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Make a great first impression on potential buyerslimestone pavinglimestone paving
Install sophisticated, high quality and hard-wearing limestone paving to help boost the kerb appeal of your property.
Selling your house in a buyers’ market can be a difficult experience, so you want to do all you can to make your home stand out from the crowd. With research showing that it takes potential buyers no more than eight seconds to decide whether or not they like a house, first impressions are vitally important and something you need to pay attention to if you want to make that sale.
There are a number of ways you can boost the kerb appeal of your property without breaking the bank. Ensuring the entrance to the house is clean and rubbish free, giving your front door a new lick of paint, adding some greenery to the front of the house, and sprucing up a tired facade can all make your home more appealing to potential buyers.
Limestone paving
Installing new paving is a quick and easy way to instantly transform the external appearance of your home, and limestone is a great choice for this type of project. With its dramatic shades and distinctive natural veining, natural limestone offers outstanding visual appeal, combined with exceptional strength and durability. Its fine grain also makes it easy to cut into custom shapes, enabling you to exercise some creativity.
Making an entrance
The approach to your house is hugely important when it comes to making a good impression on potential buyers, so consider investing some time and money in upgrading your pathways and steps. The hard-wearing nature of limestone makes it perfect for this kind of job, and its quality appearance will give your house an eye-catching, sophisticated entrance. Complete the look by edging the pathway with decorative stones, or with coordinating edging for a smart, modern look.
One thing to note is that limestone can be slippery when wet, so if you’re laying it as a pathway make sure the slabs are given a textured finish before they are installed to provide more grip. The last thing you want is a potential buyer slipping on your driveway!
Garden
Limestone paving can also be used to great effect in your garden. A good garden is a high priority for many house-hunters and installing new paving can help you to really make the most of what you’ve got. Patios with a cool, contemporary look are a big trend currently and limestone is perfect for this, lending your garden a modern, elegant appearance. Make the space really pop by adding accessories in bright colours.
Choosing your stone
The main choice facing you when deciding on your paving stones is what colour to go for. Limestone doesn’t come in as wide a range of colours as granite or sandstone, but you can still generally choose between dark grey, blue-grey, pale grey, cream, and tan. Make sure you choose the colour that best complements your home and garden. You could even try combining two colours for an eye-catching effect.
When ordering paving stones, go for ones that are at least two inches thick – this will ensure they can cope with frequent use as well as allowing a bit of leeway for settling and the effects of weather.
Laying your paving
Once you have chosen your stone and the area to be paved, you can start planning the installation. Before laying the stones you will need to prepare the ground to ensure the best results. The preparation could be as easy as simply removing the turf and topsoil, or you might need to dig deeper and put in a stabilising layer. The exact preparation needed will depend on the conditions of the soil and the intended use of the path, so it’s important to do your research.
When all this is done, your new path is ready to be installed. When it comes to selling a house, bad DIY is worse than no DIY so it’s a good idea to hire a professional to do the job. If you are laying the stones yourself, you can find lots of advice and guidance online.
Once the stones have been laid, you should seal them with an appropriate product to prevent colour fade and ensure they maintain their ‘as new’ appearance.
Improving the kerb appeal of your home may not always add to its value, but if your house gives a great first impression to viewers before they even step through the door, it has a much greater chance of being sold. And upgrading your entrance with limestone paving is sure to put you on the right track.
Chloe Cotton runs The Happiest Homes, a leading UK digital home and lifestyle magazine.
August 23, 2016
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