Value added by wood burner

dilby00

Hi all -

I've bought a house with a wood burner in the living room, but it's quite old and I'd like to board over to be able to have the wallspace. There's another opening in the same room where a fire once was and I'm weighing up whether it's worth putting a wood stove here.

In reality I quite like some of the electric fires, and it's a lot cheaper than the £2k odd I've been quoted to add a new wood burner. However am I going to make that money back on the house value, and effectively lower the value by removing a wood burner?

Thanks!

andrewf75

I'm sure a woodburner does add some value, certainly saleability, but it seems a bit odd to worry about value when its something minor and non-structural like that.

You're only going to make money back if you sell, and if you're planning to sell why are you changing anything?

dilby00

Hi Andrew - well I can justify the cost a bit more if I know I'd make it back or even make a profit in the long run. I'm not looking to sell right now but perhaps will in 5 years or so - a home is an investment and I've always done things with this in mind.

theonlywayisup

dilby00 wrote: »

Hi Andrew - well I can justify the cost a bit more if I know I'd make it back or even make a profit in the long run. I'm not looking to sell right now but perhaps will in 5 years or so - a home is an investment and I've always done things with this in mind.

My opinion would be that it may or may not add value. It really depends on if it's aesthetically pleasing to the person who ends up buying your house.

In 5 years a lot can happen, I wouldn't buy a wood burner solely because it may add value and certainly not when talking about a 5 year time frame. There is no way to quantify it. If you can afford it, buy it. If you can't, then don't.

Jonesya

Why not removal it all, have it carefully boarded over and ventilated so the flue can be re-opened in the future, and store the stove and hearth in the garage so you can have it refitted at a later date. That way you've kept your options open.

John_Lilburne

I never understand why people are so fixated with "adding value" to a house. It should be looked on as a home ,not an asset in an investment portfolio............If the old one is knackered or you fancy a change just buy a new one.

Owain_Moneysaver

Never understood why people want wood burners when they've got perfectly good central heating.

If the house hasn't got central heating you'd be better installing that, as that does add value to the house.

xyz123

Op- a house and its valuables are only worth what the person buying it is willing to pay for it. In right house wooden burner will look good but someone with say less mobility may see it as a hastle to keep chimney clean etc..

clacky100

Hi we had a gas fire taken out and had a wood burner fitted,best thing we ever did.Easy to maintain fairly cheap to run and heats all the downstairs so saves on the heating bills.

lstar337

dilby00 wrote: »

a home is an investment

The kind of thinking that's brought our country to the brink of bankruptcy.

Davesnave

lstar337 wrote: »

The kind of thinking that's brought our country to the brink of bankruptcy.

Buying houses wisely, with an eye to the future has given some of us a better life in retirement than we might otherwise have had, especially if we'd just peed it all against the pub wall.

I don't see anything wrong with making carefully judged purchases of anything, be it houses or old cars, improving them and selling later at a profit. It's not an either/or situation, so a house can be a home and a long term investment too.

But of course, investments of any kind can go up or down in value, or even be taxed by governments we don't know about when we commit to them!

However, I don't think a wood burner adds any value in a house which isn't suited to it, or where the market is mainly to those who wouldn't want one, so the OP should consider carefully, especially as they don't seem very keen themselves.