Most homes in Britain were built over 50 years ago. This means they were built with antiquated plumbing and heating arrangements. They were built with small single pane windows and with old inefficient boilers, bathrooms and kitchens.

In the Seventies and eighties much of the social housing stock was sold into private ownership and many of these are currently in need of renovation. The basic structure is sound but the fittings and the basic house services were mass produced and designed for functionality not attractiveness.

So in order to renovate one of these structures one has to take some decisions as to the budget and where to start.

The first thing, always worth doing, is to insulate the roof and double glaze all windows. These are practical home improvements and all mortgage lenders will cover the cost as this will add to the value of the home. There are plenty of suppliers and subcontractors out there willing to do the work so if you can raise your mortgage you can get this work done quickly and easily.

NB. Check the references of the contractors that you get in to do your work. There are many fly by night and shoddy workmen out there. This is a pity as it gives the honest hard working craftsman a bad name.

Another great addition is a Solarium or Gazebo. These are temporary structure so do not need planning permission and will enlarge your leisure space. It too should be possible on the mortgage and the reference checking applies here just as much.

Next we come to the kitchen. This is always a good place to start as the kitchen is the heart of the family home. In order to modernise the kitchen could simply be a matter of replacing the counter tops and the cooker or it might be ripping everything out and starting from scratch. But a new, modern well designed kitchen with modern appliances, Granite counter tops, a decent sink and draining board and modern taps will add double the value to the house than it cost to install. When it comes to selling a house the men quite often have little or no say but make the women fall in love with the kitchen and half the battle is won. The converse may also be true where if the kitchen is downy the wife will resist even if everything else in the house is ideal.

Modernising the boiler with efficient controls and timers is a small easy step. Modern Boilers take a lot less space than the old type and are easy to install.

If you live in the south and have a large expanse of southerly sloping roof you may be able to get a government grant to install solar panels. These are expensive to put in initially and they have to stay in place for the full twenty years otherwise the grant becomes repayable. Nevertheless the hot water generated by these when there is sun will pay for themselves in the long run.

Modernising and old home is a worthwhile thing to do.