How DIY Work Can Improve the Look and Value of Your Property and Why Safety is So Important
In our current harsh economic times, many people are turning shy of selling in the property market - leaving potential buyers without potential homes to buy. Therefore, many of these potential buyers are turning their interests to using their previously redundant DIY skills to improve and renovate their current homes; A simple 'lick of paint' can easily (to use a clich) "make a house, a home". Not only are these proactive DIY-ers improving the aesthetics of their homes, but they are also maximizing their home's value for when they do eventually sell when the market picks up again.
Many 'weekend projects' can satisfy this lust for decorative desire; whether it's painting the spare room, creating something marvelously creative from a sheet of MDF or even just a assembling a flat-pack wardrobe bought from the nearest department store. Progressing from those small beginnings, the larger projects are the one that change a house's value. In fact, According to a recent article published in the UK newspaper 'The Independent', serious value can be added from the introduction of a conservatory. It stated: "A ten per cent increase in round floor space adds an average of five per cent to value or seven per cent if the home is detached." So, If your house is currently worth around 200,000 (approx. $325,000) - the addition of a conservatory could mean that your house is worth as much as 30,000 ($48,000) extra than without. An excellent return when considering that on average, conservatories cost around 5,000 ($8,000) when bought from a specialist building company. Other projects could include adding double glazing to your property if it doesn't already have it; Double glazed windows can improve your home's security and decrease heating bills. Alternatively, adding an extension to your property can offer benefits of both increased living space and property value.
Whilst all these home improvements entice excitement among any homeowner, it's important to remember some of the practicalities of these projects. Many people can often find themselves over-budget and left with an unsightly DIY disaster that they cannot afford to remove or carry on with. Therefore, it's always a good idea before a major project to have a clear path to follow set out by clear schedules and designs. Such planning offers the ability to 'take check' of a project and make sure that dates are being adhered to.
Health and safety should always be a forefront issue to be remembered whilst planning a project; According to figures released by RoSPA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) in 2005, accidents from tools and machinery caused 87,000 people to be injured out of the 220,000 people whom took part in home improvement themselves. Such high numbers means that caution MUST be taken. When taking on projects, it's always important to remember your own DIY skills, and limitations of those skills; You should never 'bite off more than you can chew' remembering that sometimes, jobs need to be left to professionals. One key example of this need to outsource work to local experts, is when you may need access to high areas of your property. From the aforementioned 2005 RoSPA statistics, Ladder accidents send 41,000 people to hospital annually, often resulting in some of the most serious injuries and even death when people fall from high heights - Such a lingering thought makes one wonder the true value of some of the more 'risky' DIY projects.
A much safer way to access such a high places is to enlist the services of a cherry picker - similar to the vehicles that engineers from telephone companies use to access telegraph poles. Cherry pickers allow access to heights as high as 10 meters (much more than conventional ladders) and offer a safe platform in which to carry out work and rest tools upon.
So it's important to remember that a DIY project can bring exponential value to your property and improve your quality of life whilst living in there. Despite these impressive points, it's also important to remember that caution must be followed whilst carrying out DIY projects and care must be ensured whilst dealing with any potentially dangerous situations or pieces of equipment.
Many 'weekend projects' can satisfy this lust for decorative desire; whether it's painting the spare room, creating something marvelously creative from a sheet of MDF or even just a assembling a flat-pack wardrobe bought from the nearest department store. Progressing from those small beginnings, the larger projects are the one that change a house's value. In fact, According to a recent article published in the UK newspaper 'The Independent', serious value can be added from the introduction of a conservatory. It stated: "A ten per cent increase in round floor space adds an average of five per cent to value or seven per cent if the home is detached." So, If your house is currently worth around 200,000 (approx. $325,000) - the addition of a conservatory could mean that your house is worth as much as 30,000 ($48,000) extra than without. An excellent return when considering that on average, conservatories cost around 5,000 ($8,000) when bought from a specialist building company. Other projects could include adding double glazing to your property if it doesn't already have it; Double glazed windows can improve your home's security and decrease heating bills. Alternatively, adding an extension to your property can offer benefits of both increased living space and property value.
Whilst all these home improvements entice excitement among any homeowner, it's important to remember some of the practicalities of these projects. Many people can often find themselves over-budget and left with an unsightly DIY disaster that they cannot afford to remove or carry on with. Therefore, it's always a good idea before a major project to have a clear path to follow set out by clear schedules and designs. Such planning offers the ability to 'take check' of a project and make sure that dates are being adhered to.
Health and safety should always be a forefront issue to be remembered whilst planning a project; According to figures released by RoSPA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) in 2005, accidents from tools and machinery caused 87,000 people to be injured out of the 220,000 people whom took part in home improvement themselves. Such high numbers means that caution MUST be taken. When taking on projects, it's always important to remember your own DIY skills, and limitations of those skills; You should never 'bite off more than you can chew' remembering that sometimes, jobs need to be left to professionals. One key example of this need to outsource work to local experts, is when you may need access to high areas of your property. From the aforementioned 2005 RoSPA statistics, Ladder accidents send 41,000 people to hospital annually, often resulting in some of the most serious injuries and even death when people fall from high heights - Such a lingering thought makes one wonder the true value of some of the more 'risky' DIY projects.
A much safer way to access such a high places is to enlist the services of a cherry picker - similar to the vehicles that engineers from telephone companies use to access telegraph poles. Cherry pickers allow access to heights as high as 10 meters (much more than conventional ladders) and offer a safe platform in which to carry out work and rest tools upon.
So it's important to remember that a DIY project can bring exponential value to your property and improve your quality of life whilst living in there. Despite these impressive points, it's also important to remember that caution must be followed whilst carrying out DIY projects and care must be ensured whilst dealing with any potentially dangerous situations or pieces of equipment.
