Don't let a DIY disaster cost you big this Easter

With austerity Britain staying at home, the usual Easter rush to get stuck into some DIY home improvements is likely to be heavier than usual.

There is nothing like bright sunlight for showing up those nicotine stains on the ceiling or making your kitchen look shabby.

But be careful of major refurbishment unless you have plenty of experience. 

DIY disaster

Poor home improvements could actually devalue a property, according to research by insurer LV=.

Buyers often prefer to install their own kitchens and bathrooms and an old fashioned bathroom suite won’t necessarily detract from the selling price as long as the place is clean.

A new kitchen on the other hand will only add around 2.5% to the price of a home, on average, while a new bathroom or landscaped garden might increase the value by roughly the same amount.

Meanwhile, you have suffered all the inconvenience of living with builders – or doing the work yourself.

However, LV= also found that a good loft conversion could boost a property’s price by 8% on average.

Coming up with the money

But whether you do the work yourself or hire professionals how do you finance the not inconsiderable costs of redecoration, updating or major renovations?

The cheapest way, if you are a good credit risk, is to buy everything on your existing credit card and transfer it to one of the new 0% balance transfers cards.

At 20 months Barclaycard’s Platinum Balance Transfer Visa card currently offers the longest interest free period, with a balance transfer fee of 3.2% of the amount transferred.

Depending on how much you want to transfer however it might pay to go for a card with a shorter interest free period and a lower balance transfer interest charge.