If you’re looking to upgrade your home, the exterior is a good place to start. A nice exterior is so important because it’s the most visible part of your home. It can shape first impressions and boost curb appeal, in turn increasing the value of your home.
But before you start any home exterior project, there are a few things you should keep in mind. Take a look at these simple but important renovation tips.
- Come up with a plan
The first step in any home exterior project is to come up with a comprehensive plan. Decide on the changes you want to make and how you’re going to go about implementing them.
Consider what your larger vision for your home is. In order to find ideas and inspiration, look at other homes in your neighborhood and make notes of features you like and dislike. Go online and research design trends and ideas.
The point of all this is for you to come up with specific, achievable goals that you can then work towards. If you’re making multiple changes, it will also help you prioritize what to work on first. For example, if your home’s exterior paint is already peeling you might focus on fixing that before anything else.
The bottom line is that having a plan will guide you in your project and reduce the chance of mistakes being made along the way.
- Add practical features
Looks aren’t everything when it comes to a home. When planning out an exterior project, you should try to toe the line between curb appeal and practical function.
A house that’s designed with only beauty in mind often requires expensive upkeep and is prone to all sorts of issues. Similarly, an exterior project focused only on practicality often creates an eye-sore of a house, with no boost in curb appeal and no significant return on investment.
Therefore, keep both aesthetics and practicality in mind when undertaking your exterior project. Consider, for example, incorporating features that increase energy efficiency or provide your home with storm protection.
- Seek out professional help
If you have little or no experience with home renovation projects, then it might be a good idea to seek out an expert to assist you with your project. An experienced contractor can help you formulate a plan that meets your goals, set a realistic budget, and ensure that the work is effectively carried out.
By hiring a contractor, you increase the likelihood that you’ll end up with a high-quality finished product. They generally assume the responsibility of acquiring the materials, labor, and equipment necessary to complete your home exterior project.
And while it may be somewhat expensive to hire a contractor, compare that to the overall cost of doing it yourself. As an inexperienced layman, you may end up overpaying for materials and making mistakes that require you to repeat the same task several times. You’ll likely end up devoting huge amounts of time, money, and effort into a project that a professional contractor could’ve done better at a lower cost.
To find a trustworthy contractor, turn to family and friends for referrals. Or, if you have a neighbor that recently did a successful renovation, check and see who they hired. Of course, you can always find contractors online as well.
- Stick with a budget
Before starting your exterior project, sit down and calculate a realistic budget for yourself. Determine what kind of projects are within your price range.
While some renovation projects can be astronomically expensive, others cost next to nothing. So figure out your priorities and how they factor into your overall budget.
You’ll also want to come up with an estimation of the labor and material costs needed in order to achieve your goals. Be as detailed as possible when writing down your budget, as even the little things can add up to a lot in a big project.
Another important piece of advice is that you should always assume your project will be more expensive than you think. Include a financial cushion in your budget to take care of unexpected setbacks and expenses. After all, it’s much better to underspend than it is to overspend, and thus put yourself in a stressful financial position.
A home exterior project can be a massive undertaking. Achieving your goals will take hard work, patience, and dedication. But if you set out with a plan and follow these tips, you’ll likely be thrilled with the results.