Kitchen makeover a canny way of boosting value

ONE of the surest ways to add value to a home is a kitchen makeover - and it has never been easier to accomplish.

"Modern open-plan home designs mean that the kitchen is much more important than it used to be," Dr. Piet Botha, chairman of the Nationlink estate agency group, points out.

"An attractive and well-appointed kitchen can go a lon way towards persuading a potential buyer that he has found the house he wants.

"In fact, many estate agents have found that the impact of a new kitchen on potential buyers can add a premium to the value of the house which is greater than the actual cost of improvements."

And modern materials and specialist kitchen design and installation companies have really simplified the once-difficult task of combining the best possible storage space with the most labour-effecient layout, he notes.

Well-designed pot drawers, for example, mean you can lay your hands on the utensil you require without moving half the cupboard contents, while corner-cupboard "lazy Susans" mean the ingredient you want can easily be brought to the front of the shelf.

Easy-clean surfaces, self-closing hinges and fancy handles have all also brought new glamour to the household workshop. Standard unit and appliance size mean that wall and floor cupboards can now be manufactured at the most economical cost and that any odd-sized gaps can be skillfully converte to convenient tray, untensil or ingredient storage space.

Computer-aided design also enables the kitchen installation companies, given the dimensions of the kitchen, to quickly offer competitive designs and a choice of materials.

Knowing these comparative costs, homeowners can then confidently choose the layout that best suits their specific needs and the materials that suit their budget - and look forward to boosting the bvalue of their home.