Any house may or may not be attractive – even if the architectural design is not groundbreaking and does not stand out from neighboring properties, curb appeal can still be compelling. But how to take care of it? What solutions to beware of? In this article, we’ll cite some of the most common exterior design mistakes we encounter in Chicago’s North Shore Area. We hope you can avoid them when remodeling or finishing your home!
Table of Contents
Wrong Choice Of Shades And Colors
Probably the most common mistake is the wrong color composition, resulting in a lack of consistency in the appearance of the house. There are many such cases, but most often, they result from too little or too much contrast between the siding and the roof. Combining brick walls with a cedar roof or dark gray siding with white asphalt shingles is certainly eye-catching, but in general, houses finished this way do not appeal to too many people. This, of course, affects the value of the house when it is sold.
To guard against the risk of stylistic inconsistency, it’s a good idea to look at houses in the neighborhood. It seems a sensible idea to combine light-colored siding, such as cream or white, with gray, black or brown asphalt shingles. In general, the roof should be at least a tad darker than the walls, so if you plan to buy siding in graphite color, you should opt for black or almost black rooftop.
Lack Of Architectural Consistency
Each architectural style typical of Illinois has its own distinctive elements. For example, it is difficult to imagine a cape cod house with a roof covered with sheets of metal or equipped with skylights. When deciding on a particular aesthetic canon, you should stick to it at every stage of finishing. The final result is sure to be stunning, trust us.
Of course, with modern style homes, the criteria are blurring – there is an increasing freedom in the choice of finishes, accessories and materials, but you still need to be careful. If you opt for minimalism, it should manifest itself everywhere, whether on the roof, trim, windows and front doors. If, on the other hand, you are keen on rich ornamentation, ACM panels will not be advisable.
Improper Placement Of Windows And Orientation Of The House
It is difficult to move a house that is already standing, making this mistake probably the most difficult to fix. At the planning stage, you should make sure that the architect takes natural sunlight into account. Exposure of the bedroom to the south is advisable if you care about natural light, but the study or kitchen should be placed in other parts of the house. When planning to erect a house on a plot of land, you should take into account both other houses and trees, which can be difficult and very expensive to remove.
The placement of windows is also very important. On the one hand, any additional glazing increases the cost of heating and cooling the house. On the other hand, windows affect the sense of privacy of homeowners and affect the amount of light in the interiors. You also need to pay attention to the aesthetics of the building – unevenly spaced, disproportionate windows don’t look very good.
Selection Of Materials Difficult To Maintain
Some materials look phenomenal, but are also very expensive or very difficult to maintain. A good example would be cedar siding – natural wood, while very aesthetically pleasing, is quite expensive to install and requires seasonal maintenance. When choosing this material, you need to be aware of its disadvantages, which are not present in alternatives such as fiber cement boards or even ordinary brick.
Sometimes it is better to choose a slightly less sophisticated, but much simpler to maintain solution. When designing a home exterior, think about whether you will have time for annual repairs and periodic maintenance over the next 20 years. In addition to being an additional time-consuming chore, this is also an additional source of cost, which reflects on the value of the property.
Lack Of Patio
Exterior design is also influenced by the ‘additions’ to your home, such as your garden, patio and porch. The surroundings of your home have a huge impact on your standard of living, so it’s definitely worth investing some money in a space for spending time with friends and family outside. It is very rare that our clients regret the outlay spent on the patio and garden – modern technology allows this space to be used comfortably at any time of the year.
Comfort is very important, but in this article we focus on exterior design in terms of style as well. In the case of large, sprawling estates, the patio is a natural complement to the whole design – thanks to it, the house looks more welcoming. If we’re talking about smaller, traditional homes, the key feature is, of course, the porch, so typical of the typical American exterior design style.
How To Take Care Of The Exterior Design Of My House?
The easiest solution would be to contact exterior design specialists from Glenview. With more than 20 years of experience and thousands of completed projects, we can take care of every detail of your home and finish it to create a cohesive and elegant composition.
However, if you do not want to entrust this task to professionals, you can take care of the exterior design of your home yourself. To do this, you should apply a few principles:
- Avoid extravagant solutions – if you are not involved in architecture on a daily basis, it is not worth taking risks with unusual colors, controversial patterns and very uncommon technologies. Exterior design is a complex composition, and even if each element looks good, the whole may not be aesthetically pleasing. Less extravagant materials may not be stunning, but they are also a safer choice;
- Choose high-quality materials – the quality of materials has a huge impact on exterior design, mainly due to their aging process. Cheaper siding, doors, windows and other products simply become unattractive with age, as their color changes, cracks appear, and plastics can delaminate, which looks discouraging;
- Familiarize yourself with the designs of houses in the neighborhood – even if the local authorities won’t have very elaborate requirements for the colors you use or the placement of windows, it’s worth ensuring that exterior design is consistent with houses in the immediate area. Using proven ideas certainly reduces the risk of mistakes;
- Take into account the need for regular maintenance – taking care of the overall exterior design is not just about developing an interesting concept. This is especially important for properties that use a lot of wood for their finishes. If you know that you will not remember the regular consistency of the terrace, siding, window frames or trim, it is definitely a wiser idea to buy products made of polymers, such as vinyl or aluminum.
Is Extravagant Exterior Design Always Not Recommended?
We would not be objective if we categorically advised against out-of-the-box solutions. As an exterior contractor, we participated in new construction in Evanston, and in this case, the architects decided to design a house that stands out from the surrounding development. The facade consisting of geometric figures, the non-standard shape of the building and the complicated drainage system of the plot certainly do not fit the word “typical”, and yet the overall perception of the house is extremely positive. The interior of the residence at Edgemere Court is even more unconventional, but this is a topic for a separate article.
