It may seem like an overwhelming task to think things through to the degree necessary, but you really ought not make haste with any of this until you’ve at the very least thought about what each will entail, what should be accomplished in what order, and how cohesive the finished product will be.

Getting the Gestalt Picture

If you’re totally scrapping the current look of your house, you might want to draw upon reference material to help you get the gestalt picture of what you want the new house to look like. Keep in mind that unless you want your house looking generic or worse, like a concrete Jell-o mold, you’re best off conducting some thorough research on what constitutes design balance—that is, a good proportion of wood to stone, or wood to brick, or stone to earth plaster, or wood to stucco, etc.

Take a walk in your neighborhood and see the examples of both good and poor design, taking photos of the dos and don’ts. Then assemble a collage of the dos with other photo references from online. Once you determine your materials, you may see that those materials have a range for which time periods they may evoke.

If you’re going with many different wood textures and ironwork accents, you can easily go Victorian, as many houses of that era used these materials in this proportion. Consider color as well, as some Victorian houses are known for their quirky yet beautiful color combinations.

The Importance of Expertise

When you’ve arrived at a design aesthetic, consult a designer and contractor whose expertise is perhaps in the area of period-style homes. Even if you’re just going with a simple East Coast, Cape Cod-inspired home, there might be some amendments to the design you’ll want to make to accommodate the climate of your region.

If you live back east, by all means, base your house on the classic Cape Cod or Maine homes. However, if you choose this aesthetic but live in Southern California, it would make more sense for you to open the design up a bit, adding larger windows than you’d see on the classic houses. If you don’t, you might regret shutting your rooms off from the cheery sunshine.

The Final Details

When all your tweaks are made and tasteful colors are chosen, think about the finer details like finials, pediments, classic shingles, artisan-carved porch railing, ornamented eaves, and column covers. These will complete the look of your home exterior.

The post A Great Guide To Refurbishing the Exterior of Your Home appeared first on Homeib.

This layer of protection keeps wood from rotting and water from getting in that can damage the inside or cause health issues, it even helps protect against insect invasion.  By keeping your paint maintained, you can also save yourself thousands of dollars in repairs from having to replace damaged wood.

Paint Maintenance

Now there are ways to help your paint last longer that is easier than painting the home.  Keep shrubs and tree limbs cut away from the home so they are not damaging the paint by rubbing or scratching through the coating.  Washing the dirt and grime off your home at least once a year (twice is better), will help the paint last longer as well.

You can accomplish this task by using a pressure washer (make sure you don’t use too much pressure or you can damage the paint this way as well) or using a hose with a scrub brush and soap.  With proper care, the average outside paint coat will last five to eight years depending on brand and quality.

Buy Quality Paint

Speaking of paint quality, buying a good paint is another way to stop having to paint so often.  It also holds up better to the weather elements and most work harder to protect your home.  Your home is an investment and paint is one of the cheapest ways to protect that investment (it’s also one of the cheapest ways to do a complete home makeover), so purchase quality paints and primers.

Best Painting Seasons

Spring and fall are the best times of year to paint the outside of your home for both you and the home.  The days are warm without being too hot or cold or too sunny.  Direct hot summertime sun will ruin paint as it’s drying, so don’t paint in the summertime.  Wintertime in many areas is often too cold unless you live in a mild climate.  Paint when it’s comfortable outside so the job is less stressful for your body as well (you can remind yourself that by painting you are giving yourself a great workout).

Cleaning and Prepping for Paint

Two things to do before starting to paint are to clean and prep the surface and to fix any problems such as water damage, chalking, peeling paint, mildew or rust.  Walk around the house and examine it closely for any of these issues.  If you find them, correct before painting.  Apply a new coat of chalk around windows and drains.  The paint will cover the chalk and act as more sealant and you probably haven’t applied new since the last time you painted.  Wash the home with soap, water and a scrub brush or use a power washer to clean.

Remove or Cover Accessories

Remove any covers, screens, shutters, wall mounted fixtures, mailbox, and street numbers or down spouts that you can.  This will make the painting process easier because you don’t have to worry about getting paint on these things.  If you can’t remove them, cover them with plastic and painter’s tape.  If you’re using a paint sprayer to paint the house, you also want to cover windows and doors with plastic.  Finally cover the plantings around the home with a drop cloth to prevent paint from getting on them.

Paint/Primer Time

You are now ready to start with paint and primer.  Just remember to always use the same kind of paint that is on the home such as latex to latex, oil to oil, etc. so t the paints stick to the last layer.  If this is first coat on the home, you need to apply a layer of primer before the paint, don’t skip this step.  If it’s a repeat coat, make sure you use primer in any location the paint was scraped through by plants damage, paint scraping or repairs.  You can also use the paint/primer combined paints to apply more protection.

