Moneywise moves to boost your home’s value

Food, electricity, gas, fuel, mortgages – the list of day to day bills that have risen due to the cost of living crisis is quite frankly long and gloomy. Here at Cube we’ve also noticed that people’s confidence in spending money on their bricks and mortar has taken a big hit. This seems like a natural shift, however by not investing in your home you may find yourself saving at the wrong end.

With property prices on their way down and the cost of mortgages on their way up, adding value to your home, may it be through ‘essential’ or ‘enhancing’ changes, is more important than ever. 

“Of course, you don’t have to do a full refurbishment, extension and loft conversion all at once. Any project that enhances your home and ultimately its ‘asking price’, can be prioritised and split into financially manageable chunks”, explains Cube’s Communications & Marketing Manager, Jane Henden. As with any home improvement project, it comes down to personal choice and budget.  

The “stage-by-stage” approach

Renovating your home in stages might suit your schedule and budget better. Space and logistics permitting, you’re more likely to live within your space rather than having to move out during the works. It also presents the opportunity to reflect and figure out what works best allowing you to plan accordingly for future home improvement projects.

Jane Henden points out that “it’s worth sitting down and prioritising the required works. Think about which room you use the most: say for example you usually shower at the gym but enjoy cooking every day, then concentrate on the kitchen. Many of our clients decided to extend their kitchens and now enjoy all the benefits of open-plan living.”

There are so many ways to improve your home and ultimately the way you live. You’ll find that just one change can begin making a big difference, a bit like a domino effect. A refurbished part of your home will prompt ideas and plans for adjacent areas to be updated.

Two existing Cube clients have recently approached us as they’re ready to take that next step in their home transformation journey. “It’s always a real sense of achievement when existing customers come to us again and entrust us with a new project”, says Jane Henden.

This year Cube will be returning to Will S.’s semi-detached house in Walton-on-Thames and he explains why he has decided to work with us again:

“We used Cube around four years ago to completely renovate our ground floor. This included building a rear extension under tight conditions and restrictions due to the Tree Preservation Order and neighbours. 

We are now undertaking another project to build a loft conversion and a porch. Given how impressed we were with the professionalism, build quality and the way Cube helped us through the process, it was a very easy decision to use them again.

It’s extremely hard these days, especially after Brexit and Covid, to find builders that are able to come in on time and budget. Cube managed to meet and exceed our expectations and I would and have recommended them to friends and family.”

In 2014 Cube designed, managed and built a dormer loft conversion in Laura M.’s Kew home. She recalls, “We enjoyed a great level of service from Cube at a competitive price. The quality of the finished work was excellent, the budget and timelines were as expected and the entire build process stress-free.”

Nine years on Laura M. and her family have moved into a new house and she explains, “when we decided to extend our kitchen Cube were at the forefront of our minds”.

Cube is currently working on the kitchen extension which includes reconfiguring the existing kitchen and cloakroom to maximise the spatial potential. We checked in with Laura M. to see how she feels the latest project is going:

“We’re now almost half way through our project and we’re so pleased to be back in trusted hands. We have a team of skilled, approachable and helpful builders on site, a Cube project manager to help us coordinate all the different build elements and Cube’s stage-by-stage payment schedule is again proving invaluable to us.”

The “all-or-nothing” approach

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will your loft conversion, extension or refurbished space. You’ll be inconvenienced for a while but by giving your home a complete makeover you get it all out of the way, something a lot of industry experts recommend.

Jane Henden explains, ”A bigger scope project means integrated processes that involve design, installation, plumbing and electrical works can be tackled all at once across different areas. Effectively more can be achieved in a comparatively shorter timeframe, and you’re likely to save money too.” She adds, “sometimes larger projects can get you onto a contractor’s schedule more easily and lastly it’s a big plus that you’ll only have to move out of your house once.” 

We’ve gathered some examples of different home types from our portfolio which give you an insight into what customers who opted for their loft conversion, extension and refurbishment works to be carried out ‘all at once’ achieved. Take a look: 

Click to view project: Semi-detached family home, Thames Ditton

Click to view project: Six bedroom house, Hampton 

Click to view project: Detached Victorian house, Kingston

Click to view project: Terraced house, Kew

Going ahead…

Whether you’re onto the next in a series of home improvement projects or just decided to start off with your first project, it’s important to choose a contractor that understands your needs, the project requirements and offers a comprehensive, transparent service. 

Cube takes care of every stage of your extension, loft conversion or refurbishment project for you. We oversee and manage the entire process whilst offering you a stage-by-stage payment schedule, leaving you to pay each part of the development as it’s completed and only when you’re satisfied with it.

All our returning customers have their very own reasons for recommending us to friends or for instructing us on more than one occasion. We pride ourselves on our end-to-end service that delivers on design, attention to detail, quality, ideas, guidance, transparency and competitive pricing.

But enough of us now – we’re keen to hear from you (!) and find out which project is top of your home improvement list:

E: space@cubelofts.co.uk
T: 020 8432 9676