Interior design often becomes the main focus when hoping to give your home or property a fresh look, but what’s the first thing you or your visitors actually see? That’s right, it’s the outside. If the exterior is failing, out of style, or in need of maintenance, it might be time to give the outside of your home the wow factor and some much needed TLC.
But how can you tell when you really need to remodel the façade of your home?
Let’s answer that now with 10 signs you need to remodel the outside of your property.
Increasing Energy Bills
Aren’t energy bills a pain? It’s okay, you can be honest with me. Just between the two of us. That’s right, they are always there and increasing year on year. In 2006 these costs increased by a whopping 32% and between 2021 and 2022, they’ll increase by nearly another 1.5% in the US. When you add these mounting monthly payments over time, it’s clear that making your home as energy efficient as possible can save you a lot of money throughout the years.
One way to keep heat from escaping so readily from your home is to install a reliable façade.
If the exterior of your home has signs of wear and tear such as broken masonry, peeling vinyl, or rotting wood, it’s a sure sign that the heat from inside has an extra place to escape. Not only that, but the cold from outside has a sure way of getting in!
A quality stone veneer to your home provides a large thermal mass. I won’t bore you with the physics, but basically this means that the stone will keep thermal fluctuations down. When the surrounding environment is warmer, the stone façade will absorb the heat to keep things cool. When the surrounding environment is colder, the stone will release thermal energy back into your home.
The bottom line is, a stone façade will keep your house cool during the summer, warm in the winter, and cut down on unnecessary heating bills.
Restless Home Syndrome
We’ve all been there: You look around your home and feel stagnant. You feel like something just has to change. Not everyone can afford to just uproot and buy a new house. Maybe you have a job nearby or a school for your kids. Maybe you don’t have the finances to upgrade to a new place. Whatever the reason for not being able to move, there’s still a way you can solve what I call “restless home syndrome”.
A good remodel, either inside, out, or both, is a great way to make the old new again.
It’s far cheaper than buying a new house and you don’t have to go through all the stresses involved with moving. Just think, when you drive up to your house and it looks like a completely new building with an eye-catching stone veneer, it won’t just be the house that feels renewed, it’ll be you, too.
Water & Wind Damage
Nature is beautiful, but it can also be dangerous. Ice, rain, wind – they can all cause problems even for a well-maintained house. One of the advantages of high quality stone facades is that they survive these pressures much better than wood, vinyl, and even metal.
A sure sign that the façade of your home has been damaged by weather over time includes:
- Broken brickwork
- Loose bricks
- Rotting or cracked wood
- Peeling or discolored vinyl
- Fallen masonry
If left unattended, these signs can worsen as a process known as water ingress takes place. This is a general rule that if there is a way into a building, water will find it. As water and moisture makes its way inside of your home, you’ll then start to have other problems like hazardous damp and wood rot.
All of this can be corrected and avoided in future with a quality stone veneer that will stand up even to extreme weather.
Discoloration
Related to water ingress is discoloration. This is one of the most common signs that the façade of your home is failing and needs either repaired or replaced. When dampness sets in, black mold spores will begin to grow. This is even found on self-proclaimed anti-mold vinyl and sealant.
Have you noticed any dark or green patches on the exterior of your house? That’s sure to be discoloration brought about by mold or bacteria.
Low quality stone can also be a haven for mold, turning a beautiful exterior into a blackened mess in only a couple of years. Cladosporium, which is a fungus, is one of the most common culprits and can thrive easily when given the chance.
That’s why it’s so important to ensure that your stone exterior is installed by a leading company that only uses premium cut stone. These materials will reduce moisture saturation, ensuring that mold doesn’t get a chance to take hold.
Not Keeping up Appearances
Local pride is important to many people. The way a street, cul-de-sac, or town looks can often define how people feel about living in that area, with 15% of over 55s seeing it as paramount. This can, of course, be a good and a bad thing, because a neighborhood is about more than just looks. But when at its best, this drive to collectively raise and keep the standards of a neighborhood, can motivate people to care deeply about their community.
If you’re looking around at the outside of your home and realize that it’s dingy or rundown in comparison to your neighbors, it could be time to consider a remodel.
Of course, no one should feel the need to conform to any pressures, and they certainly shouldn’t feel that need if money is an issue. But if the finances are there and the outside of your home makes you feel like you’re not keeping the standards where you live high, then it might be time to get a new façade in place so you can feel pride in your home again.
Low House Prices
The housing market can be pretty volatile, can’t it? But while house prices can temporarily dip here and there, the overall trend tends to be upwards. In Canada alone, house prices rose by nearly 10% in 2020 and over the last decade they’ve risen by a staggering 81.45%. In the same time, US house prices have increased by 77.67%!
People are willing to spend more and, as a result, expect more in return. This makes the housing market more competitive than ever, but there are ways you can increase the value of your home without having to break the bank. A beautiful exterior remodel is just one of those ways.
Even if you aren’t thinking about selling your home now, it’s wise to always keep your home competitive in terms of its value as an asset. If you do this, you’ll always have a property on your hands that can be sold quickly and with a lot more profit.
Remember, the exterior of your home is the first thing a potential buyer will see, so make an immediate first impression with a classy stone façade.
Growing Family
Having a family is wonderful, but it makes space a real premium in your home. Honestly, from needing more storage for toys to building extra bedrooms to accommodate a growing family, you’ll feel the need to remodel and maximize any space.
And hey, maybe it’s not a child you need to make space for, it could be for a parent, sibling, pet or even just yourself. The point is, the more space you have, the more options you have. And you’re not alone: 38% of moving Canadian home owners in 2021 said that needing more space was a top priority.
When you remodel the inside of your house, this will often mean making alterations to the exterior, especially if you’re building an extension to your property. You’ll want any new section or extension to match the look of your home.
Sometimes a brand new façade is the best way to go, remodeling the older part of your home’s exterior at the same time so that everything is consistent, beautiful, and elegant.
Lack of Quality Tenants
Are you looking to rent out a property? You might have noticed that you either can’t attract good tenants at the price point you’re offering or you can’t find good tenants at all. This might be because your property doesn’t look the part. It might be beautiful inside, but if the exterior needs a lot of work, it’ll put tenants off from signing any lease. Good tenants are worth their weight in gold.
A whopping 29% of renters think the look of a property is most important in determining whether to live there or not. A new façade is a great way to make your property look fresh and vital to prospective tenants, ensuring you end up with tenants who will look after your property.
Poor Facade Materials
One reason the exterior of your property might be looking worse for wear is because poor quality building materials were used.
Whether natural or manufactured stone veneers, or any other materials, it’s so important to make sure the construction materials used are from a reliable source.
Bad Workmanship
It’s unfortunately a common complaint:
“We just had the exterior of our home remodeled a few years ago and now it’s falling apart!”
This is usually down to bad workmanship. Even with the best materials, they have to be used correctly. Without the expertise and diligence to install a façade properly, disaster can strike within a few months to years. Worse still, you have to be able to prove that it was down to builders if years have passed – construction litigation can be a nightmare.
If things are falling apart when they shouldn’t be, it’s best to call in an established, trusted façade supplier to either fix or replace any flawed work by a previous builder.
Conclusion
The tell-tale signs of a much-needed remodel are clear for all to see. A high quality remodel with the best materials needn’t cost an arm and a leg. Contact one of our trained staff today and we’ll be delighted to help you give your home or property the beautiful exterior it truly deserves.
