Change Your Siding And Give The Building New Life

Have an old building? A garage, house, cottage a little bit of siding goes a long way!

No matter what the building looks like if you want it to look more appealing then install some new siding.

There are many different types of siding, colours, products, profiles and ways to install it. But the underlying theme is that new siding turns an old building into something newer and inviting.

In today's labour market paying someone to scrap the old paint off your siding and re-paint it is about the same price as removing it and installing new siding, the new siding will come with a warranty on the paint or the colour depending on what product you choose.

Some of the things you need to consider before picking a product;

• Budget. Your budget will be what defines which product you can be pick as there is a wide variety of siding materials to pick from and they all come with different price tags.
• Sub-structure. If your sub-structure is older and rotten then you will need to either add a layer to the outside to help with the siding installation. Siding fasteners require something solid to be attached too.
• Insulation. If you are re-siding a house or a cottage, an easy way to help the inside become more cozy and energy efficient is to add some insulation board to the outside of it. There are varying thicknesses depending on what R-value you want to achieve, but well installed insulation board can stop most drafts and it also helps seal the walls from unwanted creatures finding their way into the walls.
• Ripple affect. When you start changing the outside finishing's of a building you will end up finding things that need repairing or replacing. Once you start fixing siding you could end up  being forced to replace or repair soffit, facia, windows, doors, porches, outside electrical, overhangs, eavetrough, etc depending on the damage.
• Style. You can change the entire look of a building depending on the style and colour that you pick for your siding. You can make the building look classical or you can make the building look modern and sleek. Nothing transforms a house faster then the changing of siding.

 Whatever you decide on for for your siding make sure that you hire a professional contractor to supply and install it. No matter how nice the product you pick is it will only look as good as the company that is installing it. So do your research and find a company that not only can install the product but also someone you feel comfortable with as well.

Its your property you should feel like you've made the proper choice once its installed.

Rob
Village Builders Inc.

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.