People like cast stone according to IPSOS

New survey has revealed how much profit housebuilders could make by using cast stone to enhance their properties.

A new survey has revealed how much profit housebuilders could make by using cast stone to enhance their properties.

Conducted by Ipsos MORI, the survey shows that the vast majority of the British public - 79% - prefer properties detailed in cast stone when given the choice between a property with this feature and one without.

The survey also shows how much they say they would be prepared to pay: nearly 5% extra.

Based on the average national house price, that's worth more than £9,000 per property.

The survey suggests that cast stone could boost the perceived value of a housing development.

For the builder that means more sales and more profit.

Cast stone is finding a growing market among housebuilders who want their properties to stand out.

Details such as porticos, window heads and cills, string courses and quoins can transform something plain into something special - at very little cost.

Cast stone is ideal for any architectural purpose that calls for fine detail at an affordable price.

It's suitable for period and contemporary styles of housing, whether they're finished in brickwork, stone or render.

For the property used in the Ipsos MORI poll, the cast stone details cost under £500.

Yet the people who preferred it said they were willing to pay, on average, an extra 4.9% for the property.

This equates to a massive £9,221 when factored up to the national average house price of £188,191.

That's a clear profit of £8,721 per property.

What would that be worth on an entire development? The survey was commissioned by the UK Cast Stone Association (UKCSA).

It wanted to assess the public preference for cast stone and to quantify the value of that preference to housebuilders.

Ipsos MORI showed more than 2,000 people two photos of the same new-built property.

They were identical, except that one had cast stone details around the doors and windows.

Asked for their preference, 79% picked the property with the cast stone, 10% without, 8% neither and 3% didn't know.

The respondents were then asked to imagine that if they were to buy one of the properties in these styles, to state the maximum extra they would be prepared to pay to secure their preferred property.

Of those who preferred the cast stone property, 71% said they'd be prepared to pay an average 4.9% extra to secure it.

UKCSA chairman Andy Cotton says: "The survey is a first but it backs up what many housebuilders already know: cast stone adds kerb appeal and that's worth thousands.

"The Mori poll has shown there's an overwhelming public preference for cast stone and people are willing to pay extra for the classy look it can add to their property." Editors' notes A nationally representative quota sample of 2,044 British adults aged 15+ was interviewed throughout Great Britain on the MORI Omnibus, across 201 sampling points.

Interviews were carried out using CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing), face-to-face in respondents' homes between 2nd and 7th March 2006.

Data have been weighted to reflect the known national population profile.

The national average house price in January 2006 was £188,191 (ODPM).

The UKCSA defines cast stone as any product made with aggregate and cementitious binder that is intended to resemble and be used in a similar way to natural stone.

It can beat natural stone on strength, moisture penetration, colour and textural consistency.

It's more readily available than worked natural stone, generally cots far less, and it looks much the same.

The UKCSA is dedicated to excellence in the cast stone industry.

Quality controlled production among UKCSA members ensures the strongest cast stone available - at least 40% higher then the British Standard requirement.

That means outstanding durability, better site handling and buildability.

UKCSA members also take service seriously: design and technical advice, proper packaging and reliable delivery, often tailored to individual building programmes.

And they listen to their customers: UKCSA members are continually developing new products in response to market needs.

The manufacturing members of UKCSA are: Bradstone, CEMEX Masonry, Broadmead Renaissance Cast Stone, Elegant Stone, Forticrete, Haddonstone, Legmore Concrete, Norman Rhead Precast, PD Edenhall, Plean Precast and Woodside Precast.

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