You’re a landscape architect, you’re designing the external works for your next housing estate development for your construction client and you want to impress. This article, by Phil Ball from metal Railings and gates manufacturer, Alpha Rail, explores how metal railings can differentiate a housing development marketing suite.
When you begin the design process and you’re having a flash of creative brilliance and inspiration, installing metal railings and making them a feature of the development is probably the last thing you’d consider in order to create the right first impression to the potential buyer.
However, more often than not, once the show home is complete, and the marketing suite has been opened, it can be quite some time before the surrounding plots begin to take shape and give a positive impression.
This means that the show home has to have the essential ‘wow’ factor such that potential new home owners can visualise what their dream home could look like once the keys have been handed over.
They will obviously be thrilled to have the choice of kitchen, bathroom and other internal fittings, but as more and more of home owners turn to the landscaping and perimeter security considerations, you can see how metal railings begin to feature more and more in the choice of decisions.
There are many benefits to using metal railings, these include:
Appearance
- With a range of railing styles and finial finishes you’ll be hard pressed not to find a railing that matches the surroundings. Whether you want vertical bar railings, flat topped railings or bow top railings – the choice is wide ranging!
- A range of polyester powder coated finishes are available in a variety of colours
- Bespoke metalwork fabrication allows logo’s, street names and local landmarks to be incorporated into the design as well into more decorative railings.
Maintenance
- A building site can be very dusty – metal railings don’t need repainting like timber fences – they can be simply hosed or sponged over to reveal gleaming paintwork.
- Metal railings are easy to maintain and with the correct care (a simple wash down every now and again) can last over 20 years!
- Although most metal railings will be of low height, the presence of metal railings and gates will help to deter entry to the show home plot whilst not open
- When installed around new build houses they create the perfect boundary for front and rear gardens, especially if landscaped with appropriate shrubs, trees, and plants. (But not too near – you don’t want them to overgrow the railings!)
Longevity
Security deterrent
Alpha Rail has supplied metal railings and gates for many show home complexes. These include the Quadrant in Boston for Chestnut Homes, Damstead Park development for Avant Homes,the Fish Island development in Hackney, the B@Home development and in the Build a Better Nottingham programme to name but a few.
