Remodeling Helps Bring Out The Best In Your Home

Remodeling

By Beth Anne Brink-Cox, House and Home Writer

helps bring out the best in your home

Do you fix up your house from the inside out or the outside in? That’s a matter of personal taste, time, budget, any number of things, and there’s no right or wrong answer. However, it’s to be considered that the exterior of your home is fully visible to many who will never see the inside and makes a statement all its own, especially if you live in a well-populated area. You might look around at your neighborhood and observe a pattern, such as a lot of older brick homes or some soaring new construction wherever you look.

So if you’re going to remodel or upgrade your home exteriors, what will you do? You have so many choices! What about new siding or paint, changing color as well as overall look? New windows or doors? Maybe you always wanted a bay window or a greenhouse window or a really stunning front door. You can add architectural details such as new columns at your entry area or add windows into attic space, which lends itself to possibilities of additional living space, if you choose. Maybe you’d like shutters or window boxes. There are beautiful things you can do with decorative stone or shingle details.

Photo courtesy of Quality Window and Door, Elkhart

All Things Hardwood

Refinishing • Site-Finished • Prefinished • Repairs

www.hoosierhardwoodfloