Archive for September, 2010

Top 3 Most Highly Recommended Home Improvements

Monday, September 6th, 2010

Never has there been a better time for improving your home. With the house market in a mess and financial ruin closing many doors in the faces of those seeking mortgages, making home improvements may be the best bet for those wanting something fresh to wake up to in the morning. Next time you have the chance, take a walk around your home and see what you would like to change if you could. You may have considered something impossible to change without knocking your whole house down and starting again, but if you ask any home improvement company they will normally give you a pleasant surprise.

Here is some of the most highly recommended and most popular home improvements people are having done at the moment to help you imagine what you could do to your home soon.

Home Gym

With the cost of going to the gym getting higher and higher as much as they are getting busier and busier, wouldn’t you like your own private gym? Well with a home gym you can have just that. By looking at Garage Conversions or converting an existing structure like an out house, you can transform a previously useless space into your own gym. This option is fairly simple to complete and has been performed in countless homes up and down the UK. Other options for converting a spare space would be to turn it into an extra bedroom, a snooker room, a kid’s playroom or even your own night club!

Extension

Another very popular thing to do to your home just now is to add an extension. This can be in the shape of a Conservatory or sunroom, or just a whole new wing of your stately home. Some might consider this too much hassle what with all the planning permission paperwork to wade through, but with many of the top home improvement companies providing this work as part of the service, there really are few excuses left.

Facelift

A very simple way people have been boosting their assets is by giving their home a makeover. You can do many things to the exterior and interior of a house to make it look brand new. New windows make a surprising impact, as does a new roofline and fixing or replacing natural wear and tear to brickwork, woodwork and other external features.

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What Effect Has the ‘Big Budget’ Had On Homeowners?

Monday, September 6th, 2010

The budget has been one of the biggest talking points of the coalition governments first hundred or so days. With the new government taking the reins amidst a recession, it was always going to be an incredibly important part of their job. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has recent announced that the budget was somewhat ‘regressive’ in nature and that the acts of changing tax and benefits structures have resulted in the poorest people in the country being hit the hardest. The Treasury responded by pointing out the pro growth and pro employment effects, aspects of the budget have achieved.

So what affect has the budget had on homeowners?

VAT Increase

The VAT increase from 17.5% to 20% due next year will affect every home owner looking to do home improvements. The cost of work and materials will increase as will the cost of new developments up and down the country. This means it is more important than ever that you opt for a home improvement company like Ideal Windows and conservatories which always offers the best possible value to its customers.

Possible Council Tax Freeze April 2011

Every homeowner will be looking forward to Council Tax being frozen in April 2011. Council Tax has been increasing steadily for a while, so any reduction in outgoings is a bonus.

Mortgage Approvals

Not so much as a result of the budget but an interesting improvement recently is in the number of mortgage applications being approved, possibly due to the Government offering banks insurance guarantees. Month on month between February and March approvals went up, although this was (understandably) from an already low level.

Stamp Duty

Holidays on stamp duty were frozen for an extra 3 months, meaning that people buying a home worth less than £175,000 this year won’t have to pay up.

While these are positive things for homeowners and those making home improvements like adding conservatories and Garage Conversions, the response from industry experts remains muted for now. The worry is that with unemployment still on a downward trend and with the threat of a double dip recession on the cards, the positives may be short lived or not be potent enough to provide a lasting swell.

While there is still concern over the housing market, those without an inescapable reason for moving or buying have the opportunity to make the most of their investment in the mean time. Extending, improving and upgrading in order to ride out the storm is recommended.

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