When homeowners are considering selling their home, thinking about adding an addition, or are ready to make big renovations, they often consider the inside of their home first. It’s true that you spend more time inside your home, but the exterior is worth considering too. The exterior has a huge impact on the value of your home as well as its curb appeal, its function and sometimes its structural integrity. Exterior home renovations are valuable, but when should you invest? Here are the signs it’s time for an exterior home renovation.
Signs It’s Time For An Exterior Home Renovation
Aging Roofing
When your roof is getting old, it really drags down the look of your whole property. It is common for aging roofing to show signs of wear that are unsightly, including:
- Granule loss: This is when shingles begin to lose the ceramic granules, which give them colour. You’ll find them in the gutters.
- Missing shingles: Whole shingles will come off the roof as their adhesive gives out and it works loose from the nails.
- Curling shingles: Some unusual textures on your roof might be the result of curling shingles. They look awful and no longer perform very well.
- Soffit damage: Stand under your gutters and look up. The plastic sheathing and vents behind the gutters are your soffits and soffit vents. When these get bent, dirty, and damaged, they impact the look and performance of your roof.
- Fascia damage: The fascia board is the wooden board which supports the edge of the roof. When it gets damaged, there may be issues with your roof.
Replacing just your soffits and fascia is possible and may improve the look of your roof, particularly if it has suffered water damage from overflowing gutters.
Chipped Siding / Exterior Damage
The outside of your home certainly needs an upgrade if it has suffered any serious damage that has it looking in disarray. Chipped siding is one of the most common signs and one that, if you fix it, can make a dramatic impact on the overall look of your home. Here are some other signs of exterior damage that you should look for.
Damage From Age
All parts of the exterior of your home will eventually give out due to age. Look for cracks and other signs of damage in everything from your siding to your masonry.
Mold, Mildew, Algae Damage
Stains of any colour might be the result of water damage or what grows after the damage, which is mold, mildew and algae. Not only do they look bad, but they can weaken the materials they grow on over time.
Insect Damage
Any of the wooden elements of your home’s exterior, from the fascia board to decorative pediments, may be damaged by insects. Look for crumbling wood and small holes.
Water Damage
You are more likely to find water damage around windows, doors, and the foundation of your home. Sometimes severe water damage requires replacement, not repair.
Outdated Façade
One of the toughest ways to know if it is time for an exterior home remodel is to assess the style of your home. That’s because you’re so used to looking at your home’s exterior that it can be hard to tell if it has become outdated. Many people end up leaving their home’s exterior in another decade or century, and that can end up hurting their home’s value when it is time to sell. So how do you know if your home’s look is outdated? Here are a few questions to ask:
- Have any other homes on the street been remodeled?
- Would a developer build a home that looks like yours today?
- When was the last time any exterior materials were changed on your home?
- When was the last time the home’s exterior style was updated?
Interior And Exterior Style Conflict
Another important way to tell that your home’s exterior is outdated is when the interior style of the home clashes with how it looks on the outside. If someone walks into your home for the first time and says they’d never expect your home to look so nice based on what they saw from the curb, you are well overdue for an exterior remodel.
Inefficient Materials, Doors, Windows
Do you have any signs that your home isn’t as energy efficient as it could be? These include drafts near windows and doors, cold or hot spots in the home, rising costs to heat and cool your home, much higher utility bills than your neighbours, and more. New windows, doors, or siding can help you improve the energy efficiency of your home and either resolve or reduce these problems.
Why Choose A Remodel Over Repair?
When it comes to exterior remodeling, you could simply slap a new coat of paint on your doors and call it a day. Why choose to remodel something that you could repair? There are lots of reasons, including:
- Long-term benefit: When you repair, you get only a little bit more time out of your home’s exterior. A remodel takes care of it for longer.
- Efficiency upgrades: There are newer materials and products which can help you save money on your utility bills, especially for doors, windows, and siding.
- Value for cost: Many of the elements of your home exterior really can’t be repaired for a much lower cost than replacement. That includes siding, exterior lighting, and walkways that are in major disrepair. It’s often financially better to just replace them.
- Homebuyer impressions: If you want to sell your home any time soon, replacing is best because home buyers prefer homes that will need less work in the coming years.
Get Professional Help To Upgrade Your Home Exterior
If your home has any of these exterior home renovation signals, it might be time to reach out to the experts. The team at Weaver Exterior Remodeling can assist you with every step of your home remodel and help you modernize your home, bring out the best of its traditional character, or a mix of both! Get a quote from us today.