Plan to move in 5 years. kitchen, front door, driveway or garden update????

vzbfhr

Hi guys

Me and the mrs are looking at moving in roughly 5 years when the kids are starting school.

Weve got around eight grand to spend, with these areas needing updating.

What you all think is the best choice?

Cheers

LEJC

Actually I think you need to do whichever will make your time living in the house the best....

basically if you do work now on the kitchen then when you come to sell it your kitchen will be upto 5 years old...so you really should be looking at spending the money on what will improve the space you live in rather than thinking what someone else will want in 5 years time...

Ive just updated my front door with composite and it was £1200...very pleased with the result and it cuts the noise from outside too,I also think its going to help in the winter with keeping the drafts out better than the previous wooden door....

....ive also just had installed a new howdens kitchen in a rental property we own at a cost of around the £5000 mark...no idea how it will wear over the next few years but hopefully it should do the job...kitchens can be quite a personal choice...get it right and its a space that can sell a house easily...get it wrong and its an area that a buyer will walk away from if they feel theres too much work to make it how they want.

again in the rental we've just done a garden makeover for much less than £1000... fencing, turf ,raised boarders...quite basic things really...have stayed away from decking as over time it probably needs a fair bit of maintainence to keep it looking good...

if you were spending the money on the garden what things would you look to put in now to sell it to a buyer in 5 years time?

neither of our houses have a drivway so ive no idea on the cost...but bearing in mimd it is one of the first things a potential buyer sees when looking at your house it may be worthwhile considering updating if its going to be better than what you have now....or are you looking to turn your front garden into a driveway/hardstanding?

Possibly what i'm trying to highlight is that for £8000 you can do quite a lot of your wish list....but I would do it for your benefit and that of your family rather than trying to guess the benefit to a potential purchaser 5 years down the line.

Dunroamin

If you've got 5 years, you've got plenty of time to improve the garden without spending very much money on it.

Do you need a completely new kitchen or could you upgrade it by replacing doors and work tops?

Alisha2008

I would say the kitchen is the one that would give more value to the property.. the others are more cosmetic, a buyer should see this, and also something you can improve yourselves with time.

We moved into our house 1.5 years ago and now we are going to update the kitchen, can't believe how much work it implies.. I wish we had moved to a house with a new kitchen!!

minniemaus1970

Kitchen and Bathrooms always sell the house, I spend quite a bit on my house, why? cause I get to enjoy it until I sell it.
Does your whole kitchen need replacing or coud it be updated with a few nice touches like half price doors? modern handles? a modern worktop? new flash tap? wall decorated? or new tiles??
do all of the things NEED doin or could they look nice just tidied up? driveway pressure washed? garden fences cut/ stained? shed painted? grass cut and some nice pots?
I wouldn't do work just for others to enjoy, they might not like it, I would do what you get to enjoy the most, a nice kitchen and tidy garden will make YOU feel better every day, and YOU get to enjoy it for 5 yrs
MM

cyclonebri1

Kitchen then bathroom then garden.

Cost??

Kitchen 5K, bathroom 2K, garden free if you get your ace into gear.

1k for contingencies ;);)

vzbfhr

Many thanks guys.

Interesting points and advice youve all given.

Yeah its a whole new kitchen needed. Had a washing machine leak so the walls and flooring are gone. Insurance has helped us out a little:)

We were going to pump all eight into it but im sure we can live with laminate worktops instead of the granite and other cut backs and still make it look great.

Hopefully have around 2-3 left for the front then.

cyclonebri1

vzbfhr wrote: »

Many thanks guys.

Interesting points and advice youve all given.

Yeah its a whole new kitchen needed. Had a washing machine leak so the walls and flooring are gone. Insurance has helped us out a little:)

We were going to pump all eight into it but im sure we can live with laminate worktops instead of the granite and other cut backs and still make it look great.

Hopefully have around 2-3 left for the front then.

yeah, given the 5 year est departure time any worktops should survive, better post formed laminate may add slightly to the desirability factor of the kitchen

Personally I think the serious consideration should be given to the bathroom.
Think fashion and try to predict what will still be desirable in 5 years time. OK impossible but you get my drift.

I'm thinking free standing bath.

Outside, get stuck in, don';t waste money on skips, if you dig a hole, build a mountain.

By which I mean landscape the garden, create different levels and hidden features.

Again, don't spend money having good garden building materials ;)carted.

fluffpot

I'm going to disagree and say the garden! If you do it now, in 5 years time shrubs will be a good size and the garden will look great - a good selling point. If you can, invest in getting it designed professionally - you can do the hard work (plating etc) yourselves

A cheap kitchen in 5 years time will be looking a bit tatty.....

cyclonebri1

fluffpot wrote: »

I'm going to disagree and say the garden! If you do it now, in 5 years time shrubs will be a good size and the garden will look great - a good selling point. If you can, invest in getting it designed professionally - you can do the hard work (plating etc) yourselves

A cheap kitchen in 5 years time will be looking a bit tatty.....

And I will disagree again, the kitchen will look as new in five years, be a grand less when done than it wood then, and the garden con be fixed in 5 minutes, not 5 years.

You are correct in respect of age in the garden, trouble is no on else seems to be.

That's me agreeing with you by the way, :money::money:;);)

Leif

I agree with much that has been said. Do it for yourself, but if you wish to keep your house sellable, avoid anything idiosyncratic.

The problem with the garden is that many people like doing the garden themselves, and I suspect a neat garden is important. So keep weeds down, keep the lawn neat, create some nice flowerbeds. I hate decking with a passion, and all these garden design makeovers repel me. For me a nice neat traditional garden appeals, and that takes time rather than money. Some nice Hebes, a herb bed, some small conifers, lupins that sort of thing. Of course this is my taste, and I cannot account for others, but the houses I have seen sell at a good price have had redone interiors, and simple neat gardens.