Spring and early summer are good times to evaluate and revive your home’s façade. There’s a definite benefit to enhancing and preserving your home’s facade in addition to enhancing its curb appeal. Exterior upgrades consistently rank among the best home improvement projects for their strong return on investment. That’s because many of these strategies are fairly simple and relatively affordable solutions. The first step is to evaluate your home’s appearance.
To help get you started, below are some areas to evaluate:
- Visually analyze your home. If there are areas on your home or fence that need attention, determine whether to perform these yourself or through a contractor.
- Everyone knows that mildew is prevalent throughout low country homes due to our climate. With our humidity, comes mildew and mold. This is a very common problem for the Low country and can be eliminated in several ways. Moisture, and therefore mold and mildew, can be controlled to a degree by arranging landscaping so that natural breezes can flow near the house.
- When power washing, pay close attention to how it is performed to lessen the possibility of damage to siding if too much pressure is applied. For those who prefer more ecologically friendly or “green” products, there are commercial products available as well.
- Remember to survey the exterior of your home, fence, and garage on a regular basis (especially during the more humid and rainier months) to look for mildew and dirt and tackle it when you see them. By keeping mildew and dirt under control with routine maintenance, it will preserve the look and value of your home for many years.
- When repainting siding, mildew-resistant paints should be used. These include exterior enamels or paints containing a Mildewcide. Stained or naturally weathered wood siding can be protected by the use of a water-repellent finish.
- Painting the exterior of your home can have a big impact on its value. If the exterior of your home is painted, inspect it carefully. Peeling paint is one of those details you might not notice. Check painted siding especially carefully; look not just for possible paint problems, but also issues like rotting or warped boards that may need to be replaced.
- Clutter – Getting rid of any excess items and lawn ornaments is a great place to start. Stowaway—or consider throwing away—old furniture, bikes, knick-knacks, or any other personal items visible from the front yard that does not add to the aesthetic of the home.
- If you wish to re-paint your porch, stairs, facade, or fence, or make landscape or structural changes, click HERE to view the ARB guidelines and download the Modification Application to submit for changes.
While some projects are certainly bigger investments than others, some of the most effective tactics require little more than some good old-fashioned elbow grease. For any additional questions you may have regarding exterior modifications, please email us at info@dicommunity.org and we will be sure to direct you to the proper staff member to assist you.
