The façade of your home is so much more than just the bricks, siding, windows and doors that make up the exterior of your house. The façade is the face of your home – an outward expression of your design taste and style. It’s what welcomes guests as they approach your home and causes passersby to slow down for a closer look. Most importantly, it’s what greets you and your family each day – and nothing feels more satisfying than pulling into the driveway and loving what you see.
But, if your home’s exterior is tired, dated, non-descript or doesn’t reflect your aesthetic, then it might be time to consider a change. Here are four ways to transform the front of your home, with examples of recently completed projects by Inspire Homes:
Change the Cladding
Nowadays, homeowners have more choices in exterior cladding options. The two most popular categories are siding products (like vinyl, aluminum, wood, wood fibre and cement fibre) and masonry products (like natural stone, clay or concrete bricks, stucco and any other earth-based materials).
Each type of claddinghas their own pros and cons, and some products are better suited for certain climates, applications and home styles. But, simply changing the cladding is an economical way to update the façade of a home and provide a fresh new look that is cohesive and impactful.
Mississauga House Addition
Before:
After:
The exterior on this quaint Mississauga bungalow went from average to outstanding with the addition of an entirely new stone and stucco façade, which was completed after a 500 square foot kitchen and family room was added onto the back of the house.
The new cladding provides a cohesive look by blending the rear addition into the existing structure of the home. It also lends itself to a more contemporary look that offers interest, depth, colour and texture from the curb – a welcomed departure from the original, dated brick exterior that used to blend into its surroundings.
Add a Second Floor
Adding a second storey addition not only substantially increases the square footage of your home, but it also alters the exterior façade of your house. With this type of addition, the existing roof of the home is removed and a second floor is constructed over top to accommodate bedrooms, bathrooms, closets, a staircase and other living spaces. It drastically changes a home’s original construction and is a great opportunity to redefine the exterior’s overall look with updated windows and cladding, a new roofline, covered porch or other details. Many homeowners will also use this as an opportunity to adopt a completely different architectural style, like Colonial, Craftsman, Tudor or Contemporary, to name a few.
Craftsman House Addition Toronto
Before: Original 1950s house
After: Completed house addition built in a Craftsman style
Best Renovation Award Winner – 2009 BILD Renovation and Custom Builder Awards
The façade of this original 1950s home in Toronto went from dated to dazzling with the addition of a full second storey house addition. For this project, the roof of the existing structure was removed and three bedrooms, a bathroom, closet space and a private den, accessed through the master bedroom, were added for a total of 750 square feet.
To address the exterior of the home, a Craftsman design was chosen and features many architectural characteristics that this style is known for, including a low-pitched roof, a full-width cedar front porch with tapered columns, a partially paned front door, oversized multi-paned windows and James Hardie Siding in an earthy, natural colour.
Add a Front Addition
A front addition is an ideal way to increase the useable square footage in a home, while also improving the overall look of the façade. In fact, many homeowners opt for this type of addition to add or extend a porch, create a larger entry or foyer, or build a mudroom.
Even though it’s not as extensive as a full second storey addition, a front addition can dramatically change the look of any home by incorporating an all-new design with updated materials, like new windows and doors, fresh cladding, unique architectural elements, a refreshed roofline and more. It’s an extremely versatile way to enhance the façade of any home – one that can be customized to fit various budgets and design tastes.
Bloor West House Addition
Before & After:
The façade on this 1960s triplex in Toronto’s Bloor West Village, which was recently converted to a single-family home, was in dire need of an overhaul. Not only was the exterior of the home extremely dated, unappealing and non-reflective of its current use, but the interior of the home was also lacking a proper entryway and storage for coats, shoes and other personal items.
To address these issues, a two-storey front mudroom addition with a covered cedar deck was proposed. With this design, the homeowners gained 100 additional square feet of space to be used on the main floor as a mudroom, as well as a light-filled second-floor sitting area up above. This was also an ideal opportunity to enhance the façade with a contemporary stone and stucco exterior, as well as black framed windows and a modern front door.
Add a Garage
If you have the space on your property for an attached garage, it’s a smart way to add more storage and workspace to your property, while also enhancing the exterior look of your home. A garage addition is also one of the more affordable additions, as most builds do not require plumbing, HVAC and extensive interior finishes.
When designing a garage addition, there are a number of factors to consider – mainly the size of garage, its orientation to the curb (front load versus side load), its design style, the types of materials used for doors, windows and cladding, how the structure is attached to your home and what type of roofline is used. With some garage additions, there’s even an opportunity to add a second storey up above for additional storage or finished living space, like a master retreat or bonus room.
Before:
After:
The homeowner of this Etobico*ke bungalow wanted to add a garage to their home. As part of the project, we also improved upon the façade of the house for a cohesive, finished look. The attached single car garage adds much-needed covered parking and storage space, while the revised roofline and new stone and stucco exterior (including a stone front porch) blends the two structures together. Complete with fresh landscaping and a new front door, this home now exudes great character and charm.
If you think it’s time to refresh the exterior façade of your abode, our team at Inspire Homes can help. As an award-winning, full-service design build firm, we partner with homeowners across Southern Ontario to re-inspire a love of home again through house additions, custom homes, kitchen and bathroom renovations, and more.
To contact us, please click here or visit our project gallery to view more samples of our work.
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