DIY Exterior Remodeling
Any home will need exterior upgrades every few years. Any type of siding or brick, for example, will begin to look dated over time. The color of house trim might need changing to give brick, siding or stucco a fresh look. A home's landscaping and outdoor lighting might need upgrades to enhance curbside appeal. Changing the look of a porch or driveway can improve the exterior design as well. Look through home design books and home remodeling magazines to get ideas about what's contemporary. Drive through neighborhoods close to you in order to see what's popular in your locale. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Home design books
- Home remodeling magazines
- Sketchpad
- Colored pencils
- Roof materials
- Metal flashing
- Caulking
- Energy-efficient windows
- Stacked stone
- Paint
- Concrete plant containers
- Evergreen bushes
- Porch light fixtures
- Outdoor chairs
- Porch tables
- Mulch
- Landscaping bushes
- Driveway pavers
Instructions
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Draw changes on a sketchpad. Make sketches of your house to see if new siding, a combination of brick and stucco, or larger windows will add appeal. Draw sketches to provide an overview of important curbside changes, such as a wider walkway or driveway with brick pavers, along with different landscaping. Use colored pencils to make the drawings more realistic. Look at your roofing materials closely to see if a new roof is needed also.
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Repair or replace the roof and examine the roof overhang. Fix any shingles that are loose or missing. Install new flashing around the chimney, and caulk all gaps and seams in the overhang spaces. Replace the roof by using a slightly different color of ashphalt shingles for a new look. For example, change dark gray shingles to a new light gray shingled roof.
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Install new, energy-efficient windows before attempting to change siding materials or the color of exterior siding. Figure out if the window openings need to be larger in certain areas of the house. Construct a lower wall of stacked stone across the front of the house. Paint old brown bricks light cream. Paint vinyl siding light taupe to replace an outdated color.
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Paint the house trim to give visual appeal. As an example, paint all overhangs and guttering stark white. Paint shutters dark gray to harmonize with light taupe siding. Use dark gray paint on foundation masonry to give it a fresher look.
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Add new porch plants, lighting and furniture. Buy concrete containers for evergreen bushes that fit on each side of the front door. Hook up new light fixtures on the porch ceiling and beside the door to replace outdated fixtures. Install outdoor chairs and tables on the porch that look appropriate for your neighborhood.
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Tips & Warnings
Get rid of dense landscaping around the perimeter of the house. Plant well-spaced dwarf bushes and add mulch around all four sides of the house. Extend this landscaping border about 6 feet wide from the outer edge to the house facade on all sides.
Build a new driveway or install pavers on the old one before you complete yard landscaping.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jack Hollingsworth/Digital Vision/Getty Images
