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Victorian houses make up a large proportion of our housing stock in the UK and these characterful properties are always in high demand. If you’re lucky enough to own one, are thinking of selling up or are planning to invest in a Victorian terraced home, you may be interested to learn about the best home improvements you can make.
In this article, let’s take a look at some of the best ways to maximise the potential of your Victorian terrace and add capital value.
Kerb appeal is a powerful thing and the importance of a good first impression should never be underestimated. One recent study reports that 76% of homebuyers think first impressions are everything, while 66% think they’re critical when viewing a property online. Short attention spans, quick clicks and snap decision-making are now so commonplace that a property has to capture the heart of potential buyers fast.
When it comes to making home improvements, focusing on the exterior of your Victorian home should therefore be your first priority. Take a look at the outside of your house and tackle important jobs such as ensuring that the roof and guttering are in good condition, doors and windows are well maintained, the render and paintwork look fresh and the path to the front door is inviting.
As a bonus, lavish some attention on your front garden, so it gives the impression of a much-loved home. It’s surprising what you can do even with a few simple spruce-ups such as decorative planters or hanging baskets.
While most Victorian terraced homes were built humbly yet solidly, they tend to have a wealth of period features such as sash windows, encaustic floor tiles, cast-iron fireplaces, high ceilings with decorative cornices. It is these architectural details that make Victorian properties so charming and desirable, so if your house has some of these features intact, do your utmost to treasure them! It’s one of the best ways to add value to a Victorian terrace.
Don’t be tempted to remove original cornicing and ceiling roses. We would suggest that you either restore what’s there or replace like for like. Victorian tiles come in an array of decorative patterns – there’s a great selection here – and refurbishing a hallway floor or pathway to the front door can really add a wow factor. Fireplaces and radiators can often be sourced from reclamation or salvage yards, keeping the original vibe.
When it comes to decorating, Victorian colour palettes consisted of strong, rich hues such as burgundy red, purple, dark greens and inky blues. As luck would have it, this is also a super modern interiors trend, which makes it easy to bring your property right up to date while showcasing its heritage.
Traditional Victorian terraced homes consisted of a front and back reception room with a small kitchen on the ground floor, all accessible via a hallway. Sometimes, a downstairs bathroom was added to the rear. This layout resulted in cramped, dark spaces that are no longer fit for today’s lifestyle requirements. These days, airy and light-filled spaces of generous proportions are what homeowners prefer.
If you have the budget available to make structural changes to the original layout, this can be an excellent opportunity to improve the building for modern living and add real value. With the help of an architect or competent builder, you should be able to rework the existing floor plan to create an open-plan layout to accommodate a generous kitchen/diner, or a large family sitting room on the ground floor. In fact, one of our recent articles reported that one-fifth of all homeowners have demolished a downstairs wall to achieve the holy grail of a spacious, light-filled living area.
The kitchen, as we all know, is the beating heart of the home where we cook, dine and socialise with family and friends. This is in complete contrast to the Victorians' use of the kitchen as a utilitarian space for food prep. In Victorian terraced homes, therefore, kitchens are often small and tucked away at the back of the building.
Luckily, the classic Victorian terrace architecture allows for an obvious fix: you can incorporate the space known as the side return into the main building. This is the narrow passage to the side of the property that was originally designed for access to an outside WC before indoor plumbing came along. A glazed side return extension will enhance both space and light, and should produce excellent returns on your investment, whether or not you decide to knock through between the kitchen and the rear reception room.
A loft conversion is one of the easiest ways to add more habitable space to a terraced home. More bedrooms mean more value, and what you pay in building costs should produce much greater returns. It is a known fact that a well-designed and executed loft extension can add up to 20% to the value of the property!
Unless you live in a Conservation Area, the house is a listed building, you don’t even need planning permission to extend into the loft. This type of building work typically falls within your permitted development rights. Obviously, do check with your local planning authority that your house and your proposed build meet all the right criteria before you proceed.
A converted loft provides plenty of flexible options on how the space can be used. Need an extra guest bedroom or teenage den? How about a home office at the top of the house, a hobby studio, media room or chillout space? There are loft solutions for all of the above and more.
As every estate agent will tell you, kitchens sell homes. Replacing a tired and outdated kitchen is a good way to add value to any property, provided it’s done professionally and sympathetically. The quality of the finishing is all important. Traditional kitchen designs, farmhouse kitchens or timeless Shaker styles are often the first go-tos for period properties. Materials and colours that are in keeping with the rest of the property can look fabulous in any heritage property. That said, ultra-contemporary kitchens can work beautifully against the period architecture of our Victorian terrace, contrasting the old with the new.
If the budget doesn’t stretch to a completely new kitchen design, it is possible to achieve great results for less. Focus on the three key areas of cabinetry, worktop surfaces and flooring and choose a nature-inspired colour palette that reflects the atmosphere you wish to achieve.
Space is often at a premium in a Victorian terraced home. If there’s a downstairs bathroom, see if it is possible to relocate it upstairs. That way, you won’t just make the property more desirable, you’ll also have extra space downstairs to extend the kitchen or add a utility room.
However, be careful not to lose a bedroom by moving the bathroom upstairs. Rather, try to squeeze in a small bathroom by reducing the size of a bedroom or taking out a storage cupboard. Another option would be to use a loft extension to replace the lost bedroom.
Finally, if your property doesn’t have a downstairs WC, it’s a good idea to put one in. It will make entertaining much easier, and make the property more accessible for less mobile residents or guests. In terms of plumbing, you need to be able to connect the WC to an outside wall or the mains, so location is a major factor. Kitchens and utility rooms are the best rooms for carving out space for a downstairs cloakroom.
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