Additions when remodeling / extending to make a property feel high end

[JonSnowedUnder]

We are having an extension and full house refresh and just wondered if anyone had any good tips on what sort of additions make a home feel high end? I don't want my home to look like a show home, more just nice touches. Especially interested in tips that are not too expensive!

We have a decent budget, think good mid-range sort of finishes but I'm thinking that spending in certain areas may be more beneficial and then saving in others.

Given they support up to about 30 stone she must be absolutely enormous and you likely need reinforced furniture as well

@korawick12345

Given they support up to about 30 stone she must be absolutely enormous and you likely need reinforced furniture as well

We have a bariatric chair for her, yes.

So not really likely to be an issue for most people

Solid wood internal doors are a must I think. Hollow ones just don't sound/feel as nice when they shut! I haven't got them yet though as waiting till my children leave home 🤣

You can get oak veneered doors from Wickes for about £80. Of course you will need a joiner to hang them and door furniture, which will probably cost the same again. But quite affordable if you have a small house or flat.

BTW many new doors are not solid wood but wood veneer as they are more stable and less likely to warp. They have that solid feel and sound as they are heavy - maybe 25- 30kg ( so they need 3 heavy duty hinges ).

I agree that they make a HUGE difference if you are trying to upgrade a standard modern property.

Good workmanship can make cheap materials look better and ruin the look of expensive ones. Making time to supervise the work and cultivate a good relationship costs in money or time but it is the single most important investment you can make. It’s all about the finish so don’t be afraid to nitpick and insist that a wood join that doesn’t quite meet is redone, that a fitting is dead straight,etc. Our kitchen fitter was a gem who modified the design to eliminate dirt traps, carved channels to hide cables, etc.

I notice things like quartz upstands instead of tiles, but if you’re getting tiling done ask around because the finish is critical.

Avoid beams and pillars in an extension. Ideally there shouldn’t be any clues internally about where the old house ends and the extension begins.

Consider the upkeep and maintenance that you’re willing to do/can afford. Crittal is nice but my heart would be broken cleaning all those bloody corners. Grubby is never high end. On the other hand I love eggshell window boards and skirtings and I’m willing to paint twice as often to avoid gloss.

Go a little higher on skirting boards, door trims, a little fuller on curtains, and get nice radiators. You don’t necessarily want anyone to see and notice these things; it’s more about eliminating visual irritants.

Appliances, particularly if they’re integrated can be upgraded later.

@I0NA

You can get oak veneered doors from Wickes for about £80. Of course you will need a joiner to hang them and door furniture, which will probably cost the same again. But quite affordable if you have a small house or flat.

BTW many new doors are not solid wood but wood veneer as they are more stable and less likely to warp. They have that solid feel and sound as they are heavy - maybe 25- 30kg ( so they need 3 heavy duty hinges ).

I agree that they make a HUGE difference if you are trying to upgrade a standard modern property.

Thanks, I did wonder if the veneered doors were heavier than the bog standard hollow ones. We have quite a lot of doors, but I will replace at some point, currently have horrible white wood grain effect panelled ones. Kids are still young though and constantly ramming things into them though and I hate being precious about things! Perhaps I'll wait till they're at the door slamming stage instead 🙈

These are the ones I used - I see they are up to £90 now. They weigh 32kg IIRC ( I couldn’t lift one myself, just walk them a few cm ).

www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Geneva-Oak-Cottage-Internal-Door---1981mm/p/9000229489

( Not my photo)

Can anybody link to some really nice door handles?

The ones we’ve moved in to are cheap-feeling, loose in places and annoyingly don’t keep the doors actually closed when the toddler pushes them.

(Internal doors look just like the ones posted above for reference)

www.corston.com/

I’ve had inexpensive but smart handles from More Handles, something like these, which are a tenner.

www.morehandles.co.uk/atlantic-eco-swell-lever-on-round-rose.html

These ones are nice if you already have polished chrome elsewhere in your house and want to match but don’t want to spend your life polishing door handles.

If the doors are not staying closed then you might need new latches too. They are perhaps another £4 for double sprung ones . As always the expensive bit is the skilled labour to fit them.

This thread is brilliant.

I love a bit of Ikea. In my period property

A high end look is mainly down to quality of finish. Followed by good design and key things such as curtains, floor and light fittings. Thin curtains look cheaper than interlined.

Lots of good websites for door furniture. Knobs and knockers (Google carefully) used to do good stuff.