Home improvements have helped to add £85.6 billion to the value of Britain’s housing stock, according to Direct Line Loans. Homeowners have helped to add value to the market by spending an estimated £58 billion on improvements last year - yielding a potential profit of £27.6 billion. Properties in the Midlands have experienced the biggest increase in value as a result of home improvements with a predicted growth of £20.1 billion.

Meanwhile, the North East saw the smallest predicted rise in property prices, with £4.1 billion. “Home improvements can be worthwhile if you are planning to sell, since even small changes can make a house or flat more attractive to buyers,” explained commercial director of Direct Line Loans, Anthony Rafferty.”

However we would advise anyone making major changes to do their homework first - it is worth checking with an estate agent or surveyor. “Appetite for home improvement has grown considerably over the last couple of years: three quarters of homeowners (76 per cent) are planning to make changes to their property in the next year - a three-fold increase on 2003’s figures. The majority (53 per cent) say they are doing the work to add value to their property.