Tell Direct Line what you would do to your home to create your ultimate Home Plus. Three lucky Mumsnetters will be given £1,000 to fulfil their creative urges. NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

Direct Line have asked us to find out what Mumsnetters would do to their homes to go the extra mile to make it a "Home Plus". What would you do with £1,000 if you had the choice?

Here's what Direct Line say, "We know that a home is more than just a house, that’s why our Home Insurance Plus policy has additional benefits to cover more of the things you love. And right now there’s 20% off when you buy online!

(Discount applies when you buy buildings and contents together. Minimum premiums apply. New customers only. Underwritten by U K Insurance Limited)

We want to hear what your ultimate Home Plus ideas are – what would you love to do to your home to go that extra mile and make it a Home Plus Home?"

So, what is the craziest idea you've had about renovating your home, but just haven’t been able to justify the cost for? Perhaps you have always wanted to have a jungle themed bedroom? Or mimic the beach complete with beach hut, sand, 'sea' and palm trees in your back garden? Whatever it is, we'd love to hear it.

Three lucky Mumsnetters will be selected to carry out their idea and will be given the £1,000 they need to do so! The winners who are selected must be willing to provide before and after pictures of the area of their homes they choose to renovate with the £1,000 prize. The renovation work must be done and the pictures must be provided by Monday 11th August. Photos will be posted on Direct Line's hub on Mumsnet and may be used in further marketing material by them.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

[RedKites]

We have a room on our second floor (effectively a loft conversion but it was built with the house) which is our spare/guest room. Currently it is a collection of mismatched furniture and boxes left over from when we moved in used for storage. I would like a smart, comfortable daybed/sofabed so that when we have visitors to stay they get a good nights sleep, but so that we have some floor space in the valuable middle of the room where you can stand upright the rest of the time. I would like built in storage along the side of the room, a mixture of bookshelves and cupboards to make good use of the otherwise wasted space (79cm high - I've measured!). If there is any money left, I have a beautiful print that I was given a couple of years ago. I would like to get it properly framed, and put it on display. At the moment, the room is functional, but these changes would make it lovely.

[alarox]

I live in an unremarkable old terraced house that with a bit of money has potential to be Terraced Home Plus! It's a bit of an odd layout; it looks like a tiny two storey from the front, and 3 storey at the back. This is because of the basement (accessed outside) which is part of why I bought the house. The potential for a beautiful room is there! Right now it's a dumping ground but if I got stairs put in, and some french doors installed, it would be SO GREAT because I could then get to my little garden without going down 30 steep stone steps! There's the added bonus that it might help get my house out of negative equity, but then again with a lovely new basement room to relax in I wouldn't want to move

[RubySparks]

We have a small room used by teens as tv / games room my ideal (when they have moved out) would be to turn it into a library and meditation room, just a very calming quiet space. I would channel my inner Virginia Woolf and have a room of my own!

[FannyFifer]

Replace my skylight window that leaks.
Strip down & paint my front doors, it's a big job as they are two massive wooden doors, quite fancy purple.

[CrewElla]

We have a converter garage that I affectionately call the man cave. I would love to transform a corner of it into a listening corner for my husband. He has an extensive collection of vinyl and it would be great to fashion him a retro area complete with record player and kick ass lounger so he could sit back, put on some headphones, and listen to his tunes.

[OffTheCoffee]

The grown up option: we would convert our leaky old unusable 1920s garage into a proper room. Our house is full of kid stuff and it would be amazing to have somewhere to go and play music - I never get a chance to do this now and read.

The kid option (more fun, probably!): build a playhouse/treehouse on stilts with a slide at the top of the garden.

Just imagine...

[moonegirl]

I'd love to get rid of our grey bathroom suite
it's really awful and is complete with black and gold tiles!

I would have a roll top bath, huge walk in shower and a black and white chequered floor.
it would be my oasis of calm away from the three dc's

[MissVanDyke]

I have recently been really interested in creating a magical garden for the children. I have been looking at tree stump tables / seats, and hazel dens or a tee pee, insect hotels and mud kitchens.

I would want it to be as natural as possible and have sand, water, flowers, plants, places to dig and create! I want it to be a place that they can spend hours just playing, climbing, getting messy and learning about nature.

[wonkylegs]

We mainly use the back door to our house to come & go and next to this is a small passageway that doubles as our utility room/coat hanging area/family noticeboards & dumping ground. Its chaos & dull & a major family tripping hazard (DH thats your giant shoes i'm talking about)
I would love to actually organise this space to make it actually work, put proper storage for shoes, cupboards for washing powder/pegs/cleaning stuff, get a decent floor & door matting so dirt doesn't get traipsed through the house - actually design smart & funky space that works rather than the dull mess that its evolved into. It would make coming home a pleasure rather than remind me every day how much I need to tidy up!

[AnaYorks]

We moved into a lovely old house with a masssive garden for our children to play in. Unfortunately my toddler has been diagnosed with a visual defect which means she is supersensitive to bright sunlight. We've no money left after doing the necessary electrical and repair work to buy new outdoor furniture with a massive parasol or similar.

I'd therefore make my home a HomePlus Home by using the money to put up a retractable awning over the patio so we can sit out and enjoy our meals together as a family - something we can't do just now as it makes her uncomfortable. Then, if there was anything left, I'd also put her a little house at the end of the garden so she has somewhere to retreat to and play out of the sun while still being able to get some fresh air.

