Plenty of properties in the UK are decades old, and even those that are between five and ten years old will have outdated electricity, water, cooking and heating systems that could use upgrading, both in case of future faults and in order to save on utility bills in the long run. Happily, the horror that you may feel at the prospect of ripping into walls to reinstall new systems isn’t all that founded – this article explains some of the ways in which you can revamp the facilities that keep your household running without incurring huge disruption and costs.
Water
The older your water system, the closer you are to a ruptured pipe making your life a misery, forcing you to turn off your main water supply and affecting the day-to-day goings on in your house. A plumber will be able to investigate your house for any faulty-looking pipes – in bathrooms, under sinks, or running from boilers – which they’ll be able to fix in no time. The adage applies here: a stitch in time saves nine. Don’t neglect your waterworks or they might burst on you, causing damage and disruption to your property.
Electricity
While you’re far less likely to experience any catastrophic faults in your electricity supply, you may well benefit from a new mains breaker system if you are presently operating on an older one that regularly trips. That’s not to mention taking a good look at your lighting – perhaps switching for low energy light bulbs or installing half a dozen inset LED lights – and considering whether in certain rooms you wouldn’t like some extra plug sockets. If you have all of this in mind for when an electrician comes round, you’ll be able to get most of these jobs done in one or two sittings.
Heating
The golden boy of heating solutions in the modern era of household fittings is the glorious underfloor heating that is fairly easy to instal and will likely feel like a bad idea. You’ll experience some disruption as the floor is taken out and the heating elements are installed, and then you’ll have to find a reputable screeding company to go over the top. What does floor screeding involve? Well, it’s a specific concrete mix that guarantees the flattest floor possible, with no lumps or dips, so that your floor feels fabulous and – best of all – never wince-inspiringly cold to the touch.
Cooking
Houses have a wide variety of cooking facilities, including the ever-warm Agar stove, fan ovens, gas hobs, or simple microwave ovens. If your kitchen is sizeable enough to make a conversion, your best bet is to look at durability and cost-cutting appliances which, depending on your unique household, might direct you towards an electricity-powered cooing system, or a gas-powered one. The choice is yours – do some research first to ensure that you’re making the most sensible decision for your property.
Taking the short-term hit of updating your household facilities will end in long-term gain, so consider these options and book in some specialist help to get your project on the roll.