Phil has written a five step guide to improving your home for property website Findaproperty.com.

The fourth of his weekly instalments focuses on his top tips for your kitchen and bathroom. Visit the Find a Property website to read more.

If you are a bit strapped for cash, just go for a clean, simple bathroom that doesn’t feel grotty and dated. Visitors – and potential buyers one day – will wince if they see black mould, peeling wallpaper and crumbling window-frames, so getting rid of damp problems and carrying out some standard maintenance is a wise move. There are some great products to clear mould, for example, which are easy to obtain from supermarkets or builders’ merchants and cost no more than about £5 a tin. You simply spray the product on, leave it to soak for a bit and then scrub the mould or algae off .

Re-grouting and replacing your old tap with a new one can give your bathroom a whole new feel. There are a number of taps on the market now, many of them cheaper copies of expensive Italian varieties. Although I would argue it pays to go for ‘the real deal’ if you are designing an expensive bathroom in a multi-million-pound pad, there probably is no need to splash the cash in quite the same way in a typical family home.

You might want to update the sanitary ware in your bathroom, but bear in mind you don’t have to replace all of it. If your loo and bath are fairly neutral and in good condition, you might get away with just renewing the sink. I reckon a loo is a loo and a bath is a bath but the sink is what sets the tone. There are some great sinks available now from a few hundred pounds upwards that make quite a statement and lift a whole room.

Re-tiling is another great way to add value. If you are going to tackle this job, make sure you don’t stint on the number of tiles you use. If you can aff ord it, run the tiles right up to the top of the walls instead of just putting a few above the bath or using the minimum amount in a shower. First of all, it will look more generous – if you choose larger tiles running across the floor and up the walls the room will appear larger – and also, more tiles will prevent damp problems. If the tiles are very expensive, consider mixing them in with some that are lower-priced. If you choose the right tiles, no one will be able to tell the diff erence.

One warning when it comes to tiling: ensure you can get to the pipes in case something goes wrong. I have seen too many bathrooms where no one thought of being able to access anything beneath the tiles or the wall, which means ripping up the bathroom when you need to carry out repairs. Place a panel over a good, easy-to-reach point, potentially saving a great deal of money in the future, or get the sort of fitting that allows you access. Beware of groovy designers that come up with slick bathrooms but don’t really want to think about how you will find the pipes in an emergency.

I speak from experience. There was a problem with the chrome plug in the main bathroom in our London home. It was the kind of plug operated by turning a knob to make it go up and down. The plug broke, but because marble is surrounding the bath there is no way to get to the plug to fix it. Rather than rip all the marble up, I have resorted to using a cheap plastic plug bought from the builders’ merchant for 49 pence. Not as snazzy as our expensive and shiny original plug, but it will have to do for now.

PHIL’S TOP TIP
If you have a family with young children, a decent-sized bath is a good idea. A mixer tap, as opposed to individual taps for hot and cold water, is safer so they don’t burn themselves. In addition, you might want to install a hand-held shower set into the bath taps. Most children hate having their hair washed while standing under intimidating wall-mounted showers and you can use the simpler hand shower or a wall-mounted version that detaches instead. They are inexpensive, starting from about £15.

–Phil

Phil has written his top 10 tips to make money from your property for the Mirror.

To read the article, visit The Mirror website.

After a lot of stripping we finally managed to remove all the wallpaper and get my bedroom finished off with lots of neutral colours. Much more peaceful to sleep in…

Louise

Phil has written a five step guide to improving your home for property website Findaproperty.com.

The third of his weekly instalments features some of his top tips on extending your home. Visit the Find a Property website to read more.

We bought our flat in 2008 from someone who had probably watched too much Changing Rooms! The walls were handpainted with a stone effect at the top and there was fake wallpaper at the bottom. And under all that paint there were layers and layers of real wallpaper too!

As well as stripping and painting the walls, we also sanded and varnished the floors – it is hardly recognisable from 2 years ago!

Katie

Phil has written a five step guide to improving your home for property website Findaproperty.com.

The second of his weekly instalments features some of his top tips on how to make your garden more appealing to buyers and more enjoyable for you and your family. Visit the Find a Property website to read more.

Find a Property are running a competition to win a signed copy of Adding Value to Your Home. Visit the Find a Property website to find out how to enter.

Phil Spencer meets Declan Cashin in today’s Irish Independent

It’s afternoon tea rush hour on a busy Friday afternoon in Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel, and an elderly lady interrupts Phil Spencer as he stirs his cup. “Sorry to bother you,” she says shyly. “But I just wanted to say your show is fabulous.”

Spencer seems embarrassed and politely chats with the starstruck fan for a few moments.

“That happens quite a bit,” he admits slightly red-faced.

Read the full interview on the Irish Independent website.

Phil has written a five step guide to improving your home for property website Findaproperty.com.

The first of his weekly instalments is on the importance of first impressions and how to make the most of what you have to tempt a buyer, visit the article on How to Sex Up Your Home.