There are dozens of items that should be on your checklist when considering design and style options for your exterior home remodeling project. From roofing style all the way down to the type of siding and windows you choose, you will get the most for your money if you spend some time doing some research before getting quotes from professional home improvement contractors. This article will give some ideas for choosing design elements, material selections, and style options for your exterior remodel, renovation or restoration.
Roofing: Shingles, Metal Roofing & More
More and more homeowners are going for metal roofing options. Previously, metal roofing was only used in industrial, commercial and agricultural applications, but in recent years it has become increasingly popular in residential homes. Standing seam metal roofing is the most popular – and the most expensive – option, as its beautiful hidden-fastener interlocking panels system provides an unblemished and smooth appearance with long, symmetrical lines that add elegance to any style of architecture. However, since metal roofs are so expensive many homeowners do not have this in their budget. A more affordable roofing material is asphalt shingle roofing, which allows for more budget allocation on the more visible parts of the home like siding, doors and windows. Asphalt shingles have been given a facelift in recent years with the advent of architectural style shingle. This laminated asphalt shingle mimics the overlapped appearance of traditional shake or slate roofs and it provides a much more three-dimensional aesthetic. Furthermore, architectural asphalt shingles are usually backed with limited lifetime warranties, so homeowners can properly protect their investment so long as they hire a reputable roofing contractor committed to quality workmanship.
Siding: Dutch-Lap, Straight-Lap, Clapboard, Beadboard, Board-and-Batten, Shake & More
The type of siding that you choose, along with the quality of the siding contractor you hire to install it, are important because the siding makes up the great majority of the visible space on your home’s exterior. Luckily, there are literally hundreds of options to choose from, so you are sure to find something that suits your particular taste and style. Brands like CertainTeed’s “MainStreet”, ProVia and PlyGem’s Mastic Ovation are all high quality vinyl siding materials with dozens of styles and colors available. The most trending siding colors in 2020 are granite grays and royal blues, with sage and gray-green becoming increasingly popular, as well. You’ll want to choose a color that goes best with your roof color, and don’t forget that if your house has dormers and gables you can mix and match vinyl siding to get a really high-dimension look. If the main body of your house is sided with lap-style vinyl siding, you can choose a shake or beadboard style for the dormers and gables to provide some depth to your home’s exterior design.
Exterior Trim: Soffit, Fascia, Window Wraps, Door Casings, Etc.
Finally, don’t forget the trim and accents: outside corners, window wraps, door casings, soffits and fascia are usually all the same accent color and are used to highlight the rest of the home. The most common color for exterior trim is white. Some people choose to color-match the outside corners, but it is not uncommon to see all of these elements done in white to provide a bold look.
The same goes for windows and door casings. This trim is usually wrapped in aluminum break-metal, like the fascia, which will be custom-fabricated by your home improvement contractor on-site. The window and door trims, along with the fascia, are most often white but can easily be wrapped in any color aluminum to fit your home’s exterior design color scheme.
Get Samples of Siding and Roofing Materials to Help Guide your Design Decisions
There are plenty of ways to get physical samples of siding materials: you can ask contractors to bring them when they come for interviews, you can contact manufacturers directly, and you can visit local lumber supply yards. Many contractors and suppliers also have showrooms, and some of the big-box stores like Home Depot and Lowes also have materials to help make siding and roofing selection a little easier. However, it’s best to bring the physical samples home with you to hold up against your home and view it in “real life”, so even if you have to buy a piece or two, make sure you do a thorough job of sampling things like vinyl siding styles and colors and roofing shingle color options. This will help you arrive at the best decisions for your exterior remodeling project. Good luck!