You tell me, which would be more desirable in a house...

Atelier

Granite/stone worktops

Have you priced up sourcing all the parts for a glass balistrade individually?

A quick search found KerolHardware who sell the clamps for £6-£8 + VAT and these do not require you to drill the glass.

8 per panel + £50 glass = £130ish (still need newel posts)

silvercar

Granite/stone worktops

Granite every time.

Forget the glass in the hall. People walk through the hall and say "Hmm, nice hall" and move on tothe next room. A hall won't make or break a house sale.

People congregate in the kitchen and want others to admire their granite.

We bought nearly 3 years ago Nice modern new kitchen but the owners had run out of money part way through The planning was good, the white (actually silver metal) goods were quality, the cupboards were solid wood but the worktops were cheap and nasty. On my "I'm only buying this house if we do...." list was changing the kitchen worktops.

I didn't choose black because the smearing shows up:)

Fire_Fox

Granite/stone worktops

Wood worktops are hell to care for.

Shimmyhill

Granite/stone worktops

Defi the granite tops for me !

I think glass is very now and could put some people off from a looks and perceived safety aspect - but then i would really need to see it to make a judgement

moneysaver12

Granite/stone worktops

I voted worktops, i think that the glass staircase would need too much cleaning.

Dinah93

Granite/stone worktops

Definitely the worktops, I don't like wood work tops as I think they're easily marked, harbour nasties in them, and are generally hell to care for. Add to the fact every man and his dog has jumped on putting them in in the last few years, they're the decking of the noughties. Equally laminate tops look cheap, so stone would be my choice to achieve a top finish to appeal to the higher end buyer.

What kind of property are you developing? I wouldn't be bothering with either of these in FTB homes, but an exec style with a high finish I think stone would add more value.

From a buyer rather than developer perspective, I wouldn't want glass all over my house - it takes me long enough to clean my windows! Also there is the worry the kids will mess about on the landing and one of them will go through it. I also don't think it's very home-y, unless you're doing a very modern build, oddly I would consider it in a stone conversion to keep features exposed, but I wouldn't consider sticking it in a new build.

Ian_W

Granite/stone worktops

Granite worktops do it for every time for me too DoozerG, I just luv 'em!

Reasoning: Posh kitchen looks cheap without quality worktops and I would think, "cheapskate finishing, what else have they skimped on?" Glass do-da's can and often do look very classy - but I wouldn't expect one or wonder why you hadn't fitted one.

Anyway you're sounding a bit like one of those DEvelopers that Sarah is always trying to reign in about their personal taste being too OTT rather than considering their target buyer.

Large stained glass window in the hall anyone?? :rolleyes:

flissh

Granite for me.

Moved in to our new home at the end of March and love the granite work tops much more than I thought I would. They always look nice and seem really easy to care for.

Doozergirl

Thanks guys

Lots of lovely opinions and ideas too! Makes really interesting reading for me.

Doozergirl

lagi wrote: »

I voted for something else, but rereading your post it says "were finishing a house", not our house so if its to sell then it would have to justify its return surely. Does it have to be around that budget (not that i know what either would cost.)?

The glass balustrading is a definite no, worktops would be good. If money was no object, a sunken bath or wet room, an orangery or one of them wooden log cabins in the garden.

Also how about something near the front door like a porch or canopy so it looks much more appealing from the approach.

Would love to see some pics. as i remember seeing some of yours before as the style and quality of the work was superb.

Thanks for the complement and yes you're right, I am looking at what justifies the return. It's a barn with a characterful facade but no real character inside. It's essential that it isn't just a magnolia box inside because it would be such a let down. Trying to tailor it towards the largest number of people is hard work. Creating character that just wasn't there is impossibly expensive and so it's a modern route, without being far out.

No one seems that keen on the glass, evidently. I think with the suggestion above of buying the clips and glass I think I might be able do something for not too much outlay.

This was what I liked the look of. Not too grand designs!
http://www.tradestairs.com/acatalog/s-vision-glass-balustrade.html