5 Game-changing Ideas for Home Exterior Makeover
- Written by Diana Smith
Transforming your home’s exterior can improve its curb appeal, value, and chances for sale, however not all house facelifts are made equal. While cosmetic changes like giving it a new façade paint, sprucing up the greenery are easily DIY-ed, more elaborate changes like changing the roof structure or exterior finish can make a big visual difference and are best done in consultation with a professional architect. Whether you’re aiming high or low, here are a few ideas on improving your home’s exterior.
Why change at all?
While most people value their homes for practicality and comfort, the appearance is important, as well. Historic homes have original charm and character, while post-war and mass-built homes sometimes lack features that would attract potential buyers. However, it’s not only 1960s and 1970s homes that need a makeover. Even period homes can have their exterior finishes or architectural features damaged by negligence or lack of maintenance. When old wooden pegs or mortar used to secure the tiles on the house siding fails, you may need a more secure replacement, such as double nailing or screws.
Swap the exterior finish
If your home was built in the 1970s or 1980s with stone cladding, pebbledash, mismatching bricks or a mixture of different materials, you can remove and replace them with a different material for a more contemporary look. When considering cladding choices, ask your supplier to show you new and aged samples to see how your home might look now and a few years down the line. PVCu cladding is one of the least expensive options that can be coloured or designed for a wood-effect. Timber boarding suits contemporary and some period homes, with pine and spruce being the cheapest option, and hardwoods like oak, chestnut, or larch weathering naturally or sealed with a fire-retardant coating. Steel is expensive, but can last for 30 years with low maintenance, while copper cladding develops a verdigris patina and has a lifespan of 100 years.
Replace the roof
The roof is a dominant feature on many home styles, so you can hugely improve your home's appearance by changing the shape of it or the exterior covering. Roof projects typically require several professionals on the site, advanced tools, as well as the means of reaching the heights. While ladders are the least expensive option, having a scaffold makes it easier for more people to work on the same part of the roof and have their tools and materials at hand. This scaffolding rental business offers a range of mobile lightweight scaffolds with different load ratings and Work Cover certification. Most people decide to replace the roof while making an attic conversion or extension, improving the home’s energy efficiency, or making repairs due to storm damage.
Create a walkway
If you don't have a walkway leading to your front door or have bland concrete pavement which you want replaced for something more special, a stone walkway can improve your home’s curb appeal in an instant. Natural stone is expensive, but you can use stone forms and fill them with concrete for an easy stone walkway look. The entire project can be done in a couple of days and shouldn’t cost you more than $50. An arbour at the far end of your walkway, or at the entry of your front garden can lift the stakes even higher. Once you build it, stain or paint the timber to match the exterior of your home. Plant climbing greenery like vines or flower at the base to let it blend more in the landscape. Apart from looking great in the front, an arbour can look amazing as an entry to the side yard or veggie garden.
Update the front door
Whether you opt for a new door or to refurbish and repaint the old one, this a quick and relatively easy project that most DIY-savvy homeowners could pull off themselves. If your house is on a road where properties follow a uniform pattern, try to keep the front door matched as closely possible to the homes on left and right. On the other hand, if you live in a vintage property and want to restore its front door to its former glory, go through reclamation yards and sales and try to find one whose style and period suit your house. Alternatively, hire a skilled joiner to make a new one that mimics the period flair of your old door.
Deciding on what changes to make to your house to make it more attractive from the outside can be tricky. While the right transformations can improve its curb appeal beyond recognition, it’s important not to force anything that is completely unrelated to its period and style.
