DIY Home Improvement
DIY - an investment for the future?
Your home is the most valuable asset that you will ever own. With average U.K. house prices up more than 15% since 2012, now is the time to think about adding more value yourself; the free ride is over. New buy-to-let rules are clouding the outlook and it is hard to predict where house prices will go from here, especially as the U.K has more than 2.5 million amateur landlords who may not be able to refinance under new requirements. Remortgage approvals are at a 15 year low and mortgage approvals are heading the same way. New mortgage rules are getting tougher, with requirements so exacting that an applicant must ‘explain’ all his/her spending each month down to the very last cinema ticket! So, if moving isn’t an option, what to do?
To compound the problem there is our eternal need for more space. It doesn’t seem to matter how much room we have in a house, there is always that extra exercise bike or box of old children’s toys we have nowhere to put. If you have the desire for space and the ambition to add value to your property there may be an answer. The phrase, ‘do it yourself’ can strike fear into some people’s very soul, evoking memories of peeling wallpaper and bandaged thumbs. It doesn’t have to be that way. Preparation is key and working with good quality products that have full instructions, make many home improvements possible. In fact, many of us are reassessing our relationship with our workbench. A resurgence of DIY over 2014 predicted the U.K. total spend that year to be a much as £79 billion. After all, what else is the Easter bank holiday for?
Imagine your spare room, sometimes a bed for the night for welcome guests but mostly the storeroom for yesteryear’s jumble. Open out that room using sliding doors and make room for that bigger double bed, or a desk to work away from the kids. Perhaps a sliding doors wardrobe to hide your collection of off-the-wall shoes from your student days? DioMet have a large selection of sliding doors in a variety of styles and materials that you can install at home yourself. Guidance for measuring your space is provide as well as full fitting instructions, and we are only a phone call away if you need assistance.
Wardrobes are, of course, only the beginning. Darkened stairways and landings can be brightened up with toughened glass panels or bannisters. The glass can be shaped to fit your stairs, and meet your specific design ideas. The versatility of glass means that it looks great in any environment, whether your staircase is made from timber or metal. DioMet don’t stop at the glass of course, and if you are looking for a new set of stairs to fit a particularly tricky space then we can help. A stylish spiral staircase can add a real sense of elegance to your room. We can survey and design bespoke staircases in a number of steels and finishes.
However interiors are only a small part of what we do at DioMet. We can help to create more space outside too. It is Sunday morning and the sun is out, so you walk out of your bedroom on to your own private balcony, and breathe in the summer air. Sound good? A balcony can offer that extra inside/outside space so beloved of TV house programmes. DioMet can help you with balconies in a variety of sizes. A Juliet balcony is one discrete enough to allow for a few window boxes to hide behind while wait for the serenading other half. If you think that might be a long wait, you can introduce a walk out balcony, which can be created large enough to do your morning yoga routine or alternatively to sit and read the paper soaking up the sun. These are practical spaces that can be styled in a number of ways to reflect your property adding an attractive addition to the outside of your house. All these balcony systems are simple to assemble if you have some trade experience but for those of us that don’t DioMet can quote for professional installation.
Not everyone has a house suitable for a balcony, and this is just a small selection of ideas for creating space. Even making changes to existing balustrades and handrails can improve your home and make it a more enjoyable place to live. Need to stop your new puppy taking a dip in the hot tub? Are you a new grandparent or parent worried about the drop from the garden decking? A modern frameless balustrade could improve safety and add that sophisticated touch to any garden. Fed up with getting wet in the rain while trying to find the door key? Even adding a door canopy can make a statement, and guess what, keep you dry.
All that you need is a little imagination and careful planning and you really can make cost effective improvements to your home, and make an investment for the future. You don’t know, you might even begin to enjoy DIY!
