ASSIGNMENT 3 - PRE SALE PROPERTY IMPROVEMENT EVALUATION

For this assignment I chose a three bedroom apartment that is currently on the market in at a sale price of 1,900,000chf (approx 1,118,000GBP).

A lot of the work I have listed on the home improvements sheet is either de cluttering (such as in the kitchen), purchasing new items for the apartment in order to improve the look of certain rooms and maintenance work where required (particularly in the garden).

The photos below, give an indication of where I have focused my attention with regard to improving the overall look of the apartment.

PHOTO 1 - THE KITCHEN

PHOTO 2 - THE KITCHEN

Key areas for improvement in the kitchen are de-cluttering the wooden worktops, re-positioning the small TV, removing excess items from the granite work surface and re-sanding/finishing the wooden worktops and kitchen door/drawer fronts.

It is also necessary to find a new storage solutions for all excess items. The back wall behind the sink area needs to be re-organised and a new storage solution found for the hanging utensils.

PHOTO 3 - THE LIVING ROOM

PHOTO 4 - THE LIVING ROOM

PHOTO 5 - THE LIVING ROOM/DINING AREA

PHOTO 6 - THE LIVING ROOM

PHOTO 7 - THE LIVING ROOM/DINING AREA

In the living room, I felt the colour scheme needed attention and to a certain degree, neutralising, whilst retaining fun elements such as the animal print covered stools and Louis chair. The white plastic plant pots need to go and the entire room needs re-organising in order to make the most of the space. The dining area needs to be completely changed in order to show that the apartment can accommodate a dining table and 6 chairs as this is the max number of people that can stay/live in this apartment. Dining lighting needs to be addressed as well as incorporating a storage solution for excess items from the kitchen.

The living area will encompass neutral colours with an accent of red so that the room doesn't become too bland. The idea is to merge the indoors and outdoors so that there is more coherence between the two areas (particularly as patio doors lead straight into the garden). The fun element of animal prints can also be used in the placement of a new rug.

PHOTO 8 - BEDROOM A

PHOTO 9 - BEDROOM B

Bedroom A is quite restricted for space so I felt it was important to re-address this and come up with ways to make the room seem less cramped. The bedding is also too bold for such a restricted room and needs 'toning down'.

Bedroom B has far too many pictures on the wall which becomes quite distracting when looking at the room as a whole. Again this, along with the bedding, needs toning down. For practicality, I would also be inclined to add a chest of drawers to the room rather than having the dark wood commode.

PHOTO 10 - BEDROOM C

Bedroom C needs a lot of improvement. This is a large bedroom which has the space to incorporate an office area as well as a double bed. It is also important to include smart storage solutions so that the room does not look cluttered (as it does at the moment) and can still be a relaxing bedroom environment as well. I felt a mood board would help the client so that he has a visual impression of my ideas. The room has quite a 'graphic' feel to it which I have retained in the overall look of the room.

MOOD BOARD FOR BEDROOM C - please see mood board at the end of the document

PHOTO 11 - THE GARDEN

PHOTO 12 - THE GARDEN

The garden with Coup de Coeur is a nice large space which has not been used to the best advantage. It needs re-addressing, de-cluttering and turning into a very welcoming and usable outside space which also makes full use of the south facing aspect. In looking at ways to improve the garden, I felt it was important to create a coherent link between the outdoors and the indoor living space.

PHOTO 13 - THE GARDEN

PROJECT: Apartment Coup de Coeur

DESIGNER'S NAME:

DESIGNER'S CONTACT NUMBER:

CURRENT SALE VALUE OF PROPERTY: 1,900,000chf (approx 1,118,000GBP)

IMPROVEMENTS BUDGET: 2% - 38,000CHF (approx 22,354GBP @ ex. rate of 1.7)

POTENTIAL PERCENTAGE ADDED SALE VALUE OF PROPERTY AFTER WORKS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED: 7 - 10%

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PROPERTY: 4 rooms with surface area of 110m2, 3 double size bedrooms, 1 ensuite bathroom, 1 shower room. Ground floor apartment with a garden living room. Large windows with views over the Combins & ski resort. Large storage cupboard, access to communal washing machine room, private ski locker & 1 x indoor garage parking space. The garden is approx 70m2.

