Why Loft Conversions Are Better Than Buying New Homes

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There are many times when homeowners will feel they need more living space. It might be because they have a growing family. It could be because they want a room for more storage, or it might be that they want to have extra space to host visitors.

A couple of options exist. One is to upsize, moving home to a new place that gives you the space you need and perhaps has some other attributes your current home lacks, such as a bigger garden. Alternatively, you can extend your existing home or convert a space such as the loft to create more space that way.

Right now, there are particularly good reasons to get a loft conversion in the West Midlands, which are connected to the property market. These are both national and regional.

The latest house price survey by the property website Zoopla has shown prices are now moving into negative territory. Although the annual average price was still up 1.2 per cent in the year to June, this was down from 1.9 per cent in the year to May and the site believes the point where mortgage rates rose above five per cent is a ‘tipping point’ for the market.

Consequently, Zoopla expects prices to drop five per cent over the course of 2023 and while that may sound like good news for bargain hunters, it also means your own home will command a lower price.

Moreover, the analysis has noted there are regional variations at play, with more expensive areas set to see greater falls. So if your home is in a higher-priced area of the West Midlands, such as Solihull or Sutton Coldfield, the drop could be greater.

On top of all this is the higher cost of taking out a new mortgage. The Bank of England’s decision to hike the base rate to five per cent may not be the last, as inflation remains stubbornly elevated, so this could soon be even costlier.

Because of these market conditions, now may be a good time to upgrade your home with a loft conversion, giving you the extra space you need as well as boosting its value, which would otherwise fall.

What Is Mimetic Architecture & Can You Build What You Love?

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Whilst not always a common question, something builders in Codsall are sometimes asked is about whether it would be okay to personalise their homes or places of business and design them in a way that reflects their personality, interests, history or some combination.

The answer is complicated and it is always worth asking architects, builders and your local planning authority, but there are plenty of cases where people have taken personalisation to the next level.

Officially known as mimetic architecture, it is a design principle built in response to the common building motto that form follows function, by having buildings where the form is the function itself, typically resulting in, for example, shop buildings shaped to resemble the products they sell or part of the brand’s identity.

An example of this would be the Tonneau Bistro & Bar in Okinawa which is built to resemble the look of a beer barrel, complete with a pouring tap.

Other examples include the Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles, which resembled the hat of the same name, the High-Heel Wedding Church in Taiwan, the Wolfartsweier Cat in Germany and the Longaberger Basket headquarters in Ohio.

Because these buildings are unusually designed and typically require some more unusual materials to construct and clad, they can be trickier to get planning permission for but are often worth it if you want to stand out.

However, there is one exceptionally notable exception to this in Ireland, with the mimetic architecture concept being adapted not to stand out but to blend in.
The Mimetic House is built in rural Dromaheir, County Leitrim, and uses a mirrored facade to reflect the changing countryside around it, taking the concept of reflecting the external world that mimetic architecture was constructed around and flipping it around entirely to build closer to nature.

How To Increase Your Home’s Value While Mortgages Remain High

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It is a challenging time for anyone hoping to sell their property at the moment, as sky-high mortgage rates are deterring lots of buyers. That is why many homeowners are doing what they can do to add value to their home. 

One of the best ways to boost a home’s asking price is to make it bigger, as homebuyers will be more tempted to make the leap if they are able to get a larger property than they first thought. 

President and co-founder of real estate investment marketplace New Western Kurt Carlton told Yahoo! Finance: “Anything that adds square footage or increases the bed / bath count instantly raises the value of a home.”

Property owners with unfinished basements, room for a loft conversion, or enough space to extend into the garden should take the leap if it means they can increase the number of bedrooms or bathrooms, add a study, or make the living space bigger.

Other ways to increase the value is to install a new kitchen. Realtor at Sotheby’s International-Montecito said even modernising countertops and cabinetry “can provide significant ROI”. 

This is also true for making cosmetic updates in the bathroom, as it makes the property look more attractive than if it appears outdated and in need of repair. 

A renovation job that is not worth doing, however, is building a conservatory. Vince Courtney, chief sales officer at Purple Bricks, said conservatories look dated, are not energy-efficient, and not appealing to homebuyers who want open-plan spaces. 

Instead of fitting a conservatory, consider a house extension in Telford, such as opening up the kitchen-diner into the garden or going into the loft.