Whether you are planning on selling your home in the next few years, the curb appeal of your home is important. If your siding is getting old and outdated, consider updating it for your curb appeal and to improve your property value.
Your curb appeal is how your home looks from the curb when someone first pulls up outside it. The siding, lawn, landscaping, garage, driveway, and mailbox are all things that are factored into your home’s curb appeal. If your home is showing its age, your curb appeal is going to decline, along with your property value. Thankfully, it is fairly easy to improve your curb appeal. One great way to do that is to replace your outdated home siding with faux stone. In this article, we will look at a few ways to up your curb appeal, including replacing home siding.
Why should I replace my outdated home siding with faux stone?
You might not be planning on selling your home in the next few years, but when you do decide to do so, your curb appeal is going to matter. Plus, things can change quickly, and you might end up needing to sell the house sooner than you currently plan to.
Cost and Ease of Installation
The look of stone on a home exterior is beautiful and timeless, which can make your home stand out. However, natural stone siding is expensive and can have lengthy construction timelines to install since you need to enlist the help of a professional mason to ensure it is installed properly.
Faux stone is an excellent alternative to natural stone because it is significantly less expensive than natural stone while harnessing the look and feel of it. Plus, faux stone is easy to DIY install, and many projects can be completed in a few hours. Since it is so inexpensive and easy to install, you can incorporate faux stone throughout your entire home, which many buyers will pay top dollar for. Faux stone is also much more low maintenance than natural stone, and it will last for years to come; it can easily withstand the elements.
Appearance
Faux stone, like its natural counterpart, comes in a lot of different styles and colors, so you can choose the exact colors you want to make it match the rest of your home’s aesthetic. Since you are getting faux stone, you will be able to ensure there is not a huge variation in the color shades, and everything will be fairly uniform. There are even some stone veneer companies that will let you customize the color of your faux stone so it will go with your home; you can even match it to existing natural stone in the house.
Where should I install faux stone on my property?
If your entire home siding is not old or outdated and in need of replacement, you do not need to install it on the entire building. Here are a few ideas of where you can install faux stone on your home exterior to improve your curb appeal.
Faux Stone Wainscoting
The foundation of most homes is concrete, which is unsightly and unpleasant to look at. If your home’s foundation of the bottom portion of the siding is outdated, you can easily replace it with faux stone to make it stand out. Since there are so many different color options out there for faux stone, you can easily find something that will go with the color scheme of your home or that will stand out and draw the eye.
Entryway
You want your front entryway to stand out and look good, so installing faux stone around it is a great way to improve your curb appeal. You can surround the entire front door, or the front porch around it, or even just under the windows at your front door.
If you have support columns on your front porch, you can surround them in faux stone, but you do not need to go all the way up; you can easily do column wainscoting, covering the bottom half of it in faux stone.
Garage Surround
If your garage siding is outdated, you can use faux stone to replace that. As with the siding for the rest of your home, you can completely surround your garage in faux stone or just complete wainscoting on it. If you are planning to sell your home, getting a new, updated garage door is also a good idea.
External Chimney
Some homes have a large external chimney that is part of the siding of the house itself. If it is made out of natural brick or stone, that can begin to break down over time and start looking dingy. You can replace the chimney siding with faux stone or brick, and it is easy to install over natural brick and stone.
Other Projects to Boost Curb Appeal
Now that we have looked at why it is a good idea to replace your old, outdated home siding with faux stone, let’s take a look at some other DIY projects to help you improve your curb appeal.
Replace Old Hardware
Let’s face it, the light fixtures, entry door set, and house numbers on your home have probably been there since you moved in. Replacing these old, outdated fixtures is a quick and easy way to improve your home’s curb appeal. Try to find something that stands out and looks beautiful at the same time. This is a great way to show off your personal style a little.
Update Your Mailbox
The appearance of your mailbox is probably something that you think about little, especially since it is not directly attached to your house. It is actually more important to have an attractive-looking mailbox than you might think since it is what people are looking at when they are trying to find your house. Getting a new mailbox or painting your existing one can be a great way to improve your curb appeal. You can even install faux stone around the mailbox post to make it look more attractive and unique. As part of beautifying your mailbox, you can plant a few flowers or a small, attractive bush.
Install Window Planter Boxes
Window planter boxes are an easy way to add some charm and color to a home’s curb appeal. You can find some fun-looking planter boxes that go well with the aesthetic of your home, and the flowers will draw the eye.
Light it Up
Having a well-lit yard and front porch is an excellent security feature. When working on improving your curb appeal, line the walkway up to your front door with lights, and make sure your other exterior lighting is bright. This not only helps prevent people from tripping, but it is also a great security feature since it will be harder for someone to get to the front door to attempt to break in when there is so much lighting.
Paint Your Front Door
One of the main focal points of your home exterior is the front door, so you want it to stand out. Paint the door something beautiful that stands out, like a bright green or blue, or red. It will draw attention, and it might help your home stick in the mind of a prospective buyer.
Replace the Gutters and Downspouts
Gutters are something that is often ignored, but old, worn-down looking gutters are going to hurt your curb appeal. Getting new gutters and downspouts can help improve your curb appeal, even if you only get a new vinyl gutter system and paint it.
