Why Your £140k Extension Might Only Be Worth £100k — Or Less

Every time I hear someone say, “We spent £140k on the house and only added £100k in value,” I wince — not because I’m surprised, but because I’ve seen it too many times before.

Here’s the truth:

Most people refurbish for emotional reasons.

They hope it’ll be an investment. They assume the market will reward them. But the market doesn’t care what you spent. It cares what it’s worth — to the next buyer.

And guess what? That buyer isn’t buying your home.

They’re buying their future.

So the question is: What kind of future are you really selling?

🧠 Reality check: Buyers don’t care what you spent

They care about:

• Location
• Layout
• Square footage
• Finish level
• Price compared to recent SOLD homes nearby

Not listed here: your stress, your invoices, or your dream kitchen with the boiling water tap.

One TikTok commenter nailed it:

“Every road has a ceiling. Doesn’t matter if you spend £1m – the max is still £500k.”

That’s the ceiling price problem. And you don’t get to raise it just because your builder drove a Range Rover and drank all your oat milk.

🏠 The Agent Trap

Here’s what I always tell sellers:

When you invite agents over, don’t expect all of them to tell you the truth. Most are just laying the groundwork for a future pitch. It’s not about your home. It’s about their pipeline.

So who should you trust?

The agent who said the least — but who you instinctively liked the most.

Why?

Because they probably know something the others don’t — and it’s worth you digging into it. Maybe they actually looked at the sold comps instead of spouting fantasy pricing. Maybe they’re just not desperate. Either way, that’s the one you talk to again.

🛠 Should You Renovate Before Selling?

The age-old question:

“Should I redo the kitchen or bathroom before I sell?”

Answer:

9 times out of 10 — no.

Unless the current one is unusable or likely to cause a buyer to walk away, spend your energy decluttering, cleaning, staging, and pricing properly.

As one commenter said:

“Extensions today are more expensive than just buying a bigger house.”

Another wrote:

“If my dad wasn’t a builder, there’s no way I’d have done it.”

There’s your clue.

✅ Here’s the smarter way:

1. Find your ceiling. Look at SOLD prices, not what’s for sale. Asking prices are dreams. Sold prices are facts.
2. Decide: is this your forever home or your next move? If it’s forever — make it yours and forget the spreadsheet.If it’s your next move — stop thinking like a homeowner and start thinking like a flipper.
3. Know when to stop. That extra bedroom might add value.The garden gym pod with LED lighting and Sonos? Probably not.

🧨 Final word:

If you’re planning a £100k refurb to “add value,” do this first:

• Spend one hour looking at what’s already sold nearby.
• Ask: “Could we buy what we want… without doing the work?”
• Get a no-BS valuation from someone who doesn’t need to win your instruction. (Me.)

You might just save yourself a six-figure mistake.

Want help working out what your home is worth — as it stands?

Or whether that dream extension is a profit or a pothole?

Click the below link to book a strategy call and let’s run the numbers before the builders arrive.

👉 1:1 Private Strategy Call (Buyer or Seller)

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