Is Your West Chester Home’s Exterior Outdated?

West Chester, PA is a beautiful area with many residents and styles of homes. What your home looks like says a lot about you as a person or as a family. From the color palette to the building materials to the look of the yard, the outside features of the property are the first thing that people notice about your home and are therefore responsible for first impressions.

The question is, does your home’s exterior reflect positively on you? Is it outdated and in need of a serious upgrade? What changes can be made to bring the home into the modern era so that it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb?

If you feel that your home in West Chester looks a little outdated for one reason or another, maybe it is time for a change. Here are a few ideas to update the outside features of your property so that you can boost curb appeal and create a more welcoming property.

New Siding

Siding is perhaps the largest and most noticeable feature of a house’s exterior. It establishes a base aesthetic for the entire home, so an outdated material or color could be creating a negative look. For example, one popular trend of the early 1900s was stucco siding which developed during the cement era. Many homes today still feature this older material. If your West Chester home needs stucco remediation, then that is a perfect way to update the look of your home with newer materials. If color is the only problem, then maybe it is time for an updated paint job. Whether the color has faded over time or it simply does not appeal to your senses anymore, painting your siding can have a huge effect on the overall aesthetic of the property.

Try a Different Style of Shutters

Shutters are another common occurrence on the exterior of a home. They frame the windows on the house in an appealing way and can add additional color to the curb appeal. However, there are many styles of shutters to choose from, and maybe it is time for a change to update the look of the home. The most common may be colonial, but there are other options like board and batten, raised panel, Bahama and Bermuda, accordion, or even roll-down shutters. Each of these styles offers a different look for your exterior, so it will be worth shopping around to find the one that will complement your siding and other features.

Roof Update

After the siding, the roof may be the next most noticeable aspect of the home from an outside point of view. The materials that make up the roof are extremely important for insulation in the home. The older your roof gets, the more likely you are to see utility bills increase or even something worse like water damage after a rainstorm. Protecting your West Chester home is paramount, so it may be time to install a new, more modern roof style. Some trendy options include cedar shake, hip, and gable. These styles will make your home appear very modern while also being cost-effective and keeping your property protected from the elements.

Clean Up the Yard

Nothing hurts curb appeal more than an unruly yard. Whether it is weed growth, bare patches, or extremely long grass, the aesthetics of your property can be negatively affected by a poorly maintained lawn. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to clean it up and decorate it to boost curb appeal. First, you’ll want to keep up with mowing the lawn and pulling weeds. If you have kids, this is a great chore to get them involved in working around the house. To enhance the look of the exterior further, you could put in a nice garden or a walking path. If you really want to go big, you could put in a DIY water feature. These elements together, along with regular lawn maintenance, will have a positive effect on the property’s aesthetic. Plus, your home will look a little less rundown when it is surrounded by beautiful landscaping.

Improving Your Property is an Investment

One of the best things about owning a home is that it is a long-term investment. As you pay down the mortgage, you are building equity that will result in profits once you decide to sell. Making improvements to your home’s exterior will increase the value of your home. A new roof and siding will show buyers that they are coming into a well-maintained home. Even if features like a garden or well-maintained lawn don’t have a huge effect on the total property value, their effect on curb appeal will help attract buyers.

Each improvement that you make is an investment in improving your quality of life as well as the value of the property. Make sure that your West Chester home’s exterior features are updated with these ideas serving as a great starting point.