R E N O VA T I O N S ▲ ADD A BATHROOM The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (rics.org) considers an additional bathroom to be one of the most beneficial improvements you can make to a property. It could add as much as 10% to the value of a house. An extra bathroom appeals to families who are fed up with waiting for the toilet or shower to become available and also to couples who simply enjoy the luxury of having a bathroom each. Imagine a world without arguments about toilet seats or toothpaste lids! GET ENERGY EFFICIENT Making energy-saving improvements to your property could increase its value by 14% on average, according to figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (see gov.uk). Greg Barker, former energy and climate change minister, says: 'Not only can energye cient improvements help protect you against rising energy prices, they add value to your property.' You can improve energy e ciency by adding more insulation and installing solar panels, water recovery systems and led lighting. See our feature on pg 147 for more ideas. 5 www.athomemagazine.co.uk OCTOBER 2017 | 205