One of the first things people see when visiting a home is the front elevation. This view from the street can make a huge first impression with friends, family and potential buyers. So how can we make the front elevation of your new home stand out? Let’s take a look at some of the methods for creating street appeal.
Cladding Choices
Cladding is a fancy architectural term for the materials covering the outside walls of your new dream home. Some people refer to cladding as “siding” as a generic term for cladding. By adding various types of cladding to the front elevation of the home, we can totally transform the look from the street. Some of the more popular choices today include shake, brick, stucco and stone. And becoming even more popular, is the design trend of adding multiple types of cladding to create texture and street appeal. This can add additional cost to the construction budget and add complexity to the bidding and work flow, but it can really create a special look.
So what are the typical costs for the various types of cladding? Here are some average costs including labor and material: (keep in mind, these can vary quite a bit based on location and materials chosen)
One of the great things about choosing various types of cladding is that you can still use the more expensive stone option for some of the key areas without totally blowing the budget.
Columns
Many of the home plans out today incorporate columns into the front elevation or street view. And the best part is, there are so many different styles of columns to choose from. Of course the carpenter can make them on site out of various trim pieces. In this case the “sky is the limit” when it comes to what can be done. From dimensions to trim details, the options are endless when the columns are built onsite. There’s also a whole bunch of prefabricated columns that come directly from the manufacturer ready to install. Some of the benefits of going with the prefab columns include quick installation (to expedite your schedule) and low maintenance.
Trim
A lot of folks outside of the building industry look at the front of a home and know they like it but they’re not sure why. In many cases, the trim used on the home is the deciding factor as to whether the street view is appealing or not. So what types of trim can be added to the front of a home to improve its look?
So as you look through home plans, realize that claddings, columns, and trim can be added relatively easily during the planning process to really transform and enhance the look. An increase in street appeal might cost a little extra upfront, but when done right, it will increase the market value of your home.
Our "go to guy" and company expert, Brandon is the visionary and dreamer of all we do here at America's Best House Plans. He manages quality assurance, audits existing processes for maximum effectiveness, and develops strategies to increase productivity and efficiency. With over 15 years experience in the home design industry, Brandon has a hand in every aspect of the day-to-day operations of our company, in addition to ensuring an unparalleled level of service to our customers.
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