Renovating a Home Exterior
Renovating the exterior of a home can be done in many ways. There are an enormous number of changes you can make to give the exterior of your property a new lease on life. Read on to find out more about some of the different options available.
A Fresh Look
One of the changes that you can make to the exterior of your home is to install fibre cement cladding. There are numerous advantages to replacing the outside surface of your house with this material. It is cheaper than other materials such as wood or brick, and is very low maintenance - once it has been installed it requires little maintenance, and doesn’t need to be painted or varnished. It will also repel moisture and rot, and most importantly it is highly resistant to fire. You can also find this material in a variety of colours and textures, which allows you to create any type of effect that you would like. This is a good way to protect the exterior of your home, which will help increase its resale value and prevent damage during inclement weather. It is always important to make sure that your property is properly weather-proofed and sealed against the elements, and installing fibre cement cladding can be a highly worthwhile step of your renovation.
Repainting the outside of your home is another way to make a change. With paint, the colour possibilities are endless. When choosing a colour for your house, make sure that the colour you choose is not likely to put off any potential home purchasers, if resale value is a concern. Painting is also a renovation project that you can do yourself, or you may decide to have this work carried out by a professional. If you choose to paint your home exterior on your own, make sure that you have the appropriate protective gear. Scraping the old paint off and then sanding the surface can release a lot of dust, which could cause damage to your respiratory system. Of course, unless you are very experienced with DIY, you may choose to have this work carried out professionally to ensure a great result. Lastly, it’s important to make sure that there is no damage to any of the exterior surfaces of your home, and painting can also offer a good opportunity to make sure that the outside of your house is in good condition.
Adding Outdoor Space
A porch is frequently a highly desired feature for potential home buyers. A porch can give the exterior of your property a significantly more cosy and welcoming appearance, as well as provide you with more outdoor space than you otherwise would have, offering a variety of uses. The size of the porch that you are allowed to build without having to acquire planning permission is limited by law to 3 square metres. For those who are very experienced in DIY, it is even possible to tackle building a porch by yourself. Porches are often constructed out of bricks up to waist height. The cost of having a porch built is generally between £2,000 and £10,000, and can be seen as a kind of mini-extension. The actual price will depend on your property's geographical location, and the materials and the style of porch you choose. If you are replacing an existing porch as opposed to having one built from scratch, you will also have to include removal of the old porch in your budget.
Installing New Windows
Another way to renovate the exterior of your house is to have the windows replaced. Windows are one of the exterior’s most defining features, and are the source of much of the property’s character. Renovating your property’s windows is a brilliant, simple, and relatively inexpensive way of improving your quality of life at home. New windows can also refresh the interior of your home. You may be able to get some assistance from the government in order to have your windows replaced with more energy-efficient ones. In any case, make sure that the windows you choose have double glazing, as this will make them retain heat more efficiently, and they will also keep out more noise from the surrounding environment. It is also important to consider the materials for the window frames and how they fare in the climatic conditions your property experiences - certain materials will perform poorly under certain weather conditions. If, for example, you live in a part of the country which is hot and humid, it is best to avoid wooden window frames as they risk warping from the heat and moisture. It also pays to make sure that the contractor you choose to hire has experience and expertise in window installation, and has a good track record of delivering their projects on time.
Replacing the Roof
Replacing your property’s roof, despite perhaps not being the most glamorous type of home renovation, has many advantages. Modern roof materials have much better insulating properties than older slates, and therefore a new roof will help keep the house cooler. This will also make sure that your house is safe to be inhabited, and will also help prevent water from ingressing into your home. Roof tiles come in a wide range of different materials that you can choose for your roof replacement: it is now even possible to add a metal roof to your home. Despite being more expensive and potentially requiring a specialist contractor, a metal roof can be one of the best options in the long run. Metal roofs last for a very long time, and are completely fireproof, which will improve your property’s safety.
The roof replacement process starts with having the old roof removed, and then verifying that the existing frame of the roof is free of damage and is in generally good condition. Having a roof replaced is generally one of the more costly parts of the renovation process, but is generally fully worth the price, as it will make your home safer.
Adding Exterior Lighting
Finally, you can also consider adding exterior lighting to your home. This has a number of benefits: again, it will make the property safer, make it look more inviting for guests and increase its resale value. Exterior lights will help to bring out the character of your property and in particular the roof, since it will be better defined at night. This step of an exterior renovation is generally not as expensive as some of the others, since the materials cost much less than those involved in certain other renovation projects Lighting can be the final step to help bring together the other renovation work you’ve had done, making the improvements you’ve made visible to everyone.
Do you have plans to carry out a home renovation project? Find an architect specialised in renovations at find-my-architect.com and get in touch today to start bringing your vision to life.