No matter if you are an existing homeowner or in the process of selling, improving the exterior can add substantial value to your property.
While larger projects like installing a garage door replacement or a new deck may make an impactful statement about how important home ownership is to you, sometimes smaller upgrades can make more of a statement about who lives there.
Practical measures might include adding new paint or updating the trim.
Gutters
Gutters are an integral component of your home’s water-control system and also enhance its aesthetic value.
They collect rainwater from roofs and direct it downspouts along the sides and away from your home’s foundation, keeping the ground around your house dry while preventing seepage through foundation cracks that cause mold, wood rot, or other damage.
Additionally, they reduce erosion on the property, protect paint & stain on siding from peeling away; and prevent leaky basements that ruin expensive furniture & cause dangerous mold.
Installing gutters is a relatively straightforward project for homeowners with tools. Planning ahead and scheduling time for the work to be done, particularly on larger properties with multiple windows and doors, is the key to successful gutter installation.
However, don’t try to be an expert. It’s better to go with a professional gutter service provider if don’t have much knowledge.
For added ease during this project, set up a sheet of plywood on sawhorses as your workstation; this makes handling longer sections of the gutter much simpler.
Start by unhooking your existing downspout from the fascia board, using a level and pencil to trace out its location on the fascia board for your new gutters’ slope. All gutters should have an upward pitch of at least one-fourth inch for every ten feet of length to ensure proper drainage and prevent clogging.
Measure and mark each end of your gutters using a tape measure or level and mark them for their desired slope with a tape measure or level.
Install hanger brackets at each end and secure them using 2-in galvanized nails or screws; secure downspouts by drilling a one-eighth-inch hole at the square-cut end and installing an aluminum pop rivet; finally seal rivets and end cap seams using high-quality siliconized caulk to complete assembly.
To complete your gutter system, mount and connect downspouts at each end of the gutter system and connect them directly to the drainpipe in your house. Make sure not to direct any downspouts at areas with hose bibs, sidewalks, or electric meters that might get hit by their path.
This process can be challenging for a beginner. If you are inexperienced in home repair, hiring qualified professionals like the ones at https://trustamato.com to handle the installation process can ensure that it is done right. This can save you money in the long run, as improperly installed gutters can cause expensive water damage to your home.
Siding
Installing siding is a significant project that will transform the appearance of any home while protecting it against weather, pests, and moisture damage. Plus, it can return a high percentage of its costs upon sale!
There are various choices of siding available today from natural wood to durable fiber cement and metal siding with various advantages and disadvantages to suit every budget and climate – make sure you choose an option that works for you!
Before beginning, hire a professional to inspect and make necessary repairs on the exterior walls. If they’re rotting, leaking, or have termite damage, be sure to repair them before installing the new siding.
Also, clean any surfaces to be stained or sprayed and make use of primer tailored to what type of coating will be applied over them.
After you have repaired any rot or insect damage, prepare the surface by covering it with weather-resistant house wrap. Use a capped staple gun on the foundation block to secure it and overlap each top piece by six inches for better adhesion.
For natural wood sidings, prime the entire wall prior to applying stain or paint for the best results.
Vinyl siding comes with a special flame-retardant chemical added during its manufacturing, which changes its chemical structure to make it harder for fires to ignite or continue burning – providing homeowners with greater peace of mind in areas prone to wildfires.
Lighting
Lighting plays an integral part in making your property more visible, deterring criminals who might target it while adding to its beauty during night hours. Lighting also allows you to highlight features of your house and provide guests with a welcoming entranceway experience.
Lighting up the exterior of your home requires more than simply adding lights to the front lawn.
Unlike interior lighting, which must be lit uniformly from one angle, exterior lighting involves multidimensional spaces that must be lit from multiple directions to create shadowing effects and highlight specific features. To accomplish this task, accent, and ambient lights must all work in harmony for an ideal result.
If you want to highlight an individual feature of your home or landscape, such as a water fountain or seating area, ambient lighting can provide enough illumination from a distance to draw attention directly to these items.
In contrast, accent lighting allows you to concentrate light into small sections of your garden or front yard for more direct illumination – creating light islands within darkness! Alternatively, silhouetting creates dramatic effects by placing spotlights below shrubbery while scattering shadows over its foliage. Sites like pinterest.com have a wide variety of inspirational images to help get you started!
Your property can also be enhanced by adding trees that have unique shapes or sizes as focal points to its landscape and lighting them. Uplighting or spotlighting them can bring their individual qualities out more prominently and draw more people in to admire them. Lighting should draw the viewer’s eye and highlight all that makes your property beautiful and special!
Though it may be tempting to opt for brighter lights, remember that you want your exterior lighting scheme to enhance the aesthetic and atmosphere of your property. Dimmable lights allow you to control brightness levels for a more comfortable atmosphere as well as reduce energy consumption – saving both money and resources over time.
