- Interest in DIY has peaked in recent months, with the hashtag #DIYideas boasting 3.2 billion views on TikTok.
- Tidying up your garden was found to be the most valuable DIY task, adding a possible £57,922 to your home’s value, with a DIY cost of just £68 to complete.
- The simple act of cleaning your walls claimed second place, with a potential value add of £26,100 from just a £5 spend.
- Low-cost options such as freshening up tiling grout at a cost of just £2 has the potential to add nearly £5,000 to your home
With the cost-of-living crisis continuing to eat into our home improvements budget, many UK homeowners are looking for clever ways to undertake DIY tasks for themselves around the home, with the hashtag #DIYideas boasting 3.2 billion views on TikTok.
Following the expected slowdown on the UK housing market over the summer months, homeowners hoping to grab the attention of potential buyers now the slump has passed will likely be looking for clever ways to improve the look of their property whilst still adding potential value to their home.
In a bid to learn more about the simple ways in which Brits can improve their property on a budget while still adding value to their home, the experts at commercial estate agents, Savoy Stewart, have calculated the potential costs behind the top 10 easy-to-do home projects, as well as looking in to the potential value these might add to your home when looking to sell.
When looking at the home improvements that can give you the most bang for your buck, tending to your garden comes out on top, despite having a DIY cost of as little as £68 to complete.
According to the findings, having a manicured garden could add up to 20% onto the value of your home, or even increase your potential asking price by up to £58,000.
The top 10 home improvements to add value to your home:
Rank |
Task |
Total DIY Cost (GBP) |
Potential Property Value Added (GBP) |
Value Difference (GBP) |
1 |
Tidy your garden |
£68 |
£58,000 |
£57,922 |
2 |
Clean your walls |
£5 |
£26,100 |
£26,095 |
3 |
Add strip lighting to cupboards |
£99 |
£10,000 |
£9,991 |
4 |
Paint kitchen cupboards |
£18 |
£10,000 |
£9,982 |
5 |
Update kitchen hardware |
£34 |
£10,000 |
£9,966 |
6 |
Freshen tiles |
£2 |
£5,000 |
£4,998 |
7 |
Replace basin plugs |
£13 |
£5,000 |
£4,987 |
8 |
Peel and stick tiles |
£33 |
£5,000 |
£4,967 |
9 |
Replace taps and showerheads |
£52 |
£5,000 |
£4,948 |
10 |
Repaint in neutrals |
£53 |
£5,000 |
£4,947 |
The similarly simple DIY task of cleaning your walls came in at second place, costing as little as £5 to complete yourself.
According to the research, deep cleaning your home can be a simple way to add up to £26,100 to your home’s value, so it’s certainly worth touching up the paint work and putting in the elbow grease needed to get rid of those scuff marks.
Reports show that improving your kitchen can reportedly add up to £10,000 onto your home’s value – but you don’t need to go for a full remodel to give your home an upgrade.
Those looking to spruce up their kitchen will be thrilled to learn that clever hacks such as adding strip lighting to your kitchen cabinets will set you back just £9 and is something even the most novice DIYer can undertake.
Another clever kitchen trick claiming a place within the top five, is painting your kitchen cabinets, adding a potential value to your home of up to £10,000 for a mere £18 DIY spend.
By simply removing the cabinet doors and taking off the handles, you can easily update even the most tired looking kitchen by giving it a much-needed splash of this season’s trending colours.
The hashtag #paintingkitchencabinets has a huge 5.9 million views on TikTok, so it seems many are loving this cheap hack.
In fifth place is another budget kitchen glow up tip; updating your kitchen hardware, which requires a tiny budget of just £34 to complete.
Once you’ve updated your cabinet colours, replacing your old handles with something new and more on trend is the next step in the process, and has the potential to add up to £10,000 value to your home, according to the study.
Images by
Roselyn Tirado
Sam Clarke
Annie Gray
Craig Whitehead
Steve Johnson