I bought my first house in 2002 with my then fiance. At the time, we were a single income couple living in Woking, UK. We really didn't want to get a flat and looked around for houses. Woking turned out to be hugely expensive with even a flat costing upwards of 150K so we started to look further afield. We managed to find a semi-deteched house in South Reading, UK we bought for 129K. The very first day in the house we realised the neighbourhood wasn't very nice! We planned to do some decoration work and sell the house in two years time. This is what started our DIY journey....
Property LadderProperty shows in the UK have helped drive the major upsurge in people doing DIY and looking to potential become property developers.These shows can be deceptive as the profits made by (most?) of the people featured has been down to the huge property market increases. While it is possible to make a living out of property development, it is a serious gamble and not suitable for most people. Doing DIY to improve the value of your home can be a worthwhile investment. If the market dips, the value of your home aswell as everyone elses drops - you sell your's for less, but can buy another for less. As long as you don't go into negative equity ( value of your home being less than the value outstanding on your mortgage ) you are OK. New laws and requlations in the UK are rescricting what DIY you can do. Plumbing and electrical work Future homesHome automation and the environment are both now becoming part of our homes.With the recent water shortages in the UK, the sale of water butts has gone through the roof. Remmeber that most councils offer reduced price water butts and composters!! While a number of high street DIY and electrical stores are now selling PV or wind turbines, the pay back on these systems can typically be five to ten years. It's important to check this as the payback can sometimes be longer than the actual service life of the product!! Solar water heating is the best and most effective 'free' energy system. Water is passed through black tubes on your south facing roof which is heated by the solar radiation ( even on cloudy days ) which is then used by your boiler. Make sure your boiler can take pre-heated water! However, the cheapest green solution is ... cavity wall insulation! For just a few hundred pounds you can get the gap between the outer and inner layer of bricks filled with insulation which will immedietly improve the heat efficiency of you home, leading to reduced energy bills and reducing your impact on the environment. LinksCouple of good links ....
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