How much home improvements is enough of too much?

[Ruralbliss]

I feel dumb for asking this but looking for opinions on how to work out when to stop improving a house else monies spent outweigh value added.

Since taking on our 1960's time capsule (bought from the people who built it 60 years ago) I have replaced all windows & bathrooms, redecorated including carpets, created a new en-suite, had enormous overgrown pond renovated, replaced staircase etc etc.

I'm aware that the amount of improvements is infinite as could gold plate, diamond encrust everything.

Where do I stop? I'd like to get the driveway and patio replaced but figure this will be out of budget for some time.
If I sell in the future how do I work out which improvements should be done ahead of putting on market and which would be a waste of my cash?

Have a look at houses in a good condition/dated condition and compare. It's also worth looking at the ceiling price in your area.

Also, some people will want to buy a house they can move into with no work needed, others like me would rather buy a house that needs some cosmetic work and pay less because I'm probably going to decorate anyway.

It sounds like your house needed that work doing to the bathrooms etc. Unless you're doing any major structural work then you're unlikely to put in too much unless you're putting luxury finishes on things that most people don't care about.

Thanks @LolaSmiles that's really helpful advice.

How long are planning on staying there? I would say do the things that you want if you are going to benefit from them for a good amount of time. Some people never stop, especially if they are in their 'forever home's.

Get yourself on rightmove and check out property in your area if you are moving over the next few years look at similar houses to yours and what work they've done and what they're going (and more importantly gone) for. That should give you an idea of what will add value and what won't.

We're definitely our forever home so we're constantly having projects on the go, especially during lockdown. But if you're planning to move on then I wouldn't spend more than you can reasonably expect to get back.

If the drive and patio are in poor condition, good quality replacements will be definitely worth it if and when you can afford.

They’ll add to the house’s overall appeal if you decide to sell in the future and you’ll enjoy them while you’re still there.

I keep asking myself the same question. I think we’ve hit the ceiling of cost of original house + spend = approx value but we’re still not finished.

We have just had a quote for a new tarmac driveway- it’s come in less than half the price of blocks. There are cheaper ways sometimes to get the work done. It depends how urgently work needs doing- ours is a quagmire of shingle, slippery pavers and grass and weeds. It’s a hazard now- but when it was just unsightly I could live with it. If we decided to sell right now the terrible drive would devalue the house, and undermine the nice work we’ve done inside. So it’s a priority.

OTOH the bathrooms are a bit tired but still perfectly functional so we probably won’t replace those for another 5-10’years if we’re still here.

Costs a fortune to do up a house from scratch!

we bought our house last year as a doer upper, the houses on our street are all the same houses semi detached 2 beds built by the same builder the houses sell for 130k - 135k done up, we paid 108500 needing doing up so we reckoned if we end up spending 10k on it we still have 12k equity but this is our we are not leaving this house one as we are in our 60s

Thanks all!

I've got last bit of wallpapering and painting, new carpets ordered. I'll get some quotes for re-tarmac driveway & possibly patio and then call it done. Kitchen is make do and mend - repainted 1980s cupboards, tiles and replaced melamine worksurfaces with oak. Looks fine for me. If sold new people would want to replace

It's a very unique property - hard to explain but on the edge of a teeny town, set in an acre looking out onto fields but driveway comes out onto a densely populated street

It's officially my forever home but bought XH husband out and too much for a full time working single parent plus mortgage runs until I'm 70+ so sensible to work towards getting best price if I need to sell to downsize...

Thanks all!

I've got last bit of wallpapering and painting, new carpets ordered. I'll get some quotes for re-tarmac driveway & possibly patio and then call it done. Kitchen is make do and mend - repainted 1980s cupboards, tiles and replaced melamine worksurfaces with oak. Looks fine for me. If sold new people would want to replace

It's a very unique property - hard to explain but on the edge of a teeny town, set in an acre looking out onto fields but driveway comes out onto a densely populated street

It's officially my forever home but bought XH husband out and too much for a full time working single parent plus mortgage runs until I'm 70+ so sensible to work towards getting best price if I need to sell to downsize...

The price you get for your house is dependant on size, local market, local demand, general condition...it is rarely about drive surfaces.

Thanks @areallthenamesusedup

I hear you and good point. In that case I'll only get driveway done for me or I think it creates a poor impression of the overall condition of house if I decide to sell up.

Hopefully I'll be here for a good few years yet.

A house near here is a prime example - massively over-extended for the size of plot. It took over 3 years to sell (in a leafy SW London area) at a price considerably reduced from the original asking price. (Yes, we had a good old nose on Nethouseprices.)

I hope I didn’t sound chippy. I didn’t mean to. I just remember looking round our existing house and the estate agent kept showing all the extras the owners had done and I just kept thinking “oh, that’s being ripped out when I get in”.

The issue is so much is down to taste.

Next door have just done one of those pretend gravel drives. Cost them a fortune. They love it. Other next door neighbour thinks it looks a monstrosity as it doesn’t go with the period of the house.

Good experienced estate agents are usually happy to give informal advice for free. Become their friends and run stuff past them. They get a bad rap on MN but they can give really helpful advice if you are worried re recoverability.

Good luck with your plans!

Thing is, so much redecoration dates! What you do now will start looking tired in 5 years, and likely pretty dated in 10 years.

Shabby chic kitchens.....terracotta coloured living rooms... flouncy blinds with ruffles....these were all seen as being “really nice”, not as wildly fashionable and likely to date. But they all have dated nonetheless, just as dark teal, Inchyra Blue, white worktops, black bathroom taps, parquet flooring, etc will.
Decorate for you and for how much you want to spend on your home, not as an investment.

@Saz12 this is a very good point.

Personally I'm all about bright white throughout, minimalistic, Scandi style which suits the house and a good design theme to showcase the house hopefully less likely to date.

I may be wrong but it's the theme I'm running through the house with white/chrome bathrooms.

I think you are being very sensible considering if you can ever recoup the money spent on home improvements if and when you decide to sell.
As far as what you spend on general decor you cannot factor that in as previously said decor dates and anyone else moving in will want to redecorate to their own tastes.
I am in a similar position, bought a couple of years ago in a hurry and now see that houses sold in my street are only going for around 10K more than what I paid and are in good condition throughout.
Initially I felt my kitchen and bathroom were fine, but the reality is they are very old and dated.I have been in two minds what to do about the bathroom....continue to live with it, do it up so I will get the benefit, or leave it for the next buyer to put their stamp on.
Had I not have bought this property I would have gone in to rented and money would have been wasted there and would have diminished the savings which I was using to purchase a house. So I comfort myself with that fact.
Kitchen will have to stay unfortunately, even if I had the money to do it I believe if and when I sold I would not see any benefit financially.

I agree about not “over developing” and fashion trends. If I was buying now, the current trend for all-in-one lounge/kitchen/diner with lots of shiny hard surfaces would put me right off!