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February 26, 2016
Kitchens are hot property when it comes to updating our homes according to a new survey of the UK’s top home improvements, commissioned by Go Compare Home Insurance.
In the last 5 years, over a third of homeowners have undertaken a home improvement or extension. New kitchens, bathrooms and installing energy efficient measures including fitting a new boiler, central heating system or double glazing top the list of work carried out.
However, the research found that 52% of homeowners who had undertaken major works hadn’t informed their home insurance provider of the changes they have made – potentially invalidating their home insurance.
| Top 10 home improvements carried out in the last 5 years | ||
| 1 | Fitted a new kitchen | 48% |
| 2 | Installed a new bathroom | 45% |
| 3 | Installed a new boiler or central heating | 40% |
| 4 | Installed double glazing | 30% |
| 5 | A garden make-over | 29% |
| 6 | Built an extension | 21% |
| 7 | Knocked through rooms | 13% |
| 8 | Added an extra bedroom | 10% |
| 9 | Fitted solar panels | 9% |
| 10 | Created an attic conversion | 8% |
Updating your kitchen or extending your home can increase its value, which inevitably increases the home’s rebuilding costs and household contents.
Remember if you are doing a loft conversion or extension it is possible you may need a party wall agreement with your neighbour – check out our advice.
Find out more about how to insure your home in our guide and take a look at our top tips on home improvement for more information.
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