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Your home’s exterior is the first impression visitors will have of your home. If you plan to sell your home in the next few years, a drab exterior can be the difference between someone scheduling a viewing and driving away to the next home on their list. Some exterior remodeling jobs in Chicago will increase your home’s value more than others, making the most of your exterior remodeling investment.
Exterior Improvements That Add the Most Value to Your Chicago Home
Fiber Cement Siding
Replacing your home’s siding with fiber cement siding will give you a ROI of 74%, making it one of the best exterior remodeling investments you could make for your Chicago home. Not only does the material add phenomenal style, but it also adds fire resistance, insect resistance, and incredible durability, outlasting vinyl, and wood siding by decades.
James Hardie siding is a high-quality fiber cement siding that more and more homeowners are depending on for these benefits. Hardie siding is available in both timeless and trending colors that are baked on rather than just painted, resulting in a color that will last! Hardie siding is also available in different styles, like shingle siding, lap siding, board, and batten, as well as trim, soffit, and fascia.
Experts suggest choosing timeless neutral colors for your home’s exterior if you plan to put your home on the market. Grays, blues, browns, and whites will have a longer shelf-life than trending colors. However, if you plan to stay in your home, choose a color that brings you joy.
Stone Veneer
Adding stone veneer to your home’s exterior is so highly desired that it brings a whopping 104% ROI! It’s the highest ROI for an exterior remodeling detail in the Chicago area. Choose a stone color that corresponds with your home’s color palette and work with a designer about the best areas to apply the stone. Around the home’s foundation and wrapping the base of posts are the most popular places. You can also boost your curb appeal with planters wrapped in stone veneer for a cohesive look.
Garage Door
Replacing your garage door may not seem like a high-value update, but this exterior remodel will have a ROI of 98%, making it the second-highest ROI for an exterior remodel option. You could choose classic white, a soft neutral, or a darker shade that matches your shutters or Hardie trim. Garage doors also come in plenty of styles to blend in with your home’s other architectural features. Choose a door with windows, paneling details, or a carriage house style. If your home is more on the contemporary side, an ultra-simple style with long vertical windows will fit in perfectly.
Entry Door Replacement
Your entry door has the power to make your entire home appear either cold and unwelcoming or warm and inviting. Widen your entry with a new door with sidelights, a transom window above the door, or even double doors in a warm wood tone or a friendly color that stands out from your home’s exterior color scheme. Add a front porch or portico to make it even more welcoming, with chairs, plants, beautiful sconces, and other accents.
A new fiberglass door has a ROI of 85% in the Chicago area. It provides durability, low maintenance, energy efficiency, and numerous design styles to correspond with the design of your home. While wood doors are very attractive, they only fetch a ROI of 55% due to the upkeep and having to repaint it or replace it sooner than a fiberglass door.
Fiberglass Asphalt Shingles Roofing
Fiberglass asphalt shingles out-perform traditional asphalt shingles because they are fire and heat-resistant because they are finished with a UV protective coating. They are an affordable option, too, in both material cost and labor cost because they are more easily installed than asphalt shingles. They’ll also last up to 50 years with proper maintenance. Asphalt shingles will only last about 15-20 years.
Due to the benefits of fiberglass asphalt shingles, replacing your roofing with this durable material will deliver a 63% ROI.
Replacement Windows
Drab, cracked, or faded windows will make your entire home look worn, bringing down your curb appeal. Older windows will also cause you to use more energy to keep your home comfortable. This is why replacing your windows can give you a 60% ROI, whether you use vinyl or wood windows; but the best window material is fiberglass.
Fiberglass windows are a newer option in the window industry, so the ROI isn’t known. However, the durability they offer means your fiberglass windows will outlast the other materials by decades! They won’t weaken due to long-term sun exposure like vinyl, or crack and rot like wood windows. These newer windows also offer superb energy efficiency and plenty of colors to accent your home’s color scheme.
Exterior Painting
Painting your home’s exterior will fetch a 55% ROI. It can greatly improve your curb appeal and freshen up your home’s color scheme. Although, it’s worth noting that replacing your siding with baked on color–like the Hardie siding ColorPlus Technology–will give you a higher ROI, less upkeep, and a more durable result.
When choosing a color for your home, light or dark gray, shades of blue, lighter brown tones, and the full spectrum of white will hold better market value for longer. However, look to your neighbors for color inspiration, too. When it comes to choosing an exterior color for your home, blending in can be a benefit.
Boost Your Chicago Home's Curb Appeal and Value
Even if you plan to stay in your home for the foreseeable future, a full exterior remodel will boost your curb appeal as well as how you feel about your home. Exterior remodels can improve your safety, your home’s energy efficiency, as well as onlookers’ first impression.
Smardbuild knows exterior remodeling. We’re a passionate team of experts that care about how you feel about your home–creating a style that represents your tastes and improves your home’s value by using only the best materials and craft.
We are also the James Hardie Preferred Remodeler, ensuring your siding is installed properly the first time to get the most out of your investment. Contact Smardbuild to find out what we can do for you and your Chicagoland home today!