EXTRAS: Yamaha Audio video 5, Hi class system, video beamer (base 2.2m), TV LCD screen 127cm, canal satellite & canal plus (over 400 TV channels), WIFI & internet high spees system, safe

LOCATION OF PROPERTY: Close to the Sports Centre (swimming pool, tennis, squash & ice rink) and the Horse Riding Centre. Quiet area, 5 mins walk from the centre of the village. Free shuttle bus every 15mins in the winter. The bus stop is 80metres from the apartment.

BREAKDOWN OF IMPROVEMENTS PER ROOM PURCHASES & LABOUR COSTS

APPROXIMATE BUDGET

KITCHEN Re-organise all storage in the kitchen. All items which are used infrequently should be stored in the large storage room located in the hallway. Have a systematic solution for using the storage space i.e. crockery in one area, pots & pans in another area, kitchen equipment in another area etc. Some crockery and the glasses could be removed if space is limited and a cabinet could be introduced in the area allocated for dining. Purchase or hire the cabinet which also has drawers for storing cutlery.

New cabinet for the dining area

£850

Introduce a new storage system for the utensils as they clutter the wall behind the sink. The two kitchen drawers currently store two sets of cutlery. If these were moved to a cabinet in the dining area, there would be more space for storing the utensils in the kitchen drawers.

Utensil trays for the two drawers in the kitchen

£10

Remove excess kitchen equipment from the worktop - the toaster, one of the coffee machines, the electric wok etc can all be stored in a cupboard (particularly if some items get moved into a cabinet in the dining area)

HHoommee I Immpprroovveemmeennttss L Liisstt

Re sand and finish the kitchen worktops as these have become marked, scratched and water stained over the years

Maintenance cost to re-sand & finish

£175

Re sand and finish the kitchen cupboard doors as these are marked (dirty finger marks & stains around the door handles).

Maintenance cost to re-sand & finish

£1000

Clear the top of the granite worktop so that all that remains is the small brass sculpture on the granite plinth. This then becomes a visual focal point rather than adding to the clutter. Put away the incense sticks, candlesticks (which could become a feature on the dining table instead), Moroccan ashtrays and small lamp etc. Clear the clutter on the wood worktop - the pestle & mortars, the mini vac, the plant pot, the scales, the bottle opener etc - store some items in the kitchen cupboards or the dining cabinet i.e. the pestle & mortars & the scales in the kitchen & the bottle opener in the dining cabinet. Other items such as the mini vac can be stored in the hallway cupboard. Decide if there is anything not worth keeping. This worktop should be completely clear & user friendly. I would also be inclined to either remove the small TV completely or re-position it to one end of the worktop. Its position at the moment means you lose alot of valuable work space.

Maintenance cost to re-position TV

£30

Remove the two metal lamps hanging from the ceiling as they serve no purpose and are more appropriate decoration for the garden.

DINING AREA The dining area next to the kitchen does not make best use of the space. As the apartment can sleep 6 people it would be more appropriate to have a dining table with 6 chairs (rather than a small round table with 2 cane chairs). The wooden floor speaker, the floor to ceiling plant, the chest with the lamp & second plant on it would all need to be removed. Some items can then be placed elsewhere in the room whereas items like the chest and the plant pot with decorative lights do not add anything visual to the room so they could be removed permanently.

dining table & 6 chairs, placemats for the table

£2410

If possible, it would be good to install one or two pendant lights over the dining table instead of having spotlights directed over this area.

1 or 2 pendant lights

£160

LIVING AREA

The grand piano takes up alot of space in the corner of the living area and looks squashed into the corner. As a piano is a rare item to see in the living area I would be inclined to remove it from the apartment entirely so that the room looks more spacious.

Maintenance cost to have piano moved out of the apartment

£80

The removal of the piano would then allow for re-positioning of the sofas, the buffet table between the sofas (or this could be removed entirely and replaced with a more suitable cabinet with a combination of cupboard space & drawers - as discussed previously for the dining area), the plants (4 in total), the floor speakers & the table lamps (currently 3 in the room). Introduce a couple of side tables for the table lamps. I think two table lamps are sufficient for the size of the room. Instead of using the third table lamp (the smallest one currently on the piano), replace this with a floor standing lamp which then creates a new height dimension with the lighting.

