Exterior Paint

When choosing paint colors, it’s important to consider both the style of your home and the colors of your surrounding neighborhood. You want your home to stand out, but not be so different that it looks out of place. If you’re not sure where to start, consult with a professional painter or interior designer for color recommendations.

Outdoor Lighting

Another popular home exterior remodeling idea is adding or updating outdoor lighting. This can include anything from installing new landscape lighting to updating your front porch light fixture. Outdoor lighting is a great way to add both curb appeal and safety to your home. When selecting outdoor lighting fixtures, be sure to choose ones that complement the style of your home. For example, if you have a craftsman-style home, select fixtures that have a similar design aesthetic.

Adding or Updating your Back Patio

One of the best ways to update your home’s exterior is by adding or updating your back patio. A back patio is a great place for entertaining guests or simply relaxing after a long day. If you don’t have a back patio, now is the perfect time to add one. If you already have a back patio, consider giving it a facelift by installing new pavers or landscaping bricks. You could also add an outdoor kitchen or fireplace for an even more inviting space. Using pavers is a great way to add a unique look to your back patio design. They are timeless as well as aesthetically pleasing, so you will enjoy them for years into the future.

Shop around for materials

Oftentimes, home improvement stores will offer discounts or coupons on materials—particularly if you purchase them in bulk. You can also check websites like Craigslist or Freecycle for people who are looking to get rid of building materials they no longer need. While these materials may not be new, they can still be used for your project and will likely cost significantly less than purchasing new materials outright.

– Considering adding a porch or portico to the front of your house? Your home’s entryway is one of the most important aspects of its exterior design. Aside from being aesthetically appealing and adding to your homes curb appeal, a porch or portico adds functional benefits as well.

Some of these benefits include:

• Protection from the sun, rain or snow as you and your guests enter or exit your home.
• Protection for mail or packages being delivered and dropped on your doorstep
• A covered area for lounge chairs or a swing to enjoy sitting outside your home to read or interact with neighbors.
• Additional space for seasonal decorations and lighting.

Both porticos and porches allow you to get creative with the design. Research the various designs for columns/posts used to support the roof, explore the various materials used to cover the structure itself such as PVC, Hardie Board, stone and brick. Some customers have even used the roof of their custom designed porches and porticos to tie their existing copper gutters.

Replacing Siding

Siding is your home’s first line of defense against damaging weather and pests. It’s also one of the most visible parts of your house, so when it fails to do its job, it fails to look the part. Any visible damage or defects in your homes siding is not only an eye sore, but it means the underlying wood structure is vulnerable to damage and decay as well. It is important to regularly inspect your siding and address issues found sooner rather than later to prevent further damage and costly repairs.

Replacing Windows and Doors

Whether old, damaged or poorly installed, faulty windows and doors are more than an eyesore. Heat gain and heat loss through windows alone are responsible for 25%–30% of residential heating and cooling energy use…and that is when they are in good condition. Imagine how much energy you are losing when your windows and doors aren’t sealing your home as well as they should. Replacing your old windows and doors with new ones and making sure they are installed correctly can drastically cut back on energy costs, and is a relatively inexpensive way to spruce up your home.

Adding a Deck

When deciding to add a deck to your home there is a lot to consider.

What kind of views do you have to work with? It is a good idea to spend time in the space at different points of the day to see how sunlight will be affecting the area. You may have trees in your yard that provide nice shade spots for your future deck, or you may want to consider adding a retractable awning or putting up shade umbrellas in the corners of the deck to provide the shade.

Foot traffic is another important factor to consider when deciding to add a deck to your home. It is a good idea to map out how the deck could be configured in order to provide easy access and walking space to and around things like the grill, seating and other fixtures of your deck. Will you want your deck to have stairs down to access the yard, or do you want it to wrap around your house to access a carport or the driveway?

Finally, and arguably the most important feature of a deck, the material and surface. Some people prefer the look and feel of real wood decks, but one must consider the maintenance that is required for real wood. Real wood decks have to be stained and sealed every 3-5 years depending on weather and environment, and even then, they don’t last as long as their artificial counterparts. Real wood decking can begin to warp over time and often require attention to repair loose or missing fasteners. Artificial decking, like Trex, comes in a variety of colors and requires little to no maintenance, but it is more expensive than real wood and has the potential to become hot to the touch in direct sunlight.

Shop around for materials

Oftentimes, home improvement stores will offer discounts or coupons on materials—particularly if you purchase them in bulk. You can also check websites like Craigslist or Freecycle for people who are looking to get rid of building materials they no longer need. While these materials may not be new, they can still be used for your project and will likely cost significantly less than purchasing new materials outright.