Invest effort in the right areas to improve your home

rights, meaning that planning permission isn’t required. Loft conversions usually add most value when turned into a suite with a main bedroom, bathroom or shower room and even, if there’s enough space, a walk-in wardrobe or dressing room. If planning laws allow, maximising the space by adding a full-width dormer window and altering the side roof so it goes from sloped to ‘straight’ (when viewed from the front or back) makes for a largerand more valuable loft conversion. open-plan space isn’t necessarily the best way to add value, or live day to day, especially if you have children. Open-plan kitchen-diners/ family rooms are now extremely popular, but also having a separate, more formal sitting room works well for many families. Some families prefer to have a separate playroom or den for the kids, so the mess is self-contained. with, such as a separate dining room. Add a wall of bifold doors leading out to the garden to give a wonderful feeling of insideoutside space and you have a valuable addition to your home.