Your home’s exterior shields everything inside from wind, rain, and temperature swings, and it’s the first thing anyone sees. Over time, even well-built exteriors start to show their age through faded siding, curling shingles, and dingy gutters.
At some point, a fresh coat of paint and a few touch-up jobs won’t cut it anymore. Residing a house or tackling a roof refresh is one of the best investments you can make for your property. Here’s how to plan a successful exterior refresh that boosts your curb appeal and keeps your home in top condition for years to come.
Assess Your Home’s Individual Needs
Knowing whether you need a full roofing or siding replacement is helpful before you dive into ideas for your property.
In some cases, you can simply refresh vinyl siding with commercial cleaners that restore color lost to fading or oxidation. However, if your siding is damaged, you don’t like the color, or it's severely faded, there’s only so much a cleaning product can do. Likewise, painting siding is only an option if the material is still in good condition.
The same goes for your roof. If it’s still in good shape, you can refresh a roof with a treatment like GoNano. Unlike soybean oil-based coatings that dominate the market, GoNano treatments penetrate your shingles and protect them from within rather than simply sitting on the surface.
But while GoNano is great for extending your roof’s lifespan, it won’t change the color, and it won’t fix underlying damage. If you hate the color, material, or style of your roof, replacement is a better option.
Appearances aren’t everything. The only way to truly tell the condition of your roof or siding is to get a professional inspection. Book an inspection to make sure you have a good understanding of your roof’s condition before making plans.
Gather Inspiration for Roofing and House Siding Ideas
Before booking a project, it helps to collect ideas of what you want your home to look like. This will help guide your budget and the rest of the planning process. Here are a few ways to gather ideas:
- Drive around your neighborhood to get a sense of the exteriors that appeal to you. Take note of the colors, textures, and materials you like best.
- Identify your home’s architectural style to better understand which materials will complement it.
- Browse our residential project gallery to start seeing the possibilities for your home.
- Narrow down the colors you want to use by thinking about how shingle colors and siding colors will go together.
Set a Realistic Budget
Once you have an idea of the materials you want, it’s time to look at the numbers. How you approach your budget often depends on whether your project is a planned home improvement or a response to storm damage.
If you are filing an insurance claim, your budget will usually be dictated by your insurance carrier. You’ll need to work with your adjuster to determine the “scope of loss,” which is essentially what they are willing to pay to restore your home. In this case, your main out-of-pocket cost is usually your deductible, though you may choose to pay extra for upgrades.
If you aren’t working through an insurance claim, you have full control over the project's scope and your total investment. This allows you to prioritize the materials and aesthetic upgrades that matter most to you without being restricted by an adjuster's assessment.
When budgeting for out-of-pocket costs, here’s what to keep in mind:
- You may have financing options available to help pay for your new roof or siding.
- Your expenses will depend heavily on the size and pitch of your roof, as well as the number of stories.
- High-end materials like Brava or F-Wave roofing cost more upfront, but they last 50+ years compared to asphalt options that last 15-20 years.
Pro Tip: Brava and F-Wave shingles come with Class 4 Hail Ratings, which can lead to discounts on homeowners' insurance premiums in Minnesota. This makes them an even more cost-effective option in the long run.
Find a Contractor
When looking at house siding ideas and roofing options, it’s easy to focus on colors, materials, and how your home will look in the end. But one of the most important parts is actually the contractor you work with. You can pick the best materials, but if they’re installed incorrectly or your contract is full of loopholes, it won’t matter in the end.
Make sure you follow these steps for finding a reputable contractor and know how to read a roofing contract so you get what you’re paying for.
Plan a Project Timeline
As a homeowner, you don’t have to worry much about picking the right season or setting a schedule. A reputable contractor will pick optimal timing for your project so that the Minnesota weather doesn’t interfere with its timeline.
However, you do want to be proactive to get your project booked. As you can probably guess, the peak season for roofing and siding projects in the Twin Cities is from May to October. To avoid waiting for availability, it’s a good idea to book your roofing project as far in advance as you can.
Let’s Get Your Exterior Project Started
Planning a roof upgrade can be exciting as you begin picturing your new space. All Elements, Inc. has been helping Twin Cities homeowners create the exterior they’ve always wanted since 2002.
Whether you’re reacting after a storm or refreshing your home on your own timeline, we’re here to help with everything from inspections to repairs, treatments, and full replacements for your roof and siding. Contact our team to get started on your exterior facelift today!