Exterior home renovation requires attention to detail

Drive through a neighborhood, and you recognize a bad exterior home renovation job immediately. An addition that’s well done, on the other hand, is difficult to detect. That’s because when a home remodeling contractor makes the right decisions, the transition from the original house to the new addition is seamless and unnoticeable.

Any number of design considerations and details can make the entire exterior home renovation project look wrong. Use these tips to guide you in keeping the home’s identity intact.

Maintaining the type and placement of windows on an addition will smooth the transition from the old to the new.

Keep it to scale

One of the first considerations with an addition is scale. An addition should not overwhelm the existing structure in size, which makes the whole house appear out of balance. The new section must combine logically with the old. External home renovation changes that could dramatically alter the architectural style, such as the addition of skylights, balconies and decks, should be reserved for the rear of the house so they are inconspicuous.

Roof style, pitch and materials

The roof is one of the most massive components of a house, so its shape, features, size and color are a major element of the overall extrnal home renovation. Roof style helps to define the architectural style. For example, a hipped roof, with four-sides and sloping ends and sides is often used in bungalows and cottages. Gambrel roofs are more likely to appear on Dutch Colonial and Georgian styles.

The roof of an addition must be similar in style and pitch to the roof of the original home. Roof pitch or slope is measured in terms of rise and run. Rise is the distance from the top of the wall to the peak, run is the distance from the outside edge of a wall to the center. A pitch of 1/12 means the roof rises 1 inch for every 12 inches it runs.

The pitch limits the materials. Roof pitches in the lower range (1/12 to 3/12) cannot use conventional shingles, because the water won’t drain fast enough. Asphalt shingles or composition shingles can be used on roofs with a pitch as low as 4/12 pitch through 12/12. Wood shake shingles require a steeper pitch.

Roofing materials vary in color, texture and size. If a roof is nearing its useful life, it may be advantageous to replace the entire roof rather than try to match materials used on the addition to the older sections of the house. If you have difficulty matching a shingle, a service such as RoofMatch at www.roofingmatch.com or (888) 936-8424 (English only) can help you identify the product and locate discontinued supplies.

To maintain architectural style, prominent roof features such as dormers, cornices and soffits, fascia and overhangs on the original home should be repeated on the addition. Take time to carefully select the materials and then use the same joining methods used on the original home. When it comes to exterior home renovation, even gutters must be considered, and should match the shape, material and color of the original gutters.

Use existing windows as a guide

Maintaining the type and placement of windows on an addition will smooth the transition from the old to the new. New windows in the addition should pay homage to the original structure and be installed at the same height.

Manufacturers offer an array of options to customize windows and patio doors to meet the architectural style requirements. You can also purchase stock windows and create custom exterior trim to match.

Customize the trim

If the home has decorative mouldings and millwork, replicate them on the addition. If you can’t find materials in stock, let a custom millwork shop create them. High-density polyurethane mouldings, cast resin and expanded polystyrene foam offer a low-maintenance alternative to wood when it’s available in designs consistent with the original trim.

To make window and door trim, you’ll need a router table, router bits and an understanding of how to stack simple moulding profiles. A trio of bullnose, cove and fluting bits can yield a variety of stacked trim options.

The remodeler reused some of the original brick from the home’s exterior to create a kneewall as a base to the new sunroom.

Minimize brick & mortar differences

Brick can be challenging to match in an addition, as the original brick may have been discontinued. Send a high-quality color photograph to brick manufacturers in the area to identify possible matches. If possible, salvage brick from the original walls that are demolished to use in the addition.

Intermixing new brick with existing brick is another way to downplay variations between new and old materials. If you can’t find a match, consider staining the brick. Before staining, clean the old brick with an approved cleaner. That way, the old and new bricks will age the same over time.

Equally important is matching the mortar. The color and size of sand particles should be similar or the grout won’t look right. Test everything first to avoid costly mistakes.

Search for siding solutions

To match siding, take a sample to a building supply store to see if the product is still in production. If you can’t find a match, a service like SidingMatch at www.sidingmatch.com or (888) 936-8424  may be able to help.

SidingMatch identifies the manufacturer, series and color of vinyl and metal residential siding and can help you located discontinued products or suggest a currently manufactured siding similar in grain profile and color.

Painted wood siding is easier to match, but be sure corners and other points where old meets new look continuous. If a natural wood finish is used, the finish on the old siding may have to be restored so it is consistent with the new siding on the addition.

Construction techniques can also minimize contrast between old and new materials. One technique involves intersecting the old and new walls at right angles to take advantage of the natural play of light and shadows created at these intersections to minimize any differences.

Plan ahead when home remodeling

A seamless addition requires painstaking attention to exterior detail. From the roof to the foundation, when it comes to exterior home renovation remodelers face any number of challenges in trying to achieve the perfect match.

It is wise to discover what potential matching challenges lay ahead, how they might be overcome and what the impact will be on the budget before beginning a project. Planning ahead ensures no detail is forgotten and allows time to find the best possible solution.