CUSTOMER REVIEWS
Remodeling the exterior of your home is a great way to give the place a fresh look while raising your property value a bit as well. Exterior remodels are different from interior projects, though, in that they need to be able to contend with the elements and higher levels of abuse in general.
If you’re considering an exterior renovation, you need to be looking for materials that are both durable and low maintenance unless you’ve got the money for constant maintenance and replacements. So, if you’re about to undergo an exterior renovation, here are a few ideas you might want to consider.
Thankfully, you don’t have to sacrifice anything in the way of style or quality to do.
1. Steel Siding
Steel siding doesn’t have to be silver or even noticeably metal-looking at all. Steel siding is very durable and very low-maintenance, being invulnerable to water damage and highly resistant to impact damage as well.
You can find steel siding in a variety of colors and styles but for those of you who enjoy the log cabin aesthetic, steel siding is the best house siding for you. Steel house siding looks exactly like the side of a real log cabin would look, but comes with none of the downsides of real wood.
2. Synthetic Roofing
With the amount of sun and weather exposure that your roof has to deal with on an annual basis, it’s just not a good idea to use natural materials anymore.
Unless you’ve got the time and money for maintenance, synthetic shingles are a far better alternative. Take synthetic slate, for example. It looks just like slate but is not nearly as brittle and won’t delaminate over time.
Natural slate tile roof life expectancy is theoretically anywhere from 50 to 100 years, but they rarely last this long without being damaged in some way. With synthetic slate, you’re much more likely to get a full century out of your roof tiles.
3. New Trim
New trim around areas like your garage doors and windows is one of the cheapest, yet most subtly effective ways of updating your home. New garage trim, especially, can breathe unexpected newfound life into your garage and really accentuate siding and garage doors. There are tons of ideas to play with here, from arched trim to half-trim, matching trim, contrasting trim, and more.
The Exterior of Your Home is Like the Cover of a Book
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but when it comes to homes, everyone does. That’s why you should take care to make sure your exterior materials are durable and low-maintenance enough to stay looking fresh for years on end.
Not only will this help you present a better aesthetic to passersby and neighbors, but it will also lessen the burden of home improvement labor on you and can improve your property value by a bit as well. If you want to give your home a makeover, any of the three ideas mentioned here would be a perfect place to start.
Matt Lee is the owner of the Innovative Building Materials blog and a content writer for the building materials industry. He is focused on helping fellow homeowners, contractors, and architects discover materials and methods of construction that save money, improve energy efficiency, and increase property value.