With house prices rising as they are it has become a trend to renovate and improve either for the family to be more comfortable or for an imminent sale. While many of us concentrate on only the interiors when we think about renovating or making changes to our homes, the exterior is also important, particularly for first impressions.
As more of us are finding pleasure and respite in our homes or spending more time in our home offices, we may also be thinking about improving or adding to our outdoor spaces. Home renovation spend has grown by 15% in the last year and there has been an increase in outdoor space renovations by 6% with many homeowners improving a range of different areas outdoors such as decks, and porches.
Innovative and greener exterior finishes
Changing the exterior of your home is an easy way to create interesting spaces and features without too much upfront costs. For instance, you can change the siding to more environmentally friendly materials that will last longer and add a green feel to the exterior. The addition of some bright pot plants, some colorful window boxes or borders with interesting textures can bring new life to your home exterior. Depending on your interest in home gardening, you will need to consider whether these plants should be high maintenance or able to flourish with very little attention. Current trends in outdoor plants currently lean towards promoting spaces for insects, particularly bees and other pollinators so think about bright, flowering plants.
Replace or re-seal the roof
A new or renovated roof will bring color or a new texture to your entire home. Much like a new haircut, updating the color or style of your roof will make your home look entirely different. Another option is to consider updating your home with new shingles. Dimensional shingles are a top trend to change the appearance of your home by introducing multiple shades or colors. Current color trends favor sticking with one color family. While a coat of paint may make a house feel fresher, considering a more significant change such as replacing the roof or redesigning the shingles goes a step further and may make your home feel like a whole new house.
Provide exterior shelter
This will allow for a new space or room in your garden. This can be in the form of an exterior seating area with retractable awnings or small pagoda. While some outdoor structures may need planning permission, many smaller structures do not and many do not cost too much. This is an excellent opportunity to be creative with colors, textures and shapes to create an innovative addition to your exterior. As many of us are enjoying outdoor spaces more with the change in weather, being thoughtful about an outdoor space or room is a smart move.
These are the three top trending exterior changes that can be made to improve both the value and livability of your home. If you are feeling particularly ambitious or like you need a radical change, you might consider doing all of these three trends at once. Remember to be consistent with your colors for a cohesive feel, so if you chose yellow or orange, then everything from the trim to the borders and roof should have shades of these colors.