The one quick bathroom fix that will instantly add value to your home

If you’re thinking of selling your property any time soon, you’ll want to make one big change to your bathroom before sending in an estate agent.

After surveying a number of agents, designers and property professionals, it turns out that switching out your tiles is hands down the most desirable addition to your bathroom.

Need inspiration? Read: bathroom tiles – our pick of the best

The research was conducted by Showerstoyou.co.uk and 32 experts across the industry were quizzed about what they thought should be a priority. Beautiful bathroom tiles and good grouting was top of the bathroom renovation list, with 76 per cent chiming in that it would add the most value.

Electric and power showers followed closely behind at 70 per cent, while suitably sized sink, toilet and shower/bath fixtures tailed off at 66 per cent.

Estate agent Emma Barns explains, ‘Leaking pipes, mould and outdated fittings have become recurring problems in a lot of the properties I see. Considering the bathroom is going to be used on a daily basis, prospective buyers want to see it is in good condition.

'If they identify problems which cannot be easily addressed or becomes costly to do so, it negatively affects their perception of the property, even if the rest of the house is what they are after.’

It’s not entirely surprising that tiling is so desirable at the moment. Especially as Pinterest recently revealed that they’ve seen a surge in people pinning relevant images. More specifically, unusually shaped tiles in hexagon (93 per cent) and herringbone (62 per cent) shapes are having a massive moment. And the most popular shades are green and pink.

Given that Greenery was announced as Pantone’s Colour of the Year recently and it seems like we’ll never be rid of millennial pink, the colours are probably going to be around for a while.

Dan Gates, a property investor and analyst, agreed that colours are a great way to make a lasting impression. He said, ‘I believe appearance is the underrated key to it all. The popular consensus may be to splatter white paint and fixtures across the bathroom, but it might come across as boring.’

If you’re looking to shave a few pounds off your renovation, the survey also revealed which additions were the least desirable.

Unless you’ve really got your heart set on a beauty battle station, you can probably give big spacious cabinets a miss as less than half of the experts thought it added value. And surprisingly, underfloor heating ranked last with just 34%.

If you're interested in what else made an impression, the full list is below.

Bathroom ideas that add the most value

1. Quality wall and floor tiles with good grouting  – 76 per cent
2. Electric or power shower  – 70 per cent
3. Good sized fixtures (sink, toilet, shower/bath) – 65 per cent
4. Heated towel rack – 62 per cent
5. Sufficient lighting  – 57 per cent
6. Use of light/soft colour paint for walls/ceiling – 53 per cent
7. Spacious cabinets – 45 per cent
8. Underfloor heating  – 34 per cent

However it’s important to note that if you really want to make an impression, most of these experts recommended combining these features in order to raise your property’s price tag. Time to start adding to the renovation fund...

Written by Megan C. Hills