There’s nothing like living by the sea! Westcliff-on-sea sits on the north bank of the Thames estuary, and its close proximity to London makes it a perfect place for commuters with families to put down roots. It’s always a pleasure to head out to this part of Essex for a job to get a taste of the sea air.
The brief
We could spot the issue here as soon as we arrived at the property! Our client at Westcliff had an old lean-to at the side of their house that was in terrible shape, leaky and shabby. It was also an impractical place for the house’s creaking old boiler to be housed. The clients wanted to do away with the entire thing, and use the space that was created to make a new open-plan kitchen space where they could entertain friends and family.
Sounds like a plan to us! Time to get to work.
The job
First things first — the old lean-to needed to go! Thankfully this was quickly accomplished, leaving us free to get on with constructing a new single-storey side extension. We then knocked through the walls to make the open-plan kitchen and dining space our clients were dreaming of, and what’s more we added some aluminium bi-folding doors that could be opened fully for when the sun was out. This meant the space was even more open and airy — perfect for entertaining and al fresco dining.
The result
With the leaky old lean-to gone and the new open space put in, the clients’ home had been transformed into a beautiful place to live, entertain and enjoy that seaside air in the sun.
How can you add value to your home most efficiently? Here are our cost-effective suggestions
1.Exterior
This should be your first port of call when looking to add value to your home. Assess the exterior – the first thing a prospective buyer lays their eyes on when viewing your home — and look for ways you can improve. The windows, the roof, the front door, everything. These are things that you can spend relatively little on replacing or improving and as a result add a huge amount of value to your house. This isn’t just a sensible investment; it’s an essential one.
2. Garden
Don’t neglect your garden as well as your house, especially if you have a front garden that your prospective buyers will be walking through before they even cross the front threshold. You don’t need to over-complicate matters, but investing time and a little cash into making your garden well-groomed and stylish can pay dividends to your home’s value.
3.Floors
It doesn’t need to be about extending or adding bits on. Replacing your musty carpets or faded linoleum with beautiful, polished hardwood can be one of the most cost-effective ways to transform your house and make it feel so much more high-end and glamorous. The work is minimal, and the returns can be amazing. What more could you ask for?
4. Conservatory
A conservatory not only adds extra room to your house, it can also create a beautiful summery space to spend time and make a difference to how your house looks from the outside. Conservatories have a reputation for reliable return on investment — if you want a safe bet, this is a great place to start.
5. Loft
In many houses lofts are simply dead space — be honest, could yours be used more effectively? If so, it’s time to throw away those mouldering cardboard boxes and make your loft space into something that’s working for you. A new games room? A cosy, tucked away bedroom? It can even stay as a room for storage if you have too much stuff to get rid of, but you can still make it into an attractive space that’s adding value to your home, not taking it away. As a nice extra bonus, if you don’t extend the roof, you’re guaranteed not to need planning permission.
6.Kitchen
Studies have shown that one of the first rooms prospective buyers of a house pay attention to is the kitchen, wanting it to be just how they like it. So if you can make yours fully fitted and ready for prospective buyers who don’t want the hassle of making theirs from scratch, you can really bump up the value of your property. Here is where it’s especially important to invest properly — put the money in, and you and your buyers will be thrilled with the results.
7.Extension
And finally, if there’s one surefire way of making your home start earning more for you, it’s by extending your property. Relaxed planning regulations from 2016 mean it’s never been easier to start an ambitious extension project; if you want you can even expand over multiple floors, whether you want to expand your existing rooms or add brand new ones. Nervous? There’s no need to be — check out our blog on the 12 Myths About Property Extensions to put your fears to rest.
It’s always a treat to visit the parish of Laindon, a truly ancient village that can be traced back to the thirteenth century! These days it’s a peaceful but thriving community, where many happy families have made their homes, and are keen to make them better. That’s where we come in!
The brief:
Our clients in Laindon quite simply wanted more space! Their house was at capacity, and they needed not only bigger bedrooms for the kids but also a larger living space where they could spend quality time together once the little ones were tucked up in bed. Having the right amount of space is key to a harmonious family life, and we were only too happy to accommodate in making this family’s dream a reality.
The job:
No one has ever accused us of doing things by halves, and from the start we could see that this job would require some major overhauling of the house. Indeed, a whole new room! We constructed a rear dormer loft conversion to house the brand new master bedroom for Mum and Dad, a peaceful space for them to relax and get a good night’s rest in peace. Doing this meant that the original master bedroom was freed up, and this is turn was available for one of the kids to move into — privacy gets all the more important as they grow up, as any parent will tell you.
Hey, presto! We’d transformed their three-bedroom property into a four-bed, thus bumping up its value on the market. We weren’t done yet though — next on the agenda was a rear extension downstairs, with bi-fold doors that opened fully and gave a lovely sense of space and opened up the living space for the family to enjoy.
The result:
The family were thrilled with the result of the work — a lovely, big open-plan kitchen and dining area that made for a great family space to spend time in. This also freed up the living room for cosy evenings on the sofa together, both for the kids and the parents.
After a client got in touch, we headed to Hockley. A picturesque little Essex village, it’s always a pleasure to visit.
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The brief
For this job, we had two main challenges. First, the customer wanted more living space to relax and spend their evenings in, whether that was watching TV as a family or entertaining when friends came over. The current living room was simply too small for their purposes.
Second, the family had previously converted their garage, and this meant they needed somewhere new to park their cars. It needed space for multiple vehicles, to be accessible of course, and if it could fit in a little extra storage space then that certainly would be no bad thing.
The job
First order of business: the living room. The family needed a more open, accommodating space to watch TV, relax and spend time together. We extended the room to create more space, and made sure to include a large window to let in plenty of natural light. The result was a pleasant, open-feeling space that the family would enjoy spending time in.
The car space was a larger task. With the original garage out of action, we built a brand new double garage from scratch, providing ample space where the family could park their cars. Of course, a garage is no good if you can’t get to it, so we had to extend the driveway to ensure the garage was accessible. An extra challenge was present in the form of a great oak tree, a venerable specimen with a preservation order around it. We couldn’t disturb the old man (nor would we want to!), so we protected him throughout the build, and constructed the entrance to fit around him.
The result
Success! The customers were happy — a great new living space for the family to enjoy, as well as a spacious double garage where they could keep not only their cars but also a few odds and ends that would make their house feel less cluttered. And all this done without disturbing the historic old oak that gave their property so much character. Mission accomplished — time to move on to the next job.
