April 22, 2020

Loft & Garage Conversions for Extra Space & Value


The state of the British housing market - a further fall of 1% in the price of an average residential dwelling in January contributed to a fall of nearly 10% year-on-year according to recent figures - precludes moving home for many homeowners. Families grow, nevertheless, and the emphasis in the immediate future is likely to be on maximising the space available in, or adding space to, existing homes.

A garage conversion, for example - whether you choose a DIY approach or employ a specialist company to complete the work for you - can be an affordable way of adding living space, and value, to your home. You may, for example, want to create an extra bedroom, or a home office, or even a dedicated home cinema.

A loft conversion, similarly, can add an extra bedroom, or bathroom, or both, and anything up to 20% to the value of your property. If you are planning to sell your home when the market recovers, however, prospective buyers may find a permanent solution more attractive than a retractable loft ladder, and Velux® roof windows.

Bear in mind that older properties - built in the early Seventies or before - may require less structural work than newer properties and clearance of 7½' is required for a ceiling at standard height. If headroom is an issue, dormer windows - gabled windows that extend above the height of the original roof - may be a possibility, subject to planning, building, and fire safety, regulations.

If you are in any doubt about planning permission, etc., contact your local planning office or at https://www.jasmerah.net site. If you are considering an extra bathroom in your loft spaceyou also need to consider the location of soil pipes and the capacity of your existing heating and hot water system.


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Maximise Your Space with Clever Storage Solutions


If you have a growing family or a home office -whether it be in the corner of a living room or bedroom or in a box room as is often the case - or both - you may well find that storage space soon becomes an issue.

In a living room, for example, you may like to choose modular storage units which can be added to as your need for storage space increases and arranged to suit your changing needs. Dual purpose furniture at Borneo, too, can be a boon if your space is limited. A coffee table with drawers or a window seat with drawers or large, lidded baskets beneath may allow you to dispense with a display cabinet or armchair and free floor space. Shelving is an obvious solution for books and magazines, but if you choose wide, sturdy shelves you may be able to double their capacity by adding a block of wood, painted or stained to match the shelf itself; this allows a back row of books to be raised above those at the front of the shelf.

In a home office, space saving may not necessarily revolve around small, compact items. An office desk, of course, needs to be large enough to accommodate a computer, keyboard, books, files, etc., but a desk designed to lean against a wall or a corner unit - especially in glass - can maximise the amount of storage available and create an illusion of space.

The same principles apply to bedroom design, of course, and bedroom furniture, such as a cabinet with multiple drawers or a chest or coffer placed discretely at the end of your bed can provide crucial extra storage. You need not be restricted solely to bedroom furniture per se; bookshelves and/or a small desk area in a guest bedroom, for example, can be an excellent method of using the available space to maximum effect.


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Natural Paint Good for Your Home and Your Health


"The blind man's wife needs no painting" according to the Spanish proverb but this is unfortunately not the case with the typical British home. In times of economic uncertainty, with the housing market plumbing new depths on an almost daily basis, many homeowners are choosing to stay put and invest in what they've got rather than move home.

However, nothing signals neglect to a prospective homebuyer more than dull, cracked, exterior paintwork or a tired, worn, interior. Sanding and touching up exterior woodwork, even if there is only a small amount, can add a fresh look to your home without breaking the bank and without taking more than a few hours to complete. Similarly, painting enclosed interior spaces such as hallways or stairwells in bright bold colours can add a sense of space; if you don't like the result you can always repaint in a more neutral colour at a later date without wasting too much money.

Painting - and wallpapering, for that matter - is also no longer just a question of aesthetics for many people as there are some fairly serious health, and environmental, issues attached to some of the older, traditional materials used. Modern, naturally produced paints provide the same performance as older, chemical based paints without giving off potentially harmful fumes and volatile organic compounds which contribute to the concentration of ground-level ozone, the primary constituent of smog and a contributory factor in hundreds of deaths per year in the United Kingdom. Linseed oil paints, for example, are renowned for their longevity, and weather to an attractive appearance, whilst water based acrylic paints, in gloss or matt finishes, similarly release no harmful chemicals. Both types of paint are obviously also free of white lead a toxic constituent of some traditional paints.

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