/7 min read
Which Works Add Value, and Which Do Not
In short
Landed works divided into three: the ones that reliably pay, the ones that are neutral, and the ones you will not get back. Structural fixes to a bad plan pay — daylight into a deep house, a ground-floor bedroom, a lift, a kitchen in the right relationship to the garden. Most finishes are neutral. Highly personal specification is not recoverable, which is an argument for knowing which budget you are spending.
In this article
Topics
- Asset enhancement
- Cost
- Alterations & Additions
The works that reliably pay
Anything that corrects a structural deficiency in the plan: daylight into a deep house, a ground-floor bedroom, a lift, a kitchen in the right relationship to the garden. These are expensive to do and impossible to fake, which is exactly why they hold value.
The works that are neutral
Most finishes. A good stone and an excellent stone read as the same decision to a buyer two owners later. Spend the difference on the plan.
The works you will not get back
Highly personal specification and anything that removes flexibility — a room that can only ever be one thing, a layout that suits exactly one family composition.
None of which is an argument against doing them. It is an argument for knowing which budget you are spending: the one for living, or the one for the asset.
Key takeaways
- Fixing the plan pays. Upgrading the finish usually does not.
- Lift provision, daylight and a workable ground floor are the reliable three.
- Know whether a decision is for living or for the asset. Both are valid.
First published in the KAPA Journal, written with KAPA Design Collective, the practice that designs and builds our residences.
Published by TMB Development at tmbdevelopment.com/journal/which-works-add-value. Quoting a passage with a link back is welcome; republishing it is not — see the terms.
