Reforms to renovate and increase the value of housing

Fall is a perfect time to start new challenges and make changes in our lives. Making a reform in the house will allow to renew the house and to increase its value, raising up to 30% the price of the rent and 20% the sale price.

The return of the holidays is one of the best times to start a reform in the house. The days are still long and the weather is good. In addition, many material suppliers and construction companies usually close their doors for holidays in the summer, so it is easier to have availability to carry out works when the summer returns.

It is important to calculate the time of execution of the work, which will depend on the size and complexity of the work, and the availability of materials and labour. Generally, the reform of a bathroom usually takes 7 to 10 days, and a kitchen about 4 weeks. Consult the Ampervillas construction and refurbishment service for your next refurbishment in Altea without obligation.

Which reforms are most in demand?

Among the essential and most common renovation works in a house, the stars are the renovation of the bathrooms and the renovation of the kitchen. There are also small improvement works that notably modernise the house and increase its value, such as changing doors and windows, painting walls, changing wardrobes or removing unnecessary partitions.

Reforming the kitchen

The kitchen is the heart of every house. It is one of the rooms where more time is spent, traditionally a place of family conviviality. Moreover, it is one of the rooms that most revalues the house after its reform. Nowadays, the minimalist lines are imposed in the design of kitchens, looking for a multifunctional and wide space sharing living room, dining room and kitchen.

Natural luminosity, large-format coverings with cheerful textures and colours, lacquered and resistant worktops, high-gloss cabinet fronts without handles or large organisers and removable storage units are the protagonists of modern kitchens. The appliances should be in line with the set, or even panelled so that they are not visible, and also seeking a commitment to energy efficiency to reduce electricity consumption.

Renovate the bathrooms

Another of the rooms that will bring more value to the house after a reform is the bathrooms. The current toilets and bathrooms have become a place of refuge and relaxation to release the tensions of the day, so today we are looking for stylish, comfortable, functional and relaxing spaces.

Check the taps, sinks, tiles and toilets. The elements most used today are wood, glass, small terrazzo or marble tiles, both on the floor and to cover the wall or tiles with creative patterns. Pay attention to accessories and decorations, but especially to basins, taps, showers and baths, which have a modern and functional style. Another important aspect to take care of is the lighting, if possible natural, or that can be set according to the occasion.

Change doors and windows

The current interior doors, made of woods such as wenge, zebrano, beech, walnut, cherry, oak or pine, and with beautiful finishes, give a renewed touch to the house. But if you don’t want to make a big investment, give a coat of paint or change the knobs, they will give a new style to the rooms.

The entrance door to the house is the presentation card of your home. If you want to make a good economic investment, which brings comfort and a feeling of protection, do not hesitate to put a good security door.

The insulating windows provide a lot of comfort and manage to maintain a fresh atmosphere inside our house, saving up to 90% of energy. Nowadays, the old aluminium windows are being replaced by PVC, which achieve a greater thermal and acoustic insulation.

With good Climalite double glazing and air chamber, the value of the house is greatly increased. In addition, currently many autonomous communities offer grants to rehabilitate the houses already built with these systems.

Eliminate unnecessary walls

In many cases, old houses have a distribution that is not in line with the new trends. Very long corridors, rooms without windows and dark, little used corners, that with a simple reform we can make the house more diaphanous and with more natural light, creating greater stays full of possibilities.

Large, bright rooms are very attractive to potential buyers, who generally prefer more space and light in the bedrooms, living room, kitchen and bathrooms than having a large number of rooms. It is essential that before carrying out any work that involves knocking down walls or partitions, you should consult a technician so that he can assess the suitability of the work without affecting the structure of the house.

Refurbishing fitted wardrobes

A simple reform in the house consists of renewing the built-in wardrobes, which often do not take advantage of the whole wall. By simply pulling the wings of the wardrobes to place wider sliding doors you will gain a lot of space in the wardrobe.

Today’s wardrobe layouts have space-saving systems such as pull-out trouser and shoe racks, drawers with soft-close closures, clothes rails or accessible attics. And if the bedroom uses a piece of furniture that takes up a lot of space as a wardrobe, you can make the most of it to design a good built-in wardrobe that makes better use of that space.

Painting walls

One of the most common “low-cost reforms” that give a greater change to the house is to give a coat of paint to those rooms that require it the most.

Before starting to paint any wall, it is necessary to prepare it and remove impurities, cover cracks, repair holes and check for dampness. A good primer is essential to apply the paint correctly. When choosing the colours, we must create a fresh or warm, modern and cosy atmosphere, which reflects our lifestyle and will give the room personality.

The neutral tones (grey, beige, toasted, off-white…) help us to achieve an elegant, serene, calm and pleasant atmosphere. The white tones transmit us sensations of luminosity, freshness, cleanliness or spaciousness. Pastel and soft colours create a cosy and very luminous atmosphere.

Turquoise and pink colours are very colourful and cheerful. Yellow, green, blue and orange colours create lively and creative spaces. The red colours are fun, daring and passionate.

Check electrical installation and piping

If the house is more than 30 years old, the electrical installation can cause short circuits and blackouts, and can also put our safety at risk and are not adapted to the new criteria of energy efficiency.

If the house is very old, it may not even have an earth connection, so it is compulsory by law to replace it completely. A good electrical installation, which takes into account the different requirements of electrical consumption in each electrical appliance in each room, will avoid many problems and will revalue the house.

It is also advisable to check the pipes and drains in the house, especially in older homes. Check their condition and repair any breakdowns that may be necessary. Some old houses may not even be connected to the public sewer and may drain into a septic tank. This often happens when the area where the house is located was developed after the house was built.