What is the best, and the worst, money you have spent on your home?

Putting a proper roof on our conservatory and removal of the internal doors. The result gave us a large kitchen diner and family room to use all year round. Also great for entertaining!
The worse was putting a sink in our bedroom in a previous house many years ago!

Best buy has to be the woodturner, just love it. We had it put in over 15 years ago when we had to change the boiler, we had the old gas fire taken out and replaced it with the wood burner. We spend many happy hours foraging for wood and so far we have only once had to pay for logs. Also we have bought a small instrument with prongs on that you use to test the wood to see how much moisture is in it and whether it is fit to burn. Mr B and I both fight over who is going to use it. Like a couple of kids.
The worse thing is the electric jam maker I bought, what a faff to use, its in the loft now.

Dragonfly46 Are you over 6' tall. My ceilings are not particularly high and I am 5'6" and I know I would have great difficulty with a fridge or freezer reaching the roof. How on earth do you manage?

Best and worst - our very large extension 25years ago.
Its given us an extra bedroom, a much more spacious living room, integral garage (used for storage) and very large kitchen.
The downside - it was very badly planned, the kitchen diner doesn't have a window so its too dark so never gets used. It drives me mad that a whole room is completely wasted space!

Another more recent worst buy - replacement windows installed by a local builder. Terrible job, they are draughty and 'sing' when its windy.
He didn't sort the planning/building consent either so will cause problems when we come to sell.

Best definitely our little orangery. We have a south facing garden and had a small conservatory. DH hated it. Either unbearably hot or too cold. Had it taken down and replaced with the orangery. Before we did it we debated over whether to spend the money. Now we absolutely love it. Worth every penny. Use it continually.

Making our large internal garage slightly smaller to steal some space which was then incorporated into the utility . This space was then turned into wall length cupboards floor to ceiling which is very useful.

Best thing : dishwasher in a drawer fitted under the work surface, with drawers in the kitchen instead of cupboards. Makes for easy loading and unloading, and no bending looking for stuff at the back. Worst : a small TV. We baulked at the mass of the huge one and bought quite a small one, and now can't see it.

What an apt thread this morning!! Four months ago I spent £3000 to get my garage roof renewed as it had been leaking for a few years ...first substantial rain in those months and went to inspect ... instead of leaking in original place it’s now leaking in 5 ( count them) new places!!! Contacted roofer 2 hours ago...not heard back!!

Bad - DH was distraught at the idea of 6 weeks of lockdown and was allowed to order the greenhouse I had said no to, so he could build it. Our first holiday money went on it. Now he is back working away again, and I am looking after a greenhouse

Best investment was having 10 leylandi trees taken down from the front of the house 18 years ago. A friends son was doing his training to be a tree surgeon and so did the job with help from his tutor as their were power lines etc involved. Apparently a good learning experience ! Another good investment was getting our driveway completely redone and big French doors put in the lounge onto the garden. Worst buy was an all singing all dancing microwave - kept going wrong and being sent away. After 4 years I’ve bought a cheap one and it does exactly what I want it to do!

Best thing : Garage extension and front garden block paved. We have no problems with parking now.

Worst: 2 things. Double settees which we decided to splash out on as we thought they would be better. They are so uncomfortable and I spend my time sitting on them propped up by cushions.

The other are my kitchen tiles. We couldnt agree at the time so got the ones we did and I dislike them so much. Will have to stick with them for the time being. Would say I might win the lottery but I do not do it.

Best money - our house extension which gave us a huge kitchen/diner and lounge, utility room, downstairs bedroom and ensuite, and a study.

Worst money - the sofa I'm sitting on. DH's choice because it's very soft and squashy but I just can't get comfortable on it. Thankfully we have a second (firmer) one.

Best: in our last house in England a Magnet kitchen very well designed with superb sales assistant. all the white goods were wonderful. Miss it.

Would also mention an expensive cork flooring in a house some years ago, it was thick, some colour (red) showing through and extremely well sealed. warm, didn't break dropped china. would have it again.

Worst: my very expensive Falcon range cooker. I bought it here and even with a good discount it was expensive. the electric hot plate soon packed up, doesn't cook evenly, one gas ring failed, grill has packed up. I have had a technician in but he cannot get the spare parts for it. After 13 years I would still expect to get these parts and have it repaired. also Falcon is made by Aga so really fed up. will replace asap.

Best thing we did in this house is to build a conservatory with underfloor heating. A tip I read recently was don’t fill every space in the garden, give each plant plenty of room so you can admire them all individually. We could have saved money there.

The best - a new roof, re-tiled and insulated
worst - £11000.00 worth of solar panels and batteries, my husband's idea and paid for by me. Both have failed spectacularly and I'm still trying to get it either fixed or my money back.

Like you annsixty My fitted sharps wardrobe is a big disappointment!

Best money was my Hammonds fitted bedroom furniture (perhaps you just chose the wrong firm?) and the worst was some decking I had done about 12 years ago, that rotted from below and my nephew put his foot through last year and was replaced with slabbed patio just before lockdown - again , money well spent.

