First impressions are everything.

Everyone has their rough days. Maybe we didn’t sleep well, or we forgot to set the alarm clock. You show up late, disheveled to a meeting or an interview and that impression you made, it’s a lasting one.

We place so much emphasis on our first impressions in work and relationships, but what about our homes?

What’s the first impression your home is making?

It’s inevitable. Wear and tear happens to the best of houses. Your architectural jewel has started to show its age or perhaps it was never designed with an intentional facade.

We want our homes to look and feel great from the outside in, so it may be time to give your home a facelift. Let’s look at your façade and change the face of your home.

Boost your curb appeal

Curb appeal is the attractiveness of your property, particularly when we’re talking about selling, from the street view. The exterior and façade can make a huge difference in perceived value and the potential resale price. If your home is a true gem on the inside but it looks uncared for or like a dilapidated mess from the outside, people are going to be much less likely to step in and see the floorplan and beautiful design.

But beyond the resale value, what about for your own personal pride and satisfaction? When you arrive home after a long day of work you want to feel warm and welcomed. When guests come over, you want them to feel safe and embraced (and maybe a little impressed). All of these impressions come from your façade.

Holistic design from the outside in

The exterior of your home can be broken down into sections. You’ve got the windows and doors, siding, soffit, fascia, flashing, eaves, columns, corner posts, gutters, gables, shingles, shutters, the list goes on (we could go on, trust us!).  But when thinking about your façade, it’s important to view it holistically. You want your home to have a unified effect, not a patchwork, Frankenstein aesthetic.

One of the issues with the façade can come from doing a bit here, a bit there. This is common and sometimes necessary when we have limited time and a limited budget, but it’s important to remember that your house wants to be whole. It doesn’t want a dozen different design aesthetics all competing for attention.

You can change the proportions, extending your house upwards or outwards to create balance or bring in new elements to your home. You can paint, swap out the siding or render in whole new elements like brick, wood, stucco or concrete. Landscaping can do wonders for your curb appeal. And you can even think about building yourself an outdoor oasis.

Whatever you do, work with a designer or architect to capture the complete vision and aesthetic of your home so that it all comes together beautifully from the façade to the foundation.

Keeping up with the codes

Fixing that façade can be about more than just an aesthetic facelift. Some of those aspects of the façade can actually be safety risks. Your home and exteriors must comply with local codes, so if you’ve got an older home, it’s good to know its status.

Consult with an architect to get a thorough assessment of your exterior needs. A good architect can point out code violations and problem spots that may go unnoticed and lead to major problems later on. They can give you all sorts of design solutions – from simple makeovers to full façade renovations.

Additionally, spotting problem areas in your façade can save you big in the long run. The weather and elements can cause deterioration to the façade. The sooner you notice and address these issues, the less likely that they’ll become major (and expensive) problems in the future.

Thinking about the state of your home’s facade? Let us know how we can help give your home a facelift.