As I price, construct and consult on people’s custom homes and their renovations I see trends emerging in the style and the design of the outside finishes of these homes. Some of these trends are new and have emerged this year and some of them are longer running trends that started in years previous and have continued on.
Exterior Finishes on Custom Homes
Here is a list of the trends that have stayed the same over the last several years;
• Decorative timber framing has become the norm in all gables placed at the peaks.
• Vertical butt-jointed corners are still the most popular with layering taking over giving them more depth and allowing a colour change to accent the homes corners.
• Wood facia and wood soffits that are painted to match the siding colour are still the most popular.
• Freeze boards through the siding at certain heights to help break up a high wall of siding is common.
• Natural stone is by far the most popular option when dressing up the outside of custom homes.
• Coloured eavethrough is common now to match the colour of the facia so that it helps it disappear.
• A 4 foot wall of stone whether it is natural or manmade is seen most often, this helps keep some of the costs down but still gives that stone look.
• Crown molding at the point where the soffit meets the siding has become the norm now, with the crown being painted the same as the siding and soffit.
• Pre-finished wood siding is still the most popular; this has been the case for decades.
• Horizontal pre-finished siding is still the most popular way to install it.
• Simple siding looks with no trims around the windows or corners are becoming popular. It’s a more modern look.
• Homes are being designed with more and more windows and doors; this is requiring less and less exterior wall covering. With that comes the need to simplify siding so that it accents the windows and doors instead of accenting the siding itself.
• Vertical siding is growing in popularity; the cost of the installation is keeping it from becoming the norm over horizontal, but the fact that there are more windows mean there is less siding and vertical has become very appealing.
• Natural wood like pine and cedar have become the norm in cottage country for their natural high end look and the availability of UV resistant paint that lasts longer.
Here a list of the new trends happening in Exterior finishes on custom homes;
• Metal siding or metal sheeting is becoming a popular material on modern houses that are looking for a simplified look.
• Eldorado Stones newer HD stone that looks remarkably like natural stone is becoming a more popular option as the cost savings compared to natural stone is immense.
• There are new vinyl siding products that are on the market that have a high definition look that is starting to steal some of the market share away from cement siding. The vinyl being a lot easier to install and cheaper to purchase overall.
• Thermally modified wood siding is becoming more popular as it requires no maintenance and weathers to look like cedar unless sealed to keep its original colour.
• With the resurgence of vinyl siding (higher end vinyl) so is the popularity of aluminum facia and soffit.
• White soffit and facia is starting to make a comeback because of the amount of people wanting a more modern look to their homes.
It seems that the trends for finishing exterior homes is changing and changing toward a more natural simpler look. That is the trend I see coming but with the amount of different styles out there it might not stay for long. With exterior finishes it is always better to pick something that will be maintenance free in the coming years and that fits your style and taste. I wouldn’t worry about what it does to the resale value because regardless of what you choose it will be out of date by the time you go to sell your home.
Pick something that will have the ability to last long enough so that it still will look good when you
go to sell it.
Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.
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