[ChaffinchOfDoom]

ooooh what would I do with £1000 to Home Plus my house....
logically I should do the bathroom, as it is avocado with cork (!) ceiling tiles and part of the wall taped together...

and yet...to Home Plus my home I have a dream of creating a gorgeous patio outside with sweeping steps and a tropical courtyard feel... I have a dream of having a lemon tree and an orange tree in fancy terracotta pots, a bubbling little water feature and a lovely table and chairs set to sit and read the newspaper. Heaven!

[Rainicorn]

What would I do?

I would have patio doors put into my living room and decking put outside so that in the summer I could just open them up and the children could roam freely in and out all day long instead of having to go via the kitchen, they're not allowed to do it while I am cooking so limits them to staying in or out.

Having decking would also mean that I could sit outside with them rather than balanced on a chair on the grass which I don't enjoy doing.

I can picture sitting there on a summers day, big umbrella up, sipping wine lemonade while my DH does a BBQ and the DC run in and out without worrying about what's going on in the kitchen.

[SweetPeaPods]

I would like to personalise our home. Add nice touches and decoration such as picture frames, photos up on the walls, mirrors, nice cushions, new curtains etc. our walls are all bland and when since we decorated we just haven't got round to it, lack of time and money.

[TheHoneyBadger]

the bathroom is hideous. when i moved in there was woodchip on the walls and i thought i'd remove it but when i tried it looked like it was going to bring down half the wall with it. in the end i had to stick vinyl wallpaper over the top and i hate it. there's also a hideous plastic cistern with staining (although clean) on it and no pedestal under the sink just ugly pipes and wires.

with a thousand pounds i would have it stripped and replastered, buy a new cistern and get a cupboard and surface built in around the sink AND i would pay someone to rehang the damned door so that it can be opened without bashing into me standing at the sink. i would decorate it in a jewel colour with a wall of mirror around the sink area and if i had any money left over i'd put a folding glass screen around the shower end of the bath.

[TheHoneyBadger]

even better i'd have a sliding door!

[iK8]

Something like this gate.

[kazzawazzawoo]

I would love to turn my garden into a haven of peace and tranquility, with pebbles, a tinkling water feature, pots of beautiful plants, some comfy loungers and a large parasol for shade. I would sit outside with a cool drink and listen to soothing music whilst relaxing in the sun.

[Katz]

We want to install a wallbed in DHs study, then we can have more family to visit, we want a wallbed because they take up less room normally than a sofa bed and are far more comfortable to sleep on. We like the ones which are a desk at the same time providing a multifunctional space. Win win

[WowOoo]

I would like a sheltered outside area. Not a conservatory, just a roof with perhaps some kind of sliding door feature.

I saw what I wanted in a magazine once and have kept a picture. It could work perfectly in our outside space.

I'd have loads of plants and a weather proof dining table.

[LadySybilLikesCake]

I'd soundproof my home so that I couldn't hear my neighbours hoovering 6 times a day or their child stomping about and yelling from 7am, or their music blaring through the walls when I'm trying to work. That would be my ultimate home plus, and would turn my noisy house into a home of peace and quiet scuttles off to find the earplugs

[LadySybilLikesCake]

On. On a non-practical but dream sense... It needs damp proofing but it the cellar would make a fantastic wine cellar

[HauntedNoddyCar]

Two totally unnecessary things amongst the renovations that need doing like repairing the ceiling, fixing the damp patches and sorting out the magnolia woodwork and 90s kitchen are:

Build a living tunnel out of willow at the bottom of our garden for the dc to play in

Build a car track around my son's bedroom wall for him to play with. He's not had a bedroom done for him before.

[Spirael]

DD1's bedroom is on the top floor and eventually DD2 will be up there too. They have a bathroom, but it is virtually bare and completely white - white floor, white tiles, white fittings and white walls. Dull, and shows the dirt incredibly easily! The room only has a shower cubicle, no bath, and also has no natural light.

First thing I'd do is put a roof window in to give the room some natural light and make it less claustrophobic. I'd then change the shower to be a shower over a bath for flexibility. I'd add some storage to make life a bit easier. Finally, I'd add some colour and accessories to theme the room to be an under-the-sea paradise that will capture their interest and imagination!

All this might mean they will finally be willing to use their own bathroom rather than the one downstairs, so I can shift all the toys up there and have a bathroom downstairs for us and guests that doesn't look like a toyshop exploded inside it...

[Catmint]

We have a dining room which is between our lounge and kitchen. It is a sad dumping ground for shoes, bags, craft materials, homework projects, and other assorted crap.our fridge is in there as the kitchen is too small. It has a dreadful, ugly tiled 1930s fireplace in it. Frankly, it overwhelms and depresses me.

I fantasise about it being an uncluttered, grown up space with a beautiful dark stained floor, a cosy armchair to cuddle up and read in. And storage...somewhere for all the stuff to hide in.

I particularly want to knock out the horrible fireplace and turn the chimney space into storage for wine.

[SaltySeaBird]

I'd love to give our bedroom a makeover and remove the sticking out chimney breast so we had a flat wall with a lot more space for a built in wardrobe.

With DC2 on the way space is at such a premium, our clothes are kept in what will be DD1's bedroom. If we can move them out it will allow me to create an amazing child's bedroom for her like Im always admiring on Pinterest!