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| Will Over the Top Additions Add Value to Your Home? |
Let's review how the other side lives. Or rather how those who aren't afraid to take their home above and beyond what's considered standard decorating protocol.
I have to admire people with a free decorating spirit. It takes a lot of faith, trust, pixie dust, and yep, cold hard cash to add the extreme décor ideas featured below.
1. How about A Slide Inside the Home? Huh?
Yes, that's right, it's an actual professionally designed slide. They tend to be added beside staircases. Certainly a practical solution when your knees hurt, or for the kids. Those ankle biters will leap out of bed in the morning just to slide down for breakfast. If you're curious what these look like, check out several spectacular designs here.
2. You Have the Slide, Now Add the Swings? What?
The choices for adding a swing range from actual swings to swing benches. Swing benches can be open on both sides, or completely closed. And yep, they're not just for porches and patios. The uniqueness comes from adding them to the kitchen, bedroom or living room. They're quite spectacular and you can bet, popular with guests. Curl up with a book and swing inside your home. If you'd like to check out how professional designers tied swings into a décor theme, you can find more information here.
3. Homes with a Secret Passageway, Really?
Really. When the budget isn't an issue, you're only limited by your imagination or better yet, your decorator's imagination. Secret passageways can be staircases that lift and open to a secret room, crawl space cubbies that connect rooms together, or rooms hidden behind walls and bookcases. If you'd like more information on this over-the-top home décor idea, you can read more here.
Does Any of this Add Value to Your Home?
Of course, yes, adding anyone of the above outstanding unique items to your home will add value. But let's examine the word "value".
Value can meaning selling for more, selling quickly or just plain selling. The market dictates which category your sale will fall into.
The value of a home ranges from area to area. A house in the country is generally less expensive on a per square foot basis than a home in the city. City to city prices range substantially as well.
To determine whether it's worth adding an expensive perk to your home (slides, swings, secret rooms), you have to first know the upper limit price range for your area.
If your home is already close to or at that upper price range, making expensive additions may not generate a return. However, if you're making this addition and plan on staying in your home for many years (5, 10 or more), you have a good chance at recouping that investment.
On the bright side, if your home isn't at the higher price range for your neighborhood, making additions like this can help you reach that plateau and/or help you sell your home faster.
Always bear in mind that recessions come in cycles, and selling your home during a recession isn't easy. With anyone of these perks, you'll have an edge, but that doesn't mean during a downturn you'll recoup your decorating investment.
Not to worry if you're selling in an up-market; if your home is staged and filled with perks, you could do well on that selling price! If your home is situated among large estates where each home is unique, making any of the above outlined additions will generally add value.
If you're a real estate stats junkie (like I am), have a ton of fun reading value assessments and projections for the USA here and Canada here at GlobalPropertyGuide.
Although you're reading general stats, you should never apply these generalizations to your area. Even in a declining economy some areas can continue to do well. General stats merely help you secure a global picture. Combine that global information with your local area to help you assess saleability, timing and price.
Here's something I like to do to help assess the long term hold of a piece of property: Look up the population projections for your city or area. What is the ten/twenty year growth analysis by your local state/provincial municipal governments? You can find this information online. If the numbers are through the roof, then there's a high probability your property will increase substantially over time.
So, if your wallet permits any of these wild and funky additions and your home's price is destined to go onwards and upwards for years to come, go for it!
Other unique perks for your home here
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
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I've always wanted a secret passageway. I think it was those Nancy Drew books I read as a child. I nearly built myself a little secret space when I was finishing out my upstairs bathroom. My concept was more of a safe room where I could hide should there be a break-in. Living in a rural area where help is not going to arrive very quickly, it seemed like a good investment to be able to gain some time until emergency assistance could arrive. I would have done a very inexpensive crawl space. Here's what I figured though: my cats would have indicated to the burglars exactly where I was hiding. In their curiosity, they would have just pawed at the secret entryway, trying to figure out what I was doing in there. My other idea, for a book, was for me to create a hidden tunnel between my house and my underground cistern. In the story, I was able to evade my pursuers by taking that escape route while they were searching the house. Yeah, I know... overactive imagination! Fun to think about secret spaces.
ReplyDeleteLol at your pets giving you away! Very true though, you'd have to gather them up but then you'd have to make sure it was sound proof hahaha - love your concept for books too :)
DeleteThe idea of a secret room or a hidden passageway appeals to me greatly. I have often thought I would love a hidden pantry in my kitchen or dining room. However, our house builder was very efficient when building our home and there isn't an area that would lend well to having that, and believe me, I have looked, analyzed and dreamed of one many times. Years ago when the safe rooms became hot (mostly due to movies I think), I thought what a really cool idea! Alas, I am still dreaming. I love unique designs and decor. Unfortunately, I'm still limited outside of my mind.
ReplyDeleteI remember one specific movie about a safe room - I believe Jodie Foster was the star in that. Darn thing freaked me out too.
Deleteroflol! I just read Diana's comment! Great minds and all that. It doesn't surprise me that we have similar thoughts. Of course, I would take my pups inside the safe room with me (you can't find and gather kitties as quickly) and Merlin would have disclosed our hiding place by barking at the intruders. Although, they might not wish to meet that beast face to face. He sounds like he could rip you head off if you just hear him barking.
ReplyDeleteLol, kitties can be pretty elusive :)
DeleteI don't need (or especially want) a secret room or a slide, but swings.... that's appealing. I'd like a swinging bench or chair on a porch or sun room and a swinging bed (which I once slept in at a friend's beach house). Both swings were attractive, useful and FUN.
ReplyDeleteMe too! I would love swings in the house, wow they'd be popular
ReplyDeleteThe one thing we were contemplating was incorportating an elevator into our home. The stairs were becoming too much for my knees. Price for that was far more than we were willing to spend. So we made other arrangements. Other than a secret reading room, I don't think I would personally do something like that. I am a very conservative person! (Can you tell?)
ReplyDeleteOlivia, you're not alone, there are probably very few homes that have added these perks. My parents considered an elevator as well. Wish they would have put it in now, she could use it.
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