Exterior Finishes On Custom Homes 2015

2015- Exteriors Finishes

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.

Steel Siding On Your Modern Custom Home

Steel Siding (want something different?)

If you planning to build a custom home and are looking for something different on the exterior as a finish and you aren’t very impressed with the normal vinyl or wood siding that is readily available then maybe you should think about putting steel on the outside of the home.

There are many different steel siding products on the market that you could pick from, some of them are better than others and some of them look just like their vinyl or wood competition. If you are building a custom home and you truly desire it to be custom and unique then you should try putting steel roofing on the walls of the home. That’s right the same steel that goes on the roof of your home can be placed on the walls as well.

There are many benefits to using steel roofing on the walls of your home;

• It will never rot, twist or split.

• New steel roofing is guaranteed to never rust for the lifetime that you own your home.

• The colour on most steel roofing is warranted for up to 50 years, which means you should never need to repaint or replace it in your lifetime.

• There is no food value in steel, which means that bugs won’t eat it or want to live in it. You should never have to worry about termites or carpenter ants.

• Steel is so strong that it will withstand hurricane force winds. Flying debris in strong storms will not penetrate the material if struck at a high speed no matter what type of debris it is.

• Wind and snow will not penetrate it. Most steel comes in large sheets so there are actually less joints to worry about, which means less chance of water penetration.

• Steel is installed with colour screws with rubber washered heads. This gives a superior hold then nails and is also more weather resistant.

• There are a wide variety of patterns, colours, textures and designs for steel siding. You should have no problem finding something that appeals to your taste.

If you are designing a custom home that is more modern then you should think about steel instead of something like stucco. This is especially true if you are planning to build in a colder climate, cold climates are especially hard on stucco exteriors and the maintenance of stucco can become expensive over time. The maintenance with steel is almost nonexistent.

Remember that building a custom home means that you can make your home look like whatever you want, try something new and impress everyone including yourself.

Rob Abbott
Village Builders Inc.

Exterior Finishing Trends on Custom Homes 2013

2013- Exteriors Finishes

The trends in the exterior finishes in custom homes and renovations in 2013. Some of the trends have started this year (2013), a lot of trends where started in the 2012 construction year and continued into this calendar year. There are trends that have been sustained year over year as well, they are long running trends.

Exterior Finishes for Custom Homes

Here is a list of the trends that have stayed the same over the last several years;

• Pre-finished wood siding. Pre-finished wood siding has been by far the most popular exterior material used on the outside of custom homes.

• Horizontal siding is still the most popular choice for siding.

• Using a different material in the gable ends such as cedar shakes instead of running the siding all the way to the soffit is still the most popular way to finish off high gables.

• Decorative timber framing is still the best way to high light gable ends and make them stand out.

• Natural stone is still the most popular stone to be placed on the outside of custom homes.

• A 4 ft skirt of stone is still the most popular option around the bottom of a custom home when stone is being used.

• Siding with trim to butt the siding up to on the outside corners. 45ed corners are not that common because of the high expense and the degree of maintenance involved.

• Wood facia and wood soffit are still the most common.

• Installing freeze boards in certain heights of a multi story homes are still used to add definition to a large sided area.

Here a list of the new trends happening in Exterior finishes on custom homes;

• Vertical siding is showing up on more and more custom homes. It helps give the home different lines that make the place look more modern.

• Cement siding continues to grow in popularity.

• Using facia that is coloured the same as the eave trough is a newer trend that is gaining in popularity, it helps hide the eave trough.

• New stone from manufactures like Eldorado are making man made stone a more likable option when compared to the high cost of installing real stone.

• Crown molding installed at the point where the soffit and siding meet is a new growing trend, it helps give a more detailed look to the area.

• Layered facia and layered trims where the siding meets the soffit are growing in popularity as people try to “dress up” the exterior of their homes.

• Elaborate layers of siding trims are being used, one trim installed on top of another to give the window and door trims more definition.

• Vertical siding is growing in popularity as people look for a more modern clean lined look.

These are just some the new trends on the Exterior Finishes of today’s new custom homes.

Rob Abbott
Operations Manager
Village Builders Inc.