How much should we do here

[ooooofffff]

We've lived in our current home for 2.5 years.

New build in a nice area. I don't feel this is our forever home. I'd like a larger garden and a bigger drive.

This is possible on our area but we'd need around £900k. Current house is worth about £650k

While I'm very happy in this house I wonder where to draw the line on spending, as it's not our forever home.

I'd like to add lots of stuff, expensive worktops, knock down a wall etc. but it's all very expensive and I don't know if this is wise if we're not planning to stay here long term.

Are we best to save the money and make do, or just do up current home as we'd like it??

Make it as you would like it. Why isn't it your forever home?

I'd like to live more rurally. We'd like a far bigger garden and a bigger drive. If I could add those things I'd stay put

It's trying to work out if the money we spend is adding value to current property also

I wouldn’t, if it’s a fairly new build I expect the builder’s extensively researched what sells in your area. You want to move why spend the money where you are especially as what you do might not be to prospective buyers tastes. Better to have your home competitively priced and let them make their own improvements.

How long until you move? If its 10 years, and you spend £40k on the house (without increasing house value) those changes will cost £4k a year. But if its 5 years, £8k a year...

Or, if you put £40k into your pension thats retiring 3 or 4 years sooner.

This is a very good point @Saz12

We'd like to move in around 5 years.

DH is of the opinion that if we spend say £40k, it's a drop in the ocean, compared to the £300k we'd be spending to move to our dream home.

We have a similar dilemma. We only intend to stay in our current house for another 3 or 4 years. But both bathrooms need replacing really, I mean they are ok but could definitely do with an update. Would cost about 15-20k, I think we will have to do it to sell, sort of annoying though.

In your situation, I'd replace the bathrooms if it was for my own benefit, but not to sell. You wouldn't get all that money back and you'd probably be better off just dropping your asking price a bit to reflect the fact the bathrooms need doing.