There’s always some sort of cost involved in home improvements and whether it’s just a few pounds on some tins of paint or many thousands for a double storey extension, one thing is clear – know how much you can afford before you start.

Nothing looks worse than an unfinished improvement project and you’ll either have to live with it, or do some good explaining to potential buyers. So it’s important to be clear at the outset about how much you are prepared to spend on the different aspects of your project and where the money is coming from. In an ideal world you’d set a budget for your project and stick to it, but in many cases, budgets overrun so you’d be wise to set aside a contingency fund (minimum of 10%), just in case.

Should you need to raise some finance from an outside source, there are a number of options you could explore. One of the most popular is to go for a further advance on your mortgage, which enables you to borrow money, secured on the value in your property (equity). But pay it off at a lower rate and over a longer period than most unsecured personal loans offer. Your existing mortgage lender should be able to provide you with details of its secured loans,or if not living style can give you finance