I love everything about my house and everything in it. Some standout pleasures are, firstly, the Travertine marble kitchen floor. It takes some upkeep. A few years after it was laid and the DH and I were both still working we paid a local firm £700 for an 'as new' restoration. After my retirement we couldn't afford to have it done again so I just have spent eight hours on my hands and knees spraying it, scrubbing and restoring it myself. It is a miracle of white beauty and is giving me immense pleasure. Now I have done it myself I know how to keep it in top condition without another eight hours' labour!

Another great buy was my pistachio Kitchenaid mixer. I didn't buy it myself but dropped so many hints running up to a milestone birthday that I feel I had a hand in the choosing. It is a thing of style and utility. A magnificent beast.

Bad buys? Virtually every washing machine, tumble dryer and dishwasher I have bought over the years. They never last and always go at the worst possible time. The nearly new tumble dryer gave out on the first day of the Lockdown. With no hope of a repair visit I had to buy a new one. Doh!

Another expensive, but really good buy was having kitchen, utility room, hallway and downstairs loo floored with Brazilian black slate (bought online from Mrs Stone) - just wish I 'd had it through dinning room too!

Best has to be our sunroom, especially during these strange times. Sat in here watching the world go by and drinking tea . Also en suite bathroom that we managed to squeeze under the eaves in our bedroom, along with a dinky little bath that has never been used but looks cute. Oh I do love a bathroom, think that is due to having been brought up in a Tyneside flat with outside toilet and no bathroom.

Worst are both kitchen related, the underfloor heating under the quarry tiles which costs a fortune to run so is never switched on and the roof light we had installed which lets in a howling draught every time the wind blows....and we live in a very windy spot.

The best for us is definitely our conservatory, which I live in all year around. The others two things are extensions, an ensuite in line with the conservatory and an extension to the downstairs bedroom which we used for my disabled husband. Another extension upstairs with a huge bedroom, office and bathroom. Made the house the size we needed without moving and much cheaper. The worst was the tarmac drive that comes away at the edges and leaves pools of gathered water, all of which we constantly bring indoors. Must get it re-done but it is a shared drive, so not easy to agree on.

i am very happy with my fitted wardrobes which I had done as I retired. I have 3 doors and husband 2 and then there is a chest of drawers and I have one too. In my 3 I have hanging rails that you pull down, chrome baskets for underwear and tops, and fixed hanging rails which include 4 hangers with slots for my scarves.

Husband has two pull down, one fixed rail and 5 baskets but he fitted his onn baskets, as they are the plastic covered baskets for kitchen fittings which are cheaper. They are perfect.

Is it possible for posters to name (and shame if need be - or praise if positive) companies. that have been used?

I don't know f this is permissible under the GN guidelines but it would be helpful to know GNetter views on companies, both good and bad.

Wow - some great ideas here. I am looking to replace the floor tiles in my kitchen and was going to go for ceramic but will now investigate porcelain tiles and the cork tiles mentioned - they sound fabulous. I’d love a conservatory but we haven’t the room so the idea of an electric awning sounds fabulous too.

Definitely the best (and the most expensive) buy was using my lump sum to fit a loft conversion two years ago. OH had already retired several years earlier and, as our bungalow is small with only two bedrooms, he used the smaller one as his “hobby” room. I now have a large extra bedroom at the top of the house with an en-suite and (at last) a cupboard under the stairs. The rest of the former bedroom has been converted to my home office and looks great. Of course, the loft room isn’t being used as a bedroom because I built it with OH in mind. He now has a large ‘radio room’ with his computer, gadgets and radios and a 50” TV (as well as his own loo and shower!). We like being together but we need our own space too and I have my own 50 inch TV in our living room as well so it’s bliss! Another good buy has to be our fitted bedroom. It transformed the room and has so much cupboard space. It was done by a local carpenter and looks great.

The worst (probably sounds petty) was a large mirror to go above the new Portuguese limestone fireplace we fitted several years ago. The fireplace looks great but I’ve never been happy with the mirror. Change it - I can hear some of you say - but it was hugely expensive and OH loves it. I’m going to change it soon for another one. I’m doing a lot of research and will probably get a craftsman to design and make it as it’s got to last forever (this is our forever house). OH doesn’t have a say in this, as he owes me for the loft conversion!! He is the envy of all his radio amateur pals.

PS - the loft room will be marketed as an extra bedroom when (if) we ever downside to an apartment or when our family sell the house.

Nortsat

Best - having paving done in the garden. My partner wanted it all lawned but then didn’t cut the grass regularly.
I had decorative paving laid, with deep borders and beds. I love the garden, even when it’s a bit dishevelled, it’s still a pleasure to both of us.

Worst - the alarm system, which doesn’t accommodate three cats leaping around the house, whilst we are out. ???

You can get animal friendly sensors now - our three cats don't set off our burglar alarm!