House Exterior Progress Update
This post is sponsored by James Hardie®. All words and opinions are, as always, honest and my own.
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It has been about 3 months since I told you that I was planning to start painting the exterior trim on my house to a more neutral color. I figured you may be wondering by now how far I got.
Well… not very far.
In fact, I put the trim painting on hold since all the paint colors I tried made the brick on the house look pink-peach.
If you remember, the front of my house looks like a ranch house and has a brick facade. On the sides and back of the house you can see it is actually a two-story house with vertical siding on the second story and brick on the first floor.
I tried six different colors of trim paint over the green and they all made the house look pink-peach or worse, orange. I don’t want an orange house. You may not be able to see the tone in these photos, but the color of the brick is a peach beige.
I want a classic tan or taupe like the colors of the homes around mine. They are all neutral so that the trees and lake take center stage. I explained in this post that I liked the homes on Hilton Head Island, SC that are all neutral for the same reason. They are pretty, but are understated, yet have character and curb appeal.
This is what I want for my home and I finally realized that to get the color I want, I am going to have to paint the brick or cover it with siding.
Before proceeding with updating the exterior, I want to come up with a complete plan on how we are going to update the exterior from adding a new roof, garage door, front steps and doors, to the color of the house, even what to plant out front once we remove the rest of the holly bushes. You have already given me great ideas on what to plant.
After doing some research I learned that painting the brick will be less expensive, but eventually wear and fade. Adding James Hardie® siding will cost more up front, but their fiber cement products will provide low maintenance and a long lasting classic look.
Our builder friend who helped us remove the wall in our house between the kitchen and living room when we first moved to the house, just built two homes, both are sided with James Hardie® siding products. I love the look on each from a construction point of view, but love the design options their siding offers even more.
On the design side, the color combos, textures, and many choices of siding options are beautiful. They offer pre-finished siding that is available in both vibrant and subtle hues that will achieve instant curb appeal to any home.
There is the classic HardiePlank® lap siding, which is horizontal. HardieShingle® that looks like classic shingles and HardiePanel® is their vertical siding. All come in smooth or a natural cedar look that has a soft texture that mimics wood.
I love that you can mix and match all three to customize the look for your house and build character whether you are going for a classic look or a home with a more modern appeal.
I like the lake side of my house, but if I am painting or adding siding to the street side and sides of the house, the lake side of the house has to get it also. I would like to add HardiePlank® lap siding over all the brick and then paint the trim and the existing second story vertical siding to match the new lap siding. A new lighter color roof would bring it all together.
Some of the perks of using James Hardie® siding versus regular siding on a home beyond the gorgeous color choices is their ColorPlus® technology. The colors are actually baked onto the boards which helps resist chipping, peeling or fading for years of lasting beauty.
Fading is a major concern for me with the hot blazing southern sun and the fact that the lake side of the house is facing southwest.
It’s little known that James Hardie® siding products are actually Engineered for Climate® to stand up to a hot humid climate like mine. This is also helpful when you live along the shore of a large lake like I do.
In the northern U.S. and Canada, HZ5® products resist shrinking, swelling and cracking even after years of wet or freezing conditions. HZ10® products resist damage from hot, humid conditions, blistering sun and more. They are water resistant to protect against swelling, warping and cracking. They also resist damage from mold. I like that.
So, now I am in the process of researching until I come up with a plan to blend the front and back of my house into one cohesive look while building character on the front of the house without doing any major reconstruction.
Once I have this plan in place and am confident in my choices we will then proceed a little at a time until we get the makeover completed. I wish I could snap my fingers and have it done quickly, or better yet have someone design and do it all for us, but we will have to take it one step at a time. It may take awhile since most of the items are big ticket items or where we will need to hire contractors.
Which reminds me of another reason why I am thinking of using James Hardie® siding. Unlike other brands, James Hardie stands behind its siding 100% for 30 years and behind its trim 100% for 15 years. The ColorPlus® Technology has a 15-year limited finish warranty.
So it may take me a few weeks or months to come up with my complete plan. I am not going to rush it, just to get it done. Right now I am enjoying visualizing how the front and back of my house will look with Hardie lap siding to give it an update and character…
… like this home’s entrance has.
More research is needed… on colors, where to paint or add lap siding and where to add vertical siding to bring out the best features of my house.
I will keep you posted.