2 x side tables & a floor standing lamp

£370

The living room decor needs simplifying. The floor rug and the animal print covered stools and Louis chair do not work together. The animal print is fun and I would therefore be inclined to remove the rug and change it for another one - something thicker & warmer in neutral colours.

new rug £400

With the removal of the piano, the sofas could be moved further back. Again, the colour of the sofas doesn't sit particularly well with the rest of the room. The existing sofas could be removed and replaced with 2 others in neutral colours (with the addition of throws and cushions in a red to coordinate with the curtains) or replaced with a corner sofa.

new sofas x 2 or a corner sofa plus cushions & throws

£2700

The large floor to ceiling plant could then be placed behind the sofa, in the corner of the room (where the piano currently is). The plants all need new pots i.e. woven twig pots.

new plant pots x 4

£220

The curtains need changing. The current red curtains are old and faded with broken tiebacks. Either keep the red colour or use a neutral colour with multi coloured tiebacks

new curtains - (4 pairs)

£680

The back wall with the 4 pics - remove the painting on the right completely & simplify the wall space with just the 3 pictures that sit well together. Re-adjust the spotlighting to focus on these three pictures Either, clear the coffee table of all items completely or place a couple of 'coffee books' on the table or a feature bowl (with nothing else on the table)

feature accessory for the coffee table

£35

Lit 'smelling' candles/tealights just prior to a viewing would be beneficial in this room as the owner is a smoker

candles & holders £80

Background music turned on just before a viewing would also be a bonus in this room as it would 'sell' the high tech music system in the apartment

BEDROOM A Change the bedding for something simple and light coloured. Accessorise the bed with a coodinating throw and cushions (maybe introducing a pale green colour so that there is a natural link/flow between the bedroom and the bathroom, which has green floor tiles).

New double bedding with cushions & a throw

£250

Remove the two commodes, one to the right of the room (in front of the wardrobe) and the other from the corner of the room with the TV on it. Space is quite restricting in this bedroom and it simply feels more cramped with these two unnecessary items of furniture. Invest in a flat screen TV that can then be fitted to the wall opposite the bed and remove the projection screen.

flat screen TV with a wall bracket & maintenance to fit TV to wall

£700

Get rid of the blue fabric covered headboard as you can then gain a few extra centimetres at the end of the bed.

ENSUITE BATHROOM Remove the jazzy shower curtain and replace with a glass panel

glass shower panel & maintenance to fit

£200

Replace the toilet seat as the current one is broken and keeps moving when it is sat on

new toilet seat £35

Re sand and finish the bathroom wooden worktop as it has a burn mark from what looks like straightening tongs and there is water damage around the tap area

Maintenanace cost to re-sand and finish the worktop

£100

Remove all mismatched towels & bathmats and replace with coordinating sets

new set of towels & bathmats (1 x hand towel, 1 x bath sheet & a bath mat)

£72.50

Remove all accessories that do not match i.e. soap dish, toothrush holder etc and replace with coordinating accessories

new set of bathroom accessories x 3

£90

BEDROOM B Minimise the number of framed photos on the wall. One feature wall is enough but the photos then need to be carefully chosen so that they work together rather than 'fighting' with each other. A series of black & white prints with a similar theme might work best here. The large black & white photo print can then remain on the wall to the left (and become part of the theme) whereas the large coloured photo print on the wood panelled wall should be removed. Change the bedding for something simple and light coloured. I would be inclined to use the same bedding in all three bedrooms but then perhaps change the cushions and throws in each bedroom. This way there is a coherence between the bedrooms.

new set of bedding with cushions & throws

£250

Remove the commode against the left wall. It is a sombre piece of furniture and the room would benefit from the addition of a chest of drawers against the wall facing the bed.

chest of drawers £400

BEDROOM C Move the Louis chair to the living room, with the other one Remove the red wardrobes and replace with something white or keep to the graphic feel and repaint the existing wardrobes

new double wardrobe

£300

Remove the bunk beds and either add two single beds in here (something that works with the wardrobe) or a double bed.

