Kitchens - Renovations rise to cut moving costs

22/04/2008

Homeowners are renovating their homes with ambitious projects such as new kitchens in an attempt to avoid the "dead money" involved with moving, experts have claimed.

Design firm Architect Your Home believes that UK homeowners are investing more in home improvements, such as bathroom and kitchen extensions, as the cost of moving house increases, reports BuildingTalk.

Noting that stamp duty, legal bills and estate agency fees can add thousands of pounds onto a sale, the company claims that some owners would rather spend the money improving the home they already have.

Hugo Tugman, founder of Architect Your Home, told the website: "Adding value to our homes is not just something that we're all interested in, it's a national obsession and the subject of countless television programmes, debates and dinner party conversations."

Mr Tugman also said that homeowners are becoming more inspired by television programmes and magazines dedicated to design and revealed that 64 per cent of his firm's clients choose to renovate their kitchen.

Architect Your Home provides a design service to homeowners looking to carry out renovations to their property and aims to be "cost effective and user friendly".