Home improvement still seen as way to increase property value

Homeowners could see lean-tos and conservatories as ways to increase the value of their properties in anticipation of a housing market recovery, it has been suggested.

William Davies, managing director at Aspect Maintenance, believes a desire to maximise the asking price of a house could prompt more people to improve their homes.

He explains that the consumer mindset could be: "When I put this on the market there are going to be a lot [of other properties] coming to market in 12 months time, or whenever it is that the housing market picks up."

They could therefore be driven to add a conservatory or lean-to conservatory to their abode in order to differentiate their property from other similar houses on the market.

However, Mr Davies added that homeowners have shown a strong tendency to improve their homes whether they are thinking about the future value of their properties or not.

The state of the housing market is illustrated by the fact that a Henley Centre HeadlightVision survey conducted in September 2008 found 18 per cent of householders were stressed and depressed about their properties.