Firstly, off-road parking is going to make a difference of some
degree, but what I`d like to know is how do the various options
compare, i.e. block paving, concrete, tarmac or gravel. Someone has
told me that "only block paving ads value", someone else has said "it
dosn`t make a difference as long as there`s off-road parking".
Secondly, what kind of per cent would turning the loft into a fourth
bedroom increase the value by?

All these questions depend entirely on the area in which the house is
situated. If there's tonnes of on-street unrestricted parking, then off road
parking won't be as valuable as it would be for a city centre property,
where the nearest free parking is 3 miles away.

As to the surface of the parking, this would depend on the aesthetics of the
area and the taste of the potential purchaser. There's also no point in
dressing mutton as lamb. Having a spectactular driveway on a delapidated
property will please no-one.

Personally, I'm not too keen on gravel. It looks great when laid, but
spreads around and is hard to maintain. I quite like tarmac, as it peaceful
on the eye, low maintenance and doesn't draw attention to itself. Block
paving can look OK, but sometimes is too vibrant, and takes attention away
from what you should be looking at, the planting and the architecture.

Again, the value of a loft conversion depends on many factors.

Some builders don't give a toss, and build it as cheaply as they can, thus
destroying the value of the work. They do horrible things like not planning
the stairs, so that first floor rooms below are disfigured and the stairs
use all of the apex roof space, or not planning the floor joists or roof
insulation properly, so the head room is too low. Such poor attention to
detail can dramatically reduce the value of the work.

Other things that can affect the value of loft conversions are ugly front
dormers (Velux skylights aren't usually a problem), or over-development of
the property. Adding two loft bedrooms to a cramped 3 bed terrace with only
one toilet and a single reception won't create as much value as adding the
same two bedrooms to a spacious 3 bed detached property already fitted with
ensuite, family bathroom and downstairs cloakroom. However, even this
situation could be reversed if the cramped terraced house is in a student
area and the bedrooms count as "lettable rooms".

Christian.