How a Library Adds Value to a Home and How to Have One?

Stairways

This is a rather unusual idea that actually works. If your stairway is wide enough, consider installing built-in bookshelves on at least one side. If you provide enough room for a railing, you’ll be able to take advantage of otherwise wasted space.

You can also have custom built-in bookshelves under stairs if there is enough space. If you have time to take up a DIY project, you can also consider DIY built-in bookshelves under stairs in your home.

Guest Rooms

Built-in bookshelves are great options for guest rooms. These often-underutilized spaces are now being used for extra storage. Why not use the space as a library, keep books there and make them accessible and enticing to visitors? There are many ways in which built-in bookshelves can be used in a guest room.

Have custom built-in bookshelves with desk where your guests can enjoy reading and taking notes if need be. You can also add DIY built-in bookshelves with tv for your guests to enjoy or even built-in bookshelves with fireplace for these really cold nights.

Around a Window or Doorway

Bookshelves can be great to help to identify the room’s focal point. Built-in bookshelves can also be used to frame a spectacular view. They draw attention to the parts of your house that you want to be seen the most. Even when the window blinds are closed, personalize the built-in bookshelves with family mementos and treasured objects to bring them to life.

Headboard Above the Bed

DIY built-in bookshelves wall units can be used to surround the bed and serves as a headboard. This adds even more personality to the space. When it comes time to sell, this style of built-in bookshelf gives unique storage that can be easily depersonalized by removing objects from the shelves.

Use Built-in Bookshelves as a Room Divider

As open floor designs become more fashionable, many homes are losing their hallways. Bookshelves are an excellent technique for custom built-in bookshelves that can be used to divide areas inside a large room. Use them to assist define the purpose of different regions in the space or to give privacy. For example, the bookshelves can help to cut off the pathway to the bedrooms.

Do Built-in Bookshelves Add Value to a Home?

Built-in bookshelves are a permanent, “no-take-backs” addition to your home, and they’re not cheap to install. According to HomeAdvisor research, installing built-in bookshelves costs an average of $2,779, or between $1,298 and $4,279 for a carpenter.

If you buy the components yourself, you can usually hire a handyman for $30 to $130 per hour to install them. You will pay $150 to $1,200 per linear foot for high-end custom work.

Floor-to-ceiling built-in bookshelves can be placed for the ultimate dramatic impact, but they’ll set you back anywhere from $5,000 to $14,000.

Do built-in bookshelves really add value to a home, or will you someday wish you’d just picked up some free-standing bookshelves from the hardware store and called it a day?

The reality is that built-in bookshelves can boost a home’s resale value if done correctly. Proper placement, high-quality construction, and flexibility through flexible shelving layouts are all key aspects that provide value.

Make a Statement With a Focal Point and a Dash of Whimsicality

Custom built-in bookshelves can bring charm and appeal to a freshly built home that lacks architectural components such as wainscoting or crown molding. Consult your builder about incorporating the living room built-in bookshelves or built-in bookshelves with desks in your home.

Other bookshelves ideas include; built-in bookshelves with tv, built-in bookshelves with fireplace, built-in bookshelves under stairs, built-in bookshelves around doorway, or free-standing bookshelves to make yours unique.

Consider adding old school details like intricate crown molding and ornate trim, beadboard backing, or a rolling library ladder to reach upper shelves for added traditional appeal.

The Disadvantages of Built-In Bookshelves 

Without sugarcoating it, built-in bookshelves aren’t cheap, and they come with several other downsides. Keep these obstacles in mind before asking your carpenter to build unique shelving or cabinets in every underused space.

Built-in bookshelves location may not appeal to homebuyers

Keep your home’s future marketability in mind as you consider where to put your built-in bookshelves. Installing custom or DIY built-in bookshelves in an unusual area, such as an upstairs bedroom that you use as an office, can go two ways.

It can be a great option for you right now as you are the homeowner. This personal preference may limit your home’s desirability to potential buyers who would like to use the area for something else such as a regular guest room in the future.

Upfront costs

Installing built-in bookshelves can be expensive considering the labor and material costs. There are great-looking, less expensive solutions that may be found for a few hundred dollars, and top real estate agents advise against overpaying on built-in bookshelves.

You will be delighted you have freestanding shelves that you can quickly sell on online platforms like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist when design styles change. The money you earn back can be used to buy or install a bookshelf with a new style.

Built-in bookshelves lack flexibility

Today, interior design trends are changing each day and you too may be tempted to change your built-in bookshelves. Semi-permanent shelving with polished edges can work well in any home and offer the flexibility to change with no major hassle. Semi-permanent shelving can be DIYed or created with very little assistance from a carpenter.

Modular pieces can be added as needed and free-standing bookshelves can serve as room dividers. You can also be more creative with their shape and arrangement, turning them into statement pieces rather than just basic furniture.

Conclusion

A library does add value to a home. Built-in bookshelves are useful for the extra storage in the house. They give the possibility for higher earnings when it’s time to sell. They also enable the homeowner to personalize their area while maintaining a neutral palette for resale. You can add gorgeous floor-to-ceiling built-in bookshelves to your home that will bring a lot of delight and a fantastic way to exhibit all your treasured things. With a little foresight and some help from the professionals, you will recoup the cost of construction when your home is sold.

FAQ