How much value do home improvements add to a property?

Signs of bodged DIY make people offer 11 per cent less

Golden Pheasant: Owned by Gary and Lorraine Curd from Yalding in Kent. The shed used to be a farm store that was on the edge of collapsing but was transformed into a garden pub which hosts a number of strange and unique artefacts including a stuffed squir

Adding a garden to a property can add 10 per cent to its value, while a 'man cave' can add up to one per cent.

A new survey of independent estate agents by Move with Us suggests that a new kitchen or an extra bathroom can add five per cent to the worth of a home, while a loft conversion or parking space is nearer 10 per cent.

More unusual improvement such as a 'man cave' or a treehouse can make a one per cent difference when it comes to selling. A garden office may increase the total value by five per cent and adding a garden where there was none before, such as installing a roof garden, is worth an extra 10 per cent.

"More unusual home improvements are increasing in popularity," said Simon King, Director at Move with Us. "Home owners are ingeniously creating new spaces within the boundaries of their existing homes where they can live out their dreams. These include garden offices so they can work from home, workshops where they can carry out their passions, their own personal pubs and all sorts of other extraordinary structures."

On the other hand, a separate report by TrustMark indicates that signs of shoddy DIY result in people making an offer on a property by an average of 11 per cent less. Just over half of the 2,000 people polled said they were less likely to put an offer in at all on such properties.

Overall, 91 per cent said they would reduce their offer on homes with signs of poorly-done DIY by some amount.

Visible wiring is the most off-putting problem, cited by 40 per cent of people, followed by ill-fitting or unfinished kitchen units.

"While DIY projects can be immensely rewarding, homeowners should be wary of attempting DIY beyond their skill-set as inadequate work can seriously reduce the value of their homes, or even put prospective buyers off completely,”" said says Simon Ayers, chief executive of TrustMark.

"It’s worth noting that some of the most off-putting DIY flaws like faulty wiring are as dangerous as they are devaluing. Homeowners should never attempt to carry out electrical or rewiring work without a trained expert."