When considering gables, trim, windows, doors and other elements of a house, the essential ingredient from which all variations and expressions flow is the basic siding material used for the majority of your home’s exterior surfaces, “field.” It often makes sense to celebrate the horizontal lines of a Ranch home with clapboards that have heavy shadow lines so that the counterpoints of windows, doors, trim, and, perhaps, gable siding, seem all the more activated and zesty. In homes that have horizontal and vertical elements, a neutral siding material (smaller, narrower exposure clapboards of tight shingle coursing) can allow the larger elements of the home to “pop” using reinforcing trim and the “banding” or “gridding” described earlier.
Windows are often dramatically undervalued when people think about their home’s exterior. By the use of color contrast between the sashes and the window frames, the type of trim used around the window and the potential use of shutters or flowerboxes, windows can become the second most important sustainer of interest in your home beyond the entry. When embraced by the various trim and siding elements mentioned earlier, windows can become the final complementary embellishment to the outside presence of your home.
Though you will spend a lot of time finding the right windows and doors to go with your exterior remodel, the frames that those items go into are much more important. A lot of the costs associated with heating and cooling a home come from conditioned air that leaks out of the home and into the world. Keeping the doors and windows shut will reduce that leakage, but the frames still allow some air to go through. During the exterior remodel, check to make sure that the windows and doors are framed correctly and that you cannot see daylight between the frame and the window or door. Tight seals will keep the air that you want inside your home and keep the air that you are avoiding on the outside.
The roof is one of the largest areas of the home’s exterior, but it is something that is usually only noticed when something goes wrong. The roof is the most important safeguard that your home has from weather damage, and it must be given adequate care and attention. During the remodel do not skimp on the price of your roofing materials. You should use the best materials that you can afford, as these materials will be able to stand up to more extreme weather conditions and protect the roof and the interior of the home from damage that can occur when the roof fails. In Pennsylvania you also need to be on the look out for mold resistant shingles, or else you could end up with a roof that has large black mold spots.
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