Always mix all the paint cans together before painting to ensure a consistent color over the entire home (each batch tends to vary slightly in color).  And always get the right tools for the job whether using rollers, brushes and ladders or a paint sprayer.  Protect yourself by wearing eye protection and clothing that won’t matter if paint gets on it.

Start your painting after the house is dry in the morning from any moisture or dew from the night before.  Start on the side getting the morning sun first and then follow the sun around the home for the day to ensure the best drying and light for working.  Always finish a wall, don’t stop in the middle or you will get lap marks.  If you need to use a ladder, make sure the ladder is set securely and don’t lean off the sides of the ladder to paint more, move it instead.  Finally paint the flat walls first and do the trim last.  Once you’ve hit the trim painting, you know you’re in the home stretch and almost done.

Take your time with your outside painting to get it right and it will reward you with years of protection.  Go the extra step, keep your paint clean and you’ll get even more life out of it.

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Here’s how to Decor Your House’s Exterior on a Budget:

1. Beautify the Front Door

This door is the entrance and the gateway to your home thus it needs to look appealing to create an inviting feeling for your guests and even for passerby’s to be amazed. A fresh coat of paint is a neat and cheap way to dress up this door as it will look completely renewed when all the dirt and cracks are hidden. Colour can also be added to make it attractive thus choose something that matches with your walls and splash it on your door!

Chocolate brown and teal are some popular choices while you can go funky with painting it purple or orange, white is always desirable for a luxurious look, you can always make a colour fit in by adding canvas prints in similar shades on the adjacent wall. Other then colour, make sure the door handle is shiny else replace it with something brand new and in style.

2. Increase the Lighting

Lighting is an excellent way to increase the attraction of your home at night while interesting light fixtures just add to the beauty. Paper lanterns are cheap and can be purchased in multiple colours for a gorgeous effect while you can also arrange them in an array of sizes to increase visual attraction.

Simple ceiling lamps will also look great on the porch and two or three can be arranged in a line. For a spectacular effect string lights can be arranged around the door or thrown over plant pots, even if it’s not Christmas! An ambience can be created by placing LED lights behind plants or any wall canvas pictures that you have put up.

3. Add Greenery

The exterior of your house is the outdoors and there is no doubt that it will look great with some added greenery. If there is a lawn then there is nothing better than trimming grass and watering it for a fresh look while if your small space deprives you of that then there are always plant pots that can be placed. Think about planting shrubs or flowers, you can visit a nursery and purchase some already grown flowers which will be easy to take care of or plants such as cactus can be bought that require low maintenance.

Is your job routine tough or you simply having a busy daily life that your house gets neglected? All of us have two days off from our weak and believe it a not a lot can be accomplished in these two days if you are dedicated enough. Remember to start fresh on a Saturday morning and possibly stock up on supplies from before such as Friday evening and you have a gorgeous work of art completed by Sunday, here’s how:

4. Update the Kitchen’s Backsplash

A kitchen’s backsplash protects your walls and is very noticeable thus updating it is a great project to provide your kitchen with a brand new look. Ceramic tiles can be pasted upon which are available in a wide variety of colours and designs, they will look especially great if you opt for similar personalised canvas prints for the walls.

If you are a fan of pictures then even a mural can be used for the backsplash in the form of tiles. It might be expensive but mosaic backsplashes always looking amazing and instantly catch the eye, you achieve an interesting design using them or simply add colour.

5. Add Some Mouldings

There are various types of mouldings available for the walls, ceilings and floor borders and they can instantly provide a luxurious look to any room. If you want a grand outlook then opt for a stylish moulding with a lot of delicate carvings otherwise simple or light carvings also look posh, they are cheap and easy to install.

If any room has a ceiling fan or any sort of pendant light then a crown moulding can be used around it for attraction while simply installing crown mouldings at the perimeters can widen up the look of any room. Mouldings can also be painted to play up the architectural details in a room and it is a very simple and easy job.

6. Add Unity among Your Decorative Items

Usually decorative items are purchased over a period of time or are a combination of gifts thus they hardly match with each other although each piece may be absolutely gorgeous. Unifying the decor with perhaps matching small canvas prints grouped together on the wall or similar vases can look highly alluring as it creates a monochromatic scheme and provides an accent.

A colour scheme or types of objects or a single type of shape can be used to achieve unity. A great idea is to make all your frames blend in with each other, a feature picture wall can be created this way, keep them the same colour and design while they can differ in shapes for some uniqueness and extra attraction.

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