people to complete tasks you can’t complete alone. Be Your Own Project Manager One way in which you should be able to save money on this whole project is to play the role of the project manager yourself. After all, this is your property and you know what you want for it in terms of the refurbishment aims, as we’ve already discussed above. Rather than hiring a project manager and spending even more money on that, you should consider overseeing things yourself. It gives you more control and helps you save some money; that’s always a bonus. DIY When You Can When there are tasks that you can complete alone and get done using your own skills and abilities, that should certainly be your aim and priority. You’ll save yourself a lot of money by taking a do it yourself approach. Roll up your sleeves and don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty when it comes to refurbishing the property. This will  give you a greater sense of satisfaction upon completing the project too. You’re capable of more than you realize. Image Source – CC0 License Live on Site if You Can A lot of people end up wasting a lot of money on their refurbishment projects by moving out of the home while the work is being done. The cost of renting another home or staying at a hotel can be pretty large. And that’s an expense that doesn’t need to be there in many instances. Nevertheless, there are some occasions when the work required makes living in the home at the same time impossible. But the time away from the home should be kept to a minimum if possible. Find Online Voucher Discount Codes There are so many ways in which you can save money on the things you need to buy in order to complete your refurbishment work. Places like NetVoucherCodes.co.uk offer discount codes, and you should be making the most of these. Even small discounts on relatively low cost items are worthwhile. When you save small amounts of money along the way, those savings will begin to compound and add up over time. When buying things in bulk, don’t be afraid to negotiate discounts and save money that way. Choose the Building Materials Carefully Finally, you should think about any building materials you use. If you need to install new walls or other features, the building materials will make up a significant chunk of the cost. By choosing more affordable building materials you’ll be able to ensure the costs of these kinds of renovations don’t spiral out of your control. That’s something that can happen very easily if you’re not careful, but it’s something that you’ll want to avoid. So choose your building materials very carefully. Taking on a big home refurbishment project is always tough. And the challenges you face will morph and change along the way. But by the time the project comes to a completion, you’ll feel very rewarded by the whole experience and maybe even turn a sizable profit if the objective is to sell it on.

Loft conversions are one of the greatest ways to add floor space and value to your home without spending the earth and more importantly, without sacrificing precious outdoor space. In London especially, where space is undoubtedly limited, they’re fast becoming one of the most popular methods of home improvement. If you’re thinking of adding a loft conversion to your home, then keep reading. Loft Conversions – What You Need To Know Below we’ve compiled a basic guide to loft conversions in 2021. Here we list the different types of loft conversions available as well as providing more information on planning permission and other aspects. Let’s get started… Getting Started There are several types of loft conversions available. Some are simple, others are more complex. To decide on the best type of loft conversion for your home, it’s a good idea to get to grips with the structure of your roof as well as the type of floor and insulation you currently have. To do this, we recommend contacting either an architect or a company that will handle the entire process. Clapham Construction Service in London will begin with a free consultation that will encompass them checking out your loft and telling you what type of loft conversion will and won’t work. Costs Costs will always depend on the work you’re having done, from the style of the loft conversion itself to the amount of construction work involved. Generally speaking, you’re looking at anywhere from £12,000 for a simple Velux or Rooflight Loft Conversion, all the way through to £50,000 and more for a more in-depth loft conversion such as a Dormer or Mansard. During your initial consultation with a building company, you should be able to get a rough idea of cost. Planning Permissions While some loft conversions require planning permissions, others do not. It’s worth noting however that loft conversions that don’t require planning permission will be required to stick to a certain number of restrictions in terms of look, size and shape. Regardless of whether your loft requires planning permission however, it’s worth noting that all will require building regulations approval. Yet again, this is something a qualified expert can advise you on. With regards to gaining planning permission, this will need to be gained through your local authorities planning portal, which can be done via yourself through the ‘Planning Portal’ or if you’d prefer it taken care of, through the company you choose to work with. Clapham Construction Service will take everything off of your hands. From the drawings to planning permission, building regulations and the construction itself, so you can sit back and relax. Types Of Loft Conversions There are a number of different style loft conversions available, from roof light or Velux style loft conversions that simply require roof lights being installed with the existing space in the loft being utilised as it is to Dormer loft conversions that can add more space to your current loft either at the front, rear or side of your house. There are also loft conversions available in a Hip-To-Gable style that allows you to extend over one side of your sloping roof. These are particularly popular as they can provide a much more spacious loft conversion than other options. Contact The Experts If you’d like help and guidance from the experts, we recommend contacting Clapham Construction Service, London’s leading specialists in loft conversions. With their team behind you, you can rest assured you’ll be in safe hands every step of the way, resulting in a high quality loft conversion that not only looks great but serves you well, providing that much needed additional space in your home. Contact Clapham Construction Service today on 0203 950 7957.

