Making an entrance with Haddonstone

As more and more new properties are built throughout the country, homeowners are increasingly looking for ways to make their houses stand out from the crowd.

One of the simplest but most effective ways in which to do this is to build a portico on the front of the house. Whilst obviously providing shelter from the elements, porticos can also be used to embellish an otherwise dull and uninspiring entrance. With a typical portico costing as little as £2500, while appearing to have a significantly higher price tag, this is also a great way to increase the value of a property.

Haddonstone produce a standard range of cast stone porticos and door surrounds and can also manufacture custom designs. Different Haddonstone components, including classical capitals, dentilled cornices, curved entablature and balustrading can combine to create dramatically different effects on various styles of property – whether traditional, classical or contemporary.

Made using crushed limestone and with a surface texture similar to natural stone, Haddonstone components are manufactured in a dry-cast mix which is packed into moulds and left to harden. A benefit of cast stone is that it can be formed into intricate shapes using these moulds at a fraction of the cost of carving natural stone.

Cast stone has to comply with a rigorous set of British and International standards. Stone supplied by members of the United Kingdom Cast Stone Association (UKCSA) also has to achieve a cube compressive strength in excess of 35MPa, and can therefore be confidently used in building projects.

Cast stone is available in a range of different colours, including pale shades based on natural Portland and Bath stones, which effectively contrast with brick or other common building materials.

Another benefit of cast stone is that it often weathers more quickly than natural stone, acquiring a patina after only a couple of years outside. Consequently, it will soon blend in with existing stonework on traditional or classical buildings.

Porticos and door surrounds are not the only cast stone features that can be used to enhance the appearance of a property – and even simple components such as quoins, window surrounds and string courses can add value to a home, as shown by a recent MORI poll.

MORI showed 2000 people two pictures of the same newly built property – with one showing cast stone door surrounds, window heads, cills and keystones and the other showing plain, unadorned brickwork. An impressive 79 per cent preferred the property with cast stone detailing.

The survey showed that people would be willing to pay up to 5 per cent more for a property with cast stone features – equal to over £9,000 at 2006 prices. Considering that the stone pictured in the survey cost only £500, an impressive profit margin can be achieved with only minimal cost and effort.

Many features can be retro-fitted onto an existing property after construction. This means that these potential profits are not limited to owners of new build properties.

Furthermore, many Haddonstone features are available in TecLite, a thinner and lighter alternative to Haddonstone which is easier to handle and helps to overcome health and safety legislation.

For more information and to request a copy of Haddonstone’s inspirational new catalogue, visit haddonstone.co.uk.