18 Oct Give your home a great exterior that lasts

The outer layer of your home has two jobs to do: protect and attract. It’s the most visually exposed feature of your home, so it’s vital to get right.

Practically, you need to choose materials which can help with thermal insulation, sound insulation and fire protection.
Visually, it needs to look great!

Here are some tips for making your home’s exterior stand out from the crowd.

MATERIALS THAT MATTER

Cladding

If you live in a coastal region, you’re probably familiar with the shiplap look. You can achieve this for your own home by using a durable weatherboard.

A good quality weatherboard won’t swell or splinter. Importantly, given how devasting bushfires can be, they’re also fire resistant.

Brick

For low-maintenance living, bricks are a great choice. Their colours last and their shapes hold over time, even when battered by heavy weather.

They come in numerous colours, textures and sizes. You can choose between glazed, semi-glazed and matt, as well as a variety of textures and shapes. This allows you to try out different colour combinations or play around with sizes to create an exterior that’s unique and personal.

Bricks can be left as they are, but if you’d prefer to spray or render them, do so with the knowledge that you’ll have to maintain this process regularly over the years.

Timber

Timber walls are beautiful, but they do weather over time, and therefore need regular maintenance. A great way to display your timber exterior is to coat it so that the natural colour shines through.

Concrete

Precast concrete can be expensive, but it’s definitely on-trend these days. Floors are generally poured on-site, whilst walls and stairs have to be transported and installed, which could cost a pretty penny.

BIG-UP YOUR ROOFING

Choosing the type of roof you put over your head is usually dictated by the design of your house as well as its setting. There are, however, other factors to keep in mind.

One is the angle of your roof. If it’s shallow (less than 20 degrees), you’ll need to skip tile and settle for metal. Another factor is structural support – you’ll need plenty if you lay tiles, which are pretty heavy.

DOORS & WINDOWS

Whether you opt for standard or custom-cut sizes, there are plenty of options for you to choose from.

For your open-plan areas, have a look at bi-fold or stacking doors. Bi-fold doors are good for opening up to a wider area, usually to your garden. The only issue is that they intrude a bit into your living space. Stacking doors are space saving and versatile, but they don’t open as wide as bi-fold options.

When it comes to choosing glass, always consider double-glazing as protection from heat and noise. And for frames, black steel is the current popular choice.

Finally, when it’s time to paint your exterior, stick with the pros and give us, at Pelham Painters in Hobart, a call.