Are you looking to revamp your home and thinking about making it one big DIY project? Are you worried that you may not be able to get everything done to your liking and standard? The prospect of renovating your home can be new, fun, and exciting, especially if it’s something you have never done before or if your house is starting to look a little bit outdated and needing to be spruced up a bit. While some of the projects in a home renovation are easy enough to do yourself, others projects may be far beyond your skills. It is important that you don’t just take it upon yourself to do these, but rather inquire the help of a skilled and well-practiced handyman. If you’re looking for a great handyman in Wimbledon, BBOJ is known to have some of the best. If you are still unsure about whether it’s the right decision or not, here are a few reasons why you should be using a handyman for your next home renovation. Can save you money Sure, some projects may be simple enough to do by yourself, like hanging up picture or maybe even replacing cupboard doors. You might think that some of the bigger tasks are going to be quite easy too, like tiling, painting, or ceiling work. Quite the opposite, however, as they can tend to be quite difficult and tedious tasks to complete. Making a mistake when it comes to home renovations is nothing new, and this is exactly why handymen are around. They are skilled in their profession and will, most of the time, actually save you more money than doing it by yourself. Most handymen can get products at a business rate which you would not be able to get, and not to mention, if you make a mistake or mess something up, you will probably end up spending more money than you would on a handyman, just trying to fix your mistake. Tools and experience When renovating your house, there will be several different kinds of projects to work on. This means that you will also need all the tools available to you in order to finish all of these projects. But are you familiar with all of these tools? Most handymen will already have access to these them along with the knowledge on how to use them efficiently and correctly. On top of this, handymen typically have a lot of experience from other previous jobs and will be able to guide you in the right direction as to whether your idea is a good one or a bad one. They can even give you tips on what you should be doing on seemingly daunting tasks, to gauge whether a project is even possible. Can assist with many things A handyman can typically do at least 5 to 6 different kinds of jobs around the house and are not normally restricted to one kind of thigns like plumbing, electrical work, or even flooring. This means they that have a lot of experience from previous jobs in various different fields and have both technical knowledge along with practical skill. They are the jack of all trades! Normal home renovations mostly include, repairing ceiling and roofs, changing the flooring such as tiles or carpeting, safety in and around the house, all the electrical work, drain repairs, plumbing installation and fixing, and even just remodelling to name a few. Most handymen will be able to do at least a few of these each. Additionally, when large amounts of debris or waste are involved in these projects, services like montgomery dumpster rental can assist with efficient waste management, making the cleanup process easier for homeowners. Most handymen will be able to do at least a few of these tasks each. Licensed Being a handyman may seem like a simple and easy job but what most people see is that majority of handymen need to have some kind of certification and licence to be allowed to work on other people’s houses and property. This is typically with people working on the electrical work in your house and is purely for your safety as well as their own. On top of that, certain project also require licenses, like if you are adding an extension to your house or building higher. Normally you would have to get this license yourself but a good handyman would be able to sort it out for you for a price. Don’t be a hero and try to do everything yourself, it might just be worth it in the end to get someone to help you.

Buying a fixer-upper can be extremely tempting since it outlays the perfect opportunity to purchase a house at a much more discounted price than that of a brand-new home. . The opportunity presents itself after the purchase, since you can improve the property and sell at a higher profit once you’ve done the house up, another factor adding to its appeal. However, this easier said than done, and there are many factors worth considering before diving  headfirst into a fixer-upper project. Ultimately you want to ensure that you are getting your time and money’s worth when making this purchase. Outlined below you will find a few useful tips that will lead you in the right direction. Research the market One other factor to take into consideration when choosing whether to purchase a fixer-upper is the market in that specific area is to research the market. What is meant by this? Let’s say you are looking for an incredible deal for a fixer-upper in a particular area of Australia. You should do some research into the current and future buying potential/interest for that given area before jumping to make any payments. This is where a good real estate agent would really come in handy, and https://www.top10realestateagent.com.au/ recommends some of the best if you’re in Australia. A real estate agent will be able to tell you if the price value of houses in that area will decrease soon, which let you know whether it’s worth making this purchase. On the other hand, if looking to buy a fixer-upper home in an upmarket residential area, chances are you can probably raise your selling price based on the other luxury homes around you. You can use this information to make your price more affordable in comparison to some of the other brand-new properties for sale. Bargain! Cosmetic improvements Essentially your ideal fixer-upper house would be one that only requires cosmetic improvements, not any drastic foundational ones. These pertain to any interior and exterior damages that require an easy, affordable, fix such as broken windows, peeling paint, patchy walls, faulty door hinges, or missing floor tiles. Such problems can easily be improved with a flick of paint, or with floor replenishes for example. When looking out for cosmetic improvements that need to be done, it’s imperative to know that these don’t include the expensive core/foundational fixes such as replacing a new roof, water systems, electrical rewiring, etc. Taking on the work of replacing such damage is extremely costly, and thus probably isn’t worth the investment. It’s important to be aware of the different rooms in a house that are the most worthwhile to fix, for example, the kitchen. This is often one of the most used spaces in a home, so do check out for things such as easy to replace cupboards and handles, kitchen location, etc. Bathrooms are another particular room that add or decrease value, so make sure to give them a thorough inspection too. The location Ever heard the expression: location is everything? When purchasing a fixer-upper, the purpose of fixing up the home is to resell it at a better/higher value in the future. Location plays a pivotal factor in deciding where to purchase any home for that matter and there are various elements that you should consider when thinking about location, especially when it comes time to sell. Is the house close to schools and supermarkets? Is it conveniently placed within the CBD? Are there effective transport systems close by? Realistically, location not only affects the price value but also the likelihood of your fixer-upper house being bought. Calculate the cost Following on from the previous tip, even if it is simply cosmetic improvements that are necessary when purchasing a fixer-upper and no work is needed to the foundation of the house, the total cost of these improvements should still be calculated as accurately as possible. This allows you to gain a rough estimate of how much needs to be spent in total, and if the purchase is then worthwhile or not. Essentially a fixer-upper will always cost less to purchase than that of a home in perfect selling condition, but it’s still beneficial to gain an idea of just how much extra you will be spending. After purchasing the initial property, you now have to make the fixes and renovations to the house, and according to the Housing Industry Association (HIA), on average buyers end up spending between $40,000 and $200,000 (Australian) on these changes.