Your home exterior says a lot about your personality, and if you feel the character of your home doesn’t accurately reflect your own, then you can completely change, update, and revamp the look of your house with exterior remodeling. Redoing the outside of your house is a big job and requires a lot of decisions regarding materials, style, architecture, and design, so there are some important things you should keep in mind when planning your remodel. And in case you’re not sure where to start, here are three important rules to consider when you decide it’s time for an exterior update.
1. Don’t Stand Out Like a Sore Thumb
If you were to look around your neighborhood right now, you’d probably be able to pick out a few elements that pop up over and over again in different houses. These are themes, and every neighborhood will have its own unique design themes. When you’re updating your home’s exterior, you don’t have to make your house look identical to your neighbor’s, but you also don’t want it looking entirely dissimilar.
For instance, if all your neighbors have painted their homes in muted Earth tones, then your home would stand out if you opted to repaint it bright pink. Similarly, if all the homes around are century homes in a traditional style, your house would be very conspicuous if you modernized the exterior. You can still express your own style and individuality through your exterior remodeling, but try to keep the look and style of the rest of the community.
2. Understand How Siding Will Change the Look of Your Home
Siding doesn’t just protect and insulate your house: it makes a statement. The material and siding style you choose can completely change the look of your home, and picking one siding over another will produce very different results for your exterior remodeling. When it comes to siding materials, here are a few of your choices:
Vinyl siding is affordable and low-maintenance, it cannot be painted over, and it’s available in a variety of styles, including shingles, board and batten, and dutchlap.
Fiber cement siding is resistant to fire, wind, termites, and rot, it looks like wood but is lower maintenance, and it can be textured to look like brick, stone, and other materials.
Steel is low maintenance, fire resistant, durable, and imparts a very modern feel to any house.
3. Look to Your Environment for Design Ideas
The geography and surroundings of your house should inspire the look and feel of your home exterior design plan. For instance, you can’t go wrong by opting for stucco siding and terra cotta colors if you live in the heart of canyon country. Similarly, blues and greens are great paint choices if you live near the ocean. Or, if you live in the country, imagine how at-home your house would look with stone siding and design elements that reflect the hills. By using nature and geography as your guide, your house won’t look out of place in its surroundings, and this will make your home welcoming and inviting.
Home exterior remodeling is a big project, and there are lots of things to consider before you start work. For more information about your remodeling options, design and style choices, and material possibilities, contact Greenawalt Roofing to schedule your free estimate today!