The best way to go about a spookier project is to use stairs.
It’s a way to get people to move closer and closer to you, to make your dreams come true, and it makes building a house seem easier and safer.
But that’s not always the case.
In a new report by National Review, architecture professor Eric Schlosser offers five simple tips to get a spooked house going.
The first is to create the illusion of movement.
“Stairs are not the right thing to do if you want to scare people,” Schlossers says.
The second is to make the house look scary by placing stairs in its interior.
“I prefer the stairs in the attic or the basement,” he says.
“That way, you get people up there to walk around and look around.”
The third is to get the stairs closer together, which means you have to be careful not to step on them.
“If you’re standing on a staircase, you’re probably doing something wrong, like jumping off the top of the stairs,” Schlosinger says.
He recommends using wood-trimmed stairs, which make the illusion that you’re stepping on the stairs.
Finally, the fourth tip is to avoid stair-step-walk.
“You can get away with it if you’re doing something really fancy like a spindly staircase, but stairs are generally not a good idea,” Schosser says.
So what are the five tips?
You should build your house using wooden stairs, using either a solid board or a wooden plank that’s cut in half.
You should also choose the right materials.
“Wooden stairs are the most effective way to build your spooky dream house,” Schollers says, and you can buy the right ones from a local lumber yard.
“And the best wood for stairs is the hardwood, which is what you’ll use for a living room,” he adds.
Make sure your spookiest stairs aren’t the same as the ones in the pictures above.
“It’s easy to get lost in the stairscape,” Scholzner says.