Does a wood burner add value?

rustyboy21

Adding Value to your house is not really the way to look at it.

Some would think that it is the best thing since sliced bread, others would think that it would be a bind to operate. You really have to look at a number of factors in order to work out the desirability of your property.

Things like which age group your house is geared towards. If it is near a popular area with good bars, shops nightlife, coffee culture etc, then it may suit younger, aspirational types, who may not have the inclination to continually replenish the stove. If you are near good schools, transport hubs etc, then maybe it is more suited to families with young children, who may like your house due to the size, gardens etc.

If your house is more suitable to older people, then I would say it would be a deterrent for buying the house, as they may have grew up with a stove/ open fire and know how much of a bind it can be, or not fit enough to be splitting logs, carrying hods of coal each day into the house.

You may also have a house more rural, which may lend itself to someones ' forever' house, then a stove may be a benefit.

At the end of the day, the only real influence on the price of your house, is the price of similar houses in the area. Do you offer anything on top of what , say next door is offering? Do any of the above customer basis suit your house better than others and is it kitted out to reflect that market sector?

IMHO, a stove could seal or kill a deal. I wouldnt have one in a month of sundays , give me gas any day. But if I was viewing a property, with a badly maintained garden, shoddy doors in the kitchen, tatty tiles in the bathroom, wacky colours in the rooms etc, then that would make me think is the house worth the money? I would spend the say £2k + in doing the house up to a respectable level, spend a bit on areas that you have maybe neglected over time in neutral colours, style. Tidy the garden up, sort out any cracked paving etc. Even this can make your house more comfortable for yourself to live in as well as giving you a bit of an extra wow factor and less chance of someone turning around and saying ' we will have to refit the kitchen and bathrooms, thats £10k off the price straight away. If things look decent and well maintained, then you wont have that as much.

Just my honest opinion.

tired_dad

Firstly there is the issue of how you heat the house.

Most of us have gas or oil. Some places need a wood burner to add additional heat, without which the house would be cold.

All I can say is that we have gas central heating the works fine. We also have a small wood stove that is used in winter. It makes our living room toasty hot compared to the rest of the house. While the rest of the house is warm via GFCH, the living room is where peeps congregate to because

1. it is v warm
2. lovely smell
3. The sight of burning wood is mesmerising. Its a bit like watching a bonfire on Guy Fawkes night. There is a primordial reaction to the sight of the fire.
4. When guests come round they can't get enough of it.

So for us the wood burner is not needed as a necessity (GFCH is in place) but it adds atmosphere. The price to pay for the atmosphere was the instal cost, wood cost and sweeping costs. So I take the view that I'm paying for the atmosphere, not trying to save money on heating or change the value of my property.

One thing I can tell you. If I was selling the house in winter and potential buyers were visiting with the fire in full flow, they would love it.

House buying is primarily about price and location.

patanne

The idea of one is lovely, but in reality, you lost me at needs cleaning out.