Adding value to a house

Pretty much what you've said.

I'd keep the decor simple and low maintenance. Same with the garden. Knock through the toilet but try to have a separate bath and shower. Easy to do on a budget and ought to maximise your profit. If similar houses have loft conversions, I'd be inclined to get PP but not bother doing the works - it gives the new owners something to do against the security of having the PP in place.

If the area is strong for young families I wouldn't deck the garden - I'd want the biggest amount of open space available for kids to play in and since kids tend to wreck gardens as they're growing up I wouldn't be too concerned about it being beautifully landscaped or anything, just as long as it's safe (so get rid of anything thorny or toxic, put down as much lawn as possible). Similarly, the bathroom is always touted as being important in the family market - my mum was considering getting rid of her bath and putting in a large shower but decided against it on the basis it would potentially knock thousands off the value for that reason.

That was a very long winded way of saying that I would focus my attention on garden and bathroom. If there's enough space/money in the budget I'd try to arrange the kitchen so you can fit a table in it - again, to sell the aspirational lifestyle of the whole family sitting down together to a lovingly cooked meal.

I'd add a downstairs loo if at all possible - young families might appreciate this? If it was to be bought by a family then more than 1 loo makes sense.

Personally I'd be redoing the kitchen too, plenty of people look out for a good kitchen. And then just make sure the rest of it is decorated, give the lawn a mow and make it look nice.

Disclaimer: have never renovated or even owned a house so could be talking crap!

If we knocked through the kitchen/dining room, we'd end up with a 25x14ft space running from front to back of house (to match the living room on the other side of the entrance). Do you think having a separate dining room is too valuable to lose? I was thinking of a dining area/play area/sofa at the back of the room, kitchen area to the front.

Definitely room for it but don't know how much plumbing one in costs. And also would be near the kitchen which sounds like a health and safety no-no.

If you've got the separate dining room I'd definitely keep it, sorry for some reason I just assume that houses these days don't have them! The extra room means more flexibility - a family can keep it as a dining area or a play room and a couple can use it as an office/spare room/junk room.

I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination but here are my thoughts;

White/cream wall throughout.

If possible sand and varnish any original wood floors. If not, laminate.

I wouldn't bother knocking through the bathroom.

Deck or pave part of the garden for the grown ups. Leave a large area of lawn left for kids.

Add a downstairs loo if possible

Remodel bathroom and kitchen

Off road parking?

Laminate flooring and decking are both very passe in design terms! Proper wooden flooring or even neutral carpet better. Good stone paving outside exterior doors.

Best kitchen and bathroom you can afford. Agree with downstairs loo if poss and if so, not having separate loo and bathroom.

Off road parking.

Tidy the garden - cut back overgrown trees etc to maximise space

Ensure outside paintwork is tidy and security is good.

White walls are very "done by a developer who doesn't really care" - neutral but thought out colours make a better impression.

Having a young faimily myself I would say keep the loo bathroom separate unless you go for the extra downstairs loo. Separate diningroom and kitchen is much safer for young children. I'd be looking for a clean usable kitchen that needs little or no work as it's costly and a bit impractical to get done. Garden, grass is always good, decking or patio is also just maybe be careful of a lot of steps. I think I'd be more worried about how contained the garden was if the children or dog could escape easily

When I say "laminate", I'm not sure I mean "laminate"; was just a catch all term. Same for white walls; I just mean "neutral", I think. No original floorboards obvious. Definitely carpet in bedrooms.

The garden is on four different levels, stepped down to the bottom end. To make it child safe, it would all need to be fenced off appropriately (or just flower beds covering whole levels?). The top level is outside the lounge and kitchen doors and would look fab with new paving/decking.

There's no way I'd buy a garden with levels, as someone looking to start a family. Level it if possible! There was a Phil Spencer: Secret Agent on recently saying the same thing. I wouldn't mind a gentle slope but would mind stepped levels.

It would be a very steep slope. I wonder if it could be minimised by decking the far end at an elevation and having it come out to meet the mid-level...

I would knock through the kitchen / dining room but would put the kitchen at the back of this space. I think families with young children would like to be able to keep an eye on them if they were playing in the garden.

Not too sure about a conservatory. It sounds like the room sizes are decent and that there is a fair amount of space already. A conservatory would cost quite a lot to get a decent looking one and some people might be put off by the whole too hot / too cold thing with them. Your money could possibly be better spent elsewhere on the house doing things like putting in a downstairs loo.

Agree with this.

For families I would think an open plan kitchen diner would be better, especially if you can open it with french doors to the back.

I wouldn't bother with a conservatory. I think they're a waste of money, personally.

Floors; this is my own personal taste but I'd have carpet in the living room, hallway, stairs and bedrooms.

Tiles or real wood flooring in bathroom and kitchen/dining room.

I'd go neutral on the walls but not white. White for skirting etc though.

I would knock the loo and bathroom together and make one big family bathroom with plain white suite and neutral tiles.

Refit the kitchen and turn it into a kitchen diner

Possibly extend out ground floor level at the back to include a utility area and downstairs loo - I would have one of those consertina glass doors that go right across the back of the house to let in loads of light and allow the family to "bring the garden in" during the summer.

I would carpet all rooms except the kitchen, hallway and bathroom in a neutral but 'stain disguising' colour.

Walls in neutral colours but not white or magnolia (eurgh).

You may struggle selling a "family garden" if it is stepped, I would level it as much as possible. No decking, this gets slippery when wet and in the winter and is potentially dangerous for kiddiwinks.

I think pretty much what everyone else has said to be honest, except, with the stepped garden, could you look to fence off perhaps the top part? Maybe with railings and a gate so children could play outside but with no danger of falling. Also, just a note, those doors above look amazing but cost a FORTUNE! (I'm a Quantity Surveyor for a house builder so spend all day looking at costs to do with new build houses).

I'd also echo not having laminate but having a decent quality carpet in the living room etc