Design and Build Trends That Add Significant Value To Your Property
The average property in the UK is valued at £228,903 according to government data. However, the asking price for property fell by about £600 between June and July, which is rather strange in a situation where less property is coming to the market. However, the falling asking price is good news for those looking to buy, and is definitely going to motivate more people to start looking again. But if you want to sell your property for a higher price in this market, you will need to implement new design and construction trends that actually add value to your property.
Energy efficiency
With climate change concerns dominating most of the news coverage, interest in solutions such as energy-generating homes is growing. More construction projects include solar panels, solar water heaters and energy storage in their designs. On average, a home that relies on renewable sources like solar and wind power cuts energy bills by about 30%, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
Apart from this, companies are looking into energy saving solutions that are built into the structure of a building or home. For example, you can save energy by installing underfloor heating as an alternative to traditional radiators. Combining underfloor heating with a condensing boiler can help a building achieve energy efficiencies of over 90%, according to the Centre for Sustainable Energy. The value for a buyer in this regard, is that it will cost less to manage or maintain the home compared to other similar looking homes.
Tech for the home
Tech can be used for energy efficiency and also for saving water. There are smart leak detectors that use sensors built into a building’s plumbing system. These sensors can detect leaks by monitoring water pressure because leaks produce a change in water pressure within pipes. If a leak is detected, the sensors then communicate these changes through the internet to a pipeline monitoring system or a smartphone app.
The sensors can be placed on the pipe or within the pipe. There are also smart home solutions that can automate lighting, security and other functions in a home. So far, homes that come with smart-devices pre-installed are still a rarity in the UK, but construction companies in the USA have started offering them. They do make a home-living more convenient and secure, and for that reason more valuable.
You still need to focus on aesthetics when designing a building, but making it energy, water efficient and smart, allows you to sell it at a higher cost than other buildings that are aesthetically similar. The good news is that the government is becoming more direct in its support for energy-saving buildings.