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

Well...... block paved drives, look lovely don’t they? We were pleased that our present house had one when we moved in.
The house is old and the drive had been all gravel up to then.
It’s a long drive and block paving gets both weeds and moss which need clearing out at least once a year.?We bought an electric weeding tool, but it’s still very hard work.Now we wish we had a very short drive.

My worst buys are all the things I buy to try and bodge things, because they often don't go to plan.

I dread to think what I've spent on glue, wood, sticky backed plastic and the like.

I was just thinking my best buys have been secondhand and cheap, mostly.
It's only when I do the latest 'paint em up' job on them that i realise some are 30 years old and were pre loved before that.

The best were getting all smooth ceilings done when I moved here, as I really don't like textured ceilings of any kind.

And my multi fuel stove which has given me so much pleasure and kicks out the heat. I only burn kiln dried hardwood btw...so no awful smell or smoke.

The worst was having an additional [tarmac] parking space put at the side of a drive. I thought the company was reputable but they didn't do a professional job although it looked ok.

Our house definitely needed updating when we bought it. We've done lots over last few years, new fireplace, kitchen, bathroom with separate shower ( great) oak staircase, demolished fitted bedroom units, wooden floors. The thing I hate is the shiny ceramic gas hob because of the cleaning involved. The old one just needed a quick wipe. The best buy was changing the louvre blind in the sitting room for a venetian. We bought the louvre one but it ruined the view from the window.

Block paved drive love it

Happy to have had a near miss - when everyone was telling us we should Artex the ceilings in our new house, but we didn't bother.

My potato ricer has been used twice in about five years; it just takes up cupboard space but I keep it just in case.

The best was our fireplace built of local stone by a friend.
He charged a fraction of the cost of hideous ready-made fireplaces that were available at the time.
I don't think there is a worst, just the usual gadgets etc.

Our best was two patios in the garden which was sloping and solid clay so the lawn was either baked dry or sodden.

The worst have been must have gadgets - a potato ricer among them!

Oh BBbevan I’m surprised you don’t like your potato ricer - I use mine every week. I like the way it produces finely mashed potatoes and other root veg for toppings on shepherds and cottage pies.

A new build house and I have been here for just over a year, I have many best purchases

my garden which has magically turned into a potager with obelisks and bee friendly plants and veggies and flowers and vegtrugs

My quickstep top of the range flooring, looks exactly like oak but isn`t

The fitted cupboards in 2 bedrooms, hand made by a time served cabinet maker, painted in matt white, gorgeous and very very practical

The tall fridge and tall freezer by miele, I use them every day and they are both full

My worst purchase was cutting corners and I bought a large poly whats it rug from costco. Looks cheap and the corners are still curled after 2 months. So pale that I tipoe around it

I do have another worst purchase, a coal bunker on a stand. It is good but I don`t need to store so much fuel. I will sell it when I empty it, in about 5 years

Best: A very large sofa from Habitat, in the 1990s. We have had it recovered and reupholstered twice. Love it and it is much admired by others.
Worst: A potato ricer. I would rather use a fork, and we don’t eat potatoes much.

The best was definitely having the conservatory added, and thank you ( again) annsixty for your helpful advice on what to have done and not to have with regards to it.It was quite a few years ago now, and we use it all the time every day throughout the year.
The worst was a new bathroom ( a long time ago in another house) where the plumber turned out to be useless and in the end we needed to get another plumber in to undo all the bad work, it cost an arm and a leg.

The best was the block paved drive the flipping shingle that was there when we bought the house got everywhere and always needed weeding.
Worst the tiled floor in the refitted bathroom. So cold in winter.

The best thing is having two thermostats in the house, one up one down. It saves faffing about with the radiators and we just have the upstairs heating on for an hour or so in the morning. It has cut our heating bills tremendously.

The worst, like Franbern, using a national company to do our bathrooms. Expensive and not particularly good quality. I wonder if it was the same company?

Best things are laminate floors throughout and tiled floors in the kitchen and bathroom. Plus the massive cupboard under the stairs which holds everything. Worse thing is not asking for a bigger window in the kitchen, which is very dark.

The best money we spent was on porcelain flooring through hall and dining room. It looks like a wooden floor and no one can tell the difference and it has underfloor heating. I just mop it over and it’s looks as good now as when it was laid. Bit pricey (more than ceramic tiles would have been) but definitely worth it.

Worst buy was a large Indian rug. Quite expensive. On New Year’s Eve after we got it, a Bacardi Breezer the colour of egg yolk was spilt all over it. I got a rug specialist to come and clean it the day after New Year but the stain could not be removed completely.

Nortsat You can get pet sensors for burglar alarms which don't pick up the motion of small pets like cats. I don't know how they work, but I had all my sensors changed to these and my cats have never set off the alarm.

Back in my last house, into which I moved in summer 2003, the survey I had said that it required major work to the bathroom, due to leaks, etc.

So, foolishly, I panicked and as soon as I moved in I contacted a major, large company - so silly that I did make any contact with local bathroom companies. ANywhere, they did this work - it was horrendously expensive for the time, and nothing particularly wonderful. They used a local man to do the actual work. There was nothing wrong with the work he did, and the bathroom functioned well and was in good condition throughout my time there. BUT, for the amount I paid, it was functional, but not very designer in any way. Always annoyed me, and little things, at the time I asked the company if I could have the small radiator in there changed for a proper towel rail.

I do not know if they did not stock these, but I got some strange story as to how inefficient these were, etc.etc. Ten years later, when I was having an en-suite installed that I paid another company to change that.

Would never use this company, or their joint ones who do wardrobes, again. Always go to local companies for such work now. Interesting that the cost this year of having the guest bathroom in my flat re-done )and this will involve some electricity work and changing of plumbing is almost the same as I paid 17 years ago. Local company this time.

Best buy - I can think of several. The excellent, low-priced double oven I had installed, still working absolutely perfectly when I moved out. But think it was that en-suite that I had put in as my retirement present to myself. Very small space under stairs going up to loft room. But they managed to get in there a small shower cubicle, basin and loo. Beautifully and brilliantly done and so very useful. Would never be without an en-suite ever again. Small, specialist local company did that for me.

Best buy the sunroom, we’re in it till 11 most nights. The beautiful Indian slab patio is second. We could do with a new kitchen but we did the important things first

The best thing is definitely the kitchen. It was expensive but well worth it with floor to ceiling fridge and floor to ceiling freezer. Also every cupboard has drawers so I can get to the back.
Also the electric awning we have at the back of the house as we face south.

I don't really have a worst thing.

Mr C would say the conservatory is the best thing as he loves it. For me the best thing is the kitchen. Used every spare inch of a small space and works.

The worst? I'm not sure, maybe the bathroom which everyone except me loves. I allowed myself to be persuaded by the plumber and Mr C, it does look nice but it isn't the bathroom I had my heart set on.

I've just had a ground floor extension giving me a large family kitchen/diner and a study with a shower room so I can sleep downstairs if I have to, if I ever get incapacitated!

Things which have been a waste of money are items ordered online (which were not suitable) where I have to pay to return them and, as some are heavy, it has not been worth spending the money on postage.

I hate my kitchen wall tiles fitted last year. They are a definite mistake but I can't afford to have them replaced.

Best buy was having the 1970s flat window in my livingroom replaced with a lovely bay window. The sun streams in and I feel pleased with it every time I go into the room, even though it has been 20 years since having it done! The windowsill is now twice the size and my cat loves sunbathing on it.