Climbing the Property Ladder – Can a Feature Staircase Increase Your Property’s Value?
If you’re getting ready to sell your home, you need to make the most of the place before it even goes on the market and most vendors concentrate on a loft conversion, a garden office or an extra bathroom. Most home improvements are made with the intention of creating extra space, but what about making a big impact on househunters as soon as they walk in through the door?
A recent trend in the property market is to change or improve the staircase – this helps to make a good first impression, especially if the house is larger than average and features a reception hallway. Property magazines and newspapers focused on feature staircases in premium properties last year and this trend is bound to trickle down to the middle of the market before the end of 2016.
Staircase renovations on the rise
It may already have started, in fact, with staircase renovations on the rise. What an impressive set of stairs can do for a property is to hit viewers with the “Wow!” factor as soon as they set foot inside the building, and because it’s almost “free” space, home owners can be as creative as they like.
The stairs are often overlooked during renovations – they may get new carpet, or they may be stripped, sanded and painted – rarely are they remodelled, despite providing an essential function in a house. A creatively renovated staircase can transform a hallway or a room, providing reading alcoves, or shelving, for example. This extra space and facility can make or break a buying decision and can certainly raise asking prices.
Get creative
Ideas for innovative staircase remodelling include using specially reinforced shelves to make the steps, or using floating glass panels. There’s also feature spiral staircases leading to loft conversions upstairs, or space-saving options, or great big multi-functional models that include bookshelves, tables and even a slide!
