Three Places to Spend Money on the Exterior of Your Home

When you have the exterior of your home remodeled, you are investing, time, energy and convenience into the project and you want to make sure that you are getting the most from the experience. After you have found a contractor that you are comfortable working with, you need to sit down and discuss all of the elements of the project that you have in mind and ask about what suggestions the contractor might have for the job.

Remember that communication is the most important thing in a remodel and you want to discuss the ideas that you have for the home in as much detail as you can. During this discussion process there are three areas of the home that you should be sure to pay attention to, as money spent in these areas will give you the best return on your investment.

Siding

The first thing that you need to think about is what kind of siding you want the home to have because the siding is the most visible part of the home’s exterior. Choosing the color of the siding will affect the other color choices that you make, so it is important that you settle on a choice early in the process. You will also need to think about what kind of siding you want for the house. There are two types of siding that are the most popular in the United States.

First is vinyl siding, the most common siding choice.

Vinyl is great because it can come in so many different colors and it gives you a little room to play with the design of the home. While vinyl is a popular choice, it is falling out of style because of the environmental impact of the vinyl and because a newer solution gives better coverage. The rising choice for siding is fiber cement siding. This siding provides a number of benefits over other sidings, including being fire resistant, extraordinarily weather resistant and it provides the best protection against wood-eating pests. Talk to your contractor about whether or not they can install fiber cement siding if you want the best protection for your home’s exterior.

Roofing

The second largest project during your remodel is going to be the roof. You are going to have a few choices to make for the roof, and like the siding, deciding which direction you want to go early in the process will make the entire remodel go much more smoothly. Basically roofing will come down to three choices. You can have traditional shingles installed, which is a fine and economical choice. You can also choose a metal roof as well.

Metal roofs are designed to a last a very long time, and the changes to metal roof technology have made this a more attractive choice than ever before. Finally, you can have wooden shakes installed. Shakes are some of the most difficult roofs to put in because of the expertise needed to do the job right. If you have a good contractor, this should not be an issue and shake roofs are some of the best looking roofs on the market.

Gutters

One area of the remodel where you want to spend a little bit of time is the gutter system and making sure that it works well. When the gutters are doing their job you never think about them, but when gutters fail you can have a serious problem. Gutters divert water from the weakest areas of the home, and help to prevent mold growth and moisture damage. You will want a gutter that flows easily from the roof to the ground, and you need to make sure the gutters do not drain into the landscaping or near the basement, where they can cause serious damage.

There are a lot of things that need to be done during a home exterior remodel, but there are some decisions that are more important than others. Getting the colors chosen for the roof and the siding will allow the contractor to finish the job more quickly, while updating your gutter system will ensure that your home is protected from water damage in its most vulnerable places.

I am John Saunders, and I wrote this article to talk about some of the decisions that have to be made during an exterior remodel. I hired the team to handle my remodel and they walked me through the entire process, from the siding to the gutters homeowners too often forget about.