Hi everyone, I have just bought my first investment property and hoping to do a bit of value adding before we get any renters into it. The problem i am having is trying to work out what is the best for increasing the value of the property in regards to painting the interior.
It is quite an old place with tongue and groove walls which the original owners decided not to paint but just to varnish in the main living areas and bedrooms. Unfortunately this is not consistant throughout the whole house as the kitchen and another room are painted. A few people have said that this wooden look on the walls and roof is quite unique and that I should leave it but it makes the house very dark.
So my question is does painting the whole interior of the house with some uniformity and maybe a feature wall here or there create more value or will just maybe painting the roof in these dark rooms to lighten it up, therefore keeping the unique look work better.
Any comments or advice will be keenly taken on board.
I’d ask some estate agents. This is rather a rare thing and it would be a pity to paint the walls, but having lived with panelled living and dining room walls, I know how dark it is. I had to have the lights on during the day. Once we renovated we built a light, bright kitchen/living area and the panelled rooms were then used mainly at night. It would have devalued our house a great deal to have painted the walls, and seeing your house will be rented, you will not be living in it, but of course, it has to appeal to tenants as well.
I’d get some estate agents opinions before you touch anything.
Wylie.
have you looked at adding a sky-light? I’ve seen them used to really lighten up dark rooms. But make sure it’s an appropriate one for the rest of the room. I know they come in various costs, too, so you may have some options.
Craig.
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For the sake of pleasing tennants, just put in 100W globes to keep it bright and maybe some down-lights near the darker areas. Simple but it works and is a really cheap way to make any place seem more appealing to inspecting tennants when its just that little too dark (I’ve got a bathroom with no windows, and although 100W is overkill for such a small area, it works wonders. Great Idea for the often dark, laundy area as well).
As for adding value, I tend to think the wood finish will leave you more value but as Wylie suggested, ask the estate agents. I tend to think the best way to add value is to simply fix the things that need fixing while trying to keep the whole affect, fairly neutral and leaving everything else, as is (unless it’s REALLY ugly like bad wall-art or something).
The best place for any excess cash to go is not into existing investment homes but buying the next one.
in our PPOR we have some walls like this. they are a big pain to paint and take a while, but because we had painted everything else, laid new carpet etc, it looked dull and old without painting them.
i think painting the whole house brightens it up and demands a better rental return.
Just a point about painting the boards. You could find that the varnish is a total pain to remove and I’m not sure you can just paint over the top of it. In the 80’s, houses with panelling were treasured and boards preserved as “natural/stained” wood. Then fashions changed and it was suddenly acceptable to paint them. Its a fashion thing and bound to change again. Good lighting sounds like great advice to avoid making the decision altogether. Sounds like a great little house.
Thanks for all the replies, they have all been helpful and given me something to think about. It is probably going to be rented to uni students or a family with a mature age student so maybe they will like the natural wood look.
The skylight is a good idea, but we are trying to spend as little money as possible and try not to not knock holes in the place.
The high wattage lights sounds like a really good idea as well, but is that actually going to add any value to the house?
I definately will have a chat to some real estate agents and get their scope on the situation though.
Well thanks for everything, anyone else with any comments please jump in.Hi,
I’m an architect myself and my bf runs a painting company. And we had one of this buildings ourselves. So I think I know a bit about a topic.
Consider the future maintenance coast – varnish the wood is hips chipper then painting. And wood is easier to maintain and it’s not getting as damaged as paintwork. If you paint it now you will have to do new painting every few years.
I personally would rather keep the timber, but would put into my maintenance budget modern ceilings, light and door knobs – it transforms the interior makes building modern.
We did this to out building. When we out it for sale we get all white minimalist furniture, off white carpet and I made a huge painting in whites (nothing special – just few splashes of different paints, no special skills required). But the house felt so-o-o special! And unique! And with a painting it was so much more light – just as if there’s another window!!!
Think twice before painting your walls – it will be really hart to reverse the process
Cheers,
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