new bed(s) £1300

Consider removing the rug as this may become redundant with the addition of a double or two single beds Create a new work desk area for the computer etc. to the left of the new entrance way (in front of what would then be a new window), incorporating smart office storage solutions.

new work desk with smart storage solutions

£500

Remove the current dark wood commode and replace with a chest of drawers that coordinates with the other bedroom furniture

chest of drawers £200

Remove the hand built cd rack which is attached to the wall next to the dart board. Remove the dartboard cabinet Remove all items placed on top of/and under the wardrobe and on the shelf above the work desk as this makes the room very messy and cluttered. If more storage space is required in the bedroom, consider purchasing some under bed storage systems or purchase a bed with built in storage. Add a bookshelf to the bedroom which is more practical and helps to keep books tidy and properly arranged

wall bookshelf £80

Add two bedside tables with table lamps, either side of the double or single beds.

2 x bedside lamps & bedside tables

£280

SHOWER ROOM The wooden worktop around the sink also needs re sanding and finishing due to marks and water damage

Maintenance cost to re-sand and finish the worktop

£100

Incorporate coordinating bathroom accessories, towels and bathmats.

bathroom accessories, coordinating towels (2 x hand towels & 2 x bath towels) & bathmats (x 1)

£162.50

HALLWAY

Reduce the number of photos, paintings and pictures on the walls and stick to a coherent theme throughout Add a coat hanging rail or rack near the entrance, for practicality.

coat rail/rack £60

GARDEN Completely clear away all unused furniture and other items piled up against the building walls as it makes the garden look very untidy Cut and feed the lawn then trim the edges Maintenance cost

to tidy up the garden

£550

Add some rectangular tubs along the edge of the lawn and paving slabs so that some colour can be introduced into the garden

Plant pots for the garden

£150

Create an outdoor garden dining area with coordinating furniture (for 6)

Outdoor dining furntiture

£2000

Add some garden lighting to create an atmosphere in the garden at night time

Metal garden lamps

£50

Create a permanent barbeque area so that there is a functional focal point

Maintenance cost to build a stone barbeque & purchase grill racks

£160

Add wall lighting to the outside of the building Maintenance cost to purchase & install outdoor wall lighting

£300

A flowering bed along the right side of the garden (not necessarily straight) would be beneficial as you could then disguise the metal fencing with climbing plants and create some interest in the garden which is quite bland at the moment.

Maintenance cost to tidy up the garden (as before - already costedin) & purchasenew plants

£350

Reclining furniture could be incorporated along the terrace area for added interest/comfort

Outdoor reclining furniture

£3000

TOTAL COST FOR MAINTENANCE, LABOUR & PURCHASES

£20,840

DESIGN CONSULTATION FEE for hours worked on written report, visit to property, preparation of 4 x mood boards

£1500

TOTAL £22,340

BUDGET £22,353

TOTAL ESTIMATE £22,340 REMAINING £13

There are two areas I would discuss further with the client, should the property remain unsold for a long period of time. It might be worthwhile for the client to invest in a couple of major improvements to the property in order to ultimately increase its saleability and overall value:

1) The whole shower room needs re-tiling as the wall tiles are very dated. The mustard yellowcolour also makes the room feel much smaller than it is. The floor tiles could also do with beingreplaced but this is not as necessary as the wall tiles.

2) Access to bedroom C is restricting as you have to walk through bedroom B to get to bedroomC. Depending on the client's budget/needs, I would be inclined to suggest he either lose someof the outside space to the side of the apartment and create/build a corridor which can run alongthe side of the house (behind the kitchen which has no window to lose anyway) and meet the sidegarden door that you access from the dining area. Access to the garden can still be gained viathe glass patio doors in the living room. This way, although still not ideal, the bedroom doeshave a separate entrance without having to walk through another bedroom. The current windowwould need to be removed and replaced with a smaller window, a new door would then need tobe fitted to the right of this wall space with a dividing wall between the new window and door. Anextra door could also be incorporated at the other end of the corridor for a new access to thegarden.