Love It or List It? Which would you do?

According to Kirstie and Phil you have two options - you can either love it or list it! But which would you do to find your perfect home?

If you've ever watched the Channel 4 show you will know that ‘Love It or List It’ is the show that illustrates how you can make the home you live in the home you love. Alternatively, you can list your home and move to a new property. There are costs and disruption involved with both options but maybe, with a little vision, the home you currently live in could be your dream home.

So what are the ways you could use a local builder like TED Construction & Developments Ltd to make changes to your home that will make you love it?

1. Reshuffle internal space

What if you switched the positions of different rooms? Could flipping the position of the kitchen and dining room in your home create a larger kitchen/diner while giving easier access to the garden? Consider whether rearranging your rooms would give you more useable living space.

Pros: A simple change to the plan could make much better use of the space. Maybe it would create an opportunity to add a larder, utility room or WC?

Cons: There may be additional costs involved in rerouting plumbing from the original kitchen position. Also, there will be redecorating costs, and don’t forget your finished flooring!

What Changes Would Make You Love Your Home?

2. Open up space or add walls

Maybe knocking down a partition wall between two rooms could be the easiest way to create more useable space? If rooms or spaces are too big, adding partition walls can create additional rooms or storage and may solve that love it or list it puzzle.

Pros: Creates a large open plan space which is perfect for family life. A large and bright kitchen with lots of storage is an essential and popular option for modern day families. Add personality to the heart of your home by choosing a modern kitchen manufacturer like DIY Kitchens. Conversely, adding a wall to a really big room may give you two more useful spaces - perhaps you could create a dressing room or an additional bedroom.

Cons: If the dividing wall to be removed is not a simple stud partition, there will be extra costs for knocking through a supporting wall as steel beams may be required.

3. Convert the loft

That space above you may be full of old, forgotten stuff but what if you converted that space into a useable room? You can always incorporate storage in the room if you just can't let go of those boxes of paperwork, Christmas decorations and kids toys 🙂

According to a special report published in 2023 by the Nationwide Building Society, adding space to a home through a loft extension could add up to 25% value to the property. An additional bedroom with ensuite bathroom is a particularly good way of adding value with this increased floor space. Planning permission may be required if you are not staying within the original footprint of the loft space or extending the roof profile. You may be able to make the changes under the rules of Permitted Development but be sure to seek professional advice before committing to any structural work. Source the advice of experts and research thoroughly. There are many useful resources available including articles like this online article at Homebuilding & Renovating.

Pros: Adds an extra room to your home which is ideal for a growing family. It could be an additional bedroom or maybe a space for a craft room or kids den. Either way, a well considered and functional conversion adds useable space and value to your home and may solve your

Cons: Sometimes converting a loft may impact floor space on the floor below to accommodate new stairs that will need to be built. Consider whether the loft space gained compensates for the space lost on the lower level.

You Can Either Love It or List It. But Which Would You Do To Find Your Perfect Home?

4. Convert the garage

Some of us may be lucky enough to have an attached garage but although some are homes to cars, many are just full of the generic 'stuff' that homeowners accumulate. What if you could delete some of the stuff and create a family room, office or a home gym? Another option would be to create an annexe with ensuite bedroom for guests?

Pros: A poorly used garage can be a really simple way of creating another room and lots of space on a ground floor. Use possibilities could include an Airbnb rental, accommodation for an elderly relative or, if you create a first floor extension above the garage, a further bedroom.

Cons: You’ll lose the option to store the car, boat or bike collection (or whatever large scale things you like to collect 🙂

5. Full extension

So, could this be the answer to the love it or list it dilemma? Whether to the front, side or rear of your property and over one or two storeys, an extension is a straight forward way of creating more space and rooms in your home. The size of the extension will depend on the space available around your property alongside planning permission/permitted development and funds available for your project.

Pros: An extension offers the opportunity to really open up a home and create a generous ground floor space with additional rooms or, alternatively, a first floor additional bedroom or bathroom.

Cons: Building an extension can be a more time consuming and expensive project as it could include architect and planning permission costs. (Find out more about planning permission in our blog post 'How is Permitted Development Different to Planning Permission?') Alongside this, consider the additional costs of setting new foundations and services, breaking through external, structural walls and all of the building materials required for a brand new structure. Bear in mind that an extension with a large footprint will eat into garden and outdoor space.

You May Well Already Be Sitting In Your Own 'Love It' House!

6. Separate Garden Room

Finally, if you have a large garden you could also consider building a separate garden room or studio. There are lots of companies that supply buildings in kit form which can then be built upon a solid foundation. You can see an example of one of these types of builds in our blog post, 'Timber Studio & Workshop'.

Pros: A separate building can be an ideal way to run a business from the comfort of home without impacting the space within the home and keep work and home separated. It also makes a good option for an Airbnb business opportunity if planning and safety regulations allow for it.

Cons: Additional management, maintenance and insurance of a separate property for rental would need to be considered.

Move or Improve?

So, what are the costs of loving your home as opposed to listing it?

Here is an example of a breakdown of costs relating to a freehold property sale and purchase based on costs and percentages as of August 2025. (You will find a really useful cost of moving calculator on the Home Owners Alliance to calculate your own figures)

You are selling your only freehold property for £375,000 and purchasing a freehold property for £500,000.

The £500,000 purchase price would incur Stamp Duty of £ 15,000 (as of August 2025, if this is your only property)

On top of the stamp duty costs would be the Estate Agents fee for selling your house. In our example, this would be roughtly £5,625 based on a typical fee of 1.5% commission. Bear in mind that this percentage value will be different for different agents.

Therefore, before you have incurred any other costs your house moving expense is over £20,000.

When you add all the other moving expenses such as surveys, conveyancing costs, energy performance certificates, removals and mail redirection your outgoings will increase again.

Love It Or List It?

Alongside these financial costs, the stress and effort of going through the selling/purchasing process along with moving schools or changing jobs comes at its own price.

What could you do with a budget of over £20,000 if you were to stay in the home you’re already in? Could you install a new kitchen? Or freshen up your landscaping to make your outdoor space more enjoyable? Maybe a standalone garden cabin to use as an office or hobby room? That kind of budget could create the changes you need to make your current home a better fit for your lifestyle whilst adding value to the property?

So, whether you're a fan of the show or not, don't forget to consider all of the potential of your current home and the options open to you - you may well already be sitting in your own 'love it' house!

Note: Property values and purchase prices will differ across the UK and all percentages quoted here are correct as of August 2025. Be sure to do your own research as the content of this blog post is for informational purposes only.

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TED Construction & Developments Ltd is an award winning building company based in Chichester, West Sussex. If you are in the area and would like to chat about a building project you're planning or if you have specific questions about any of our services, please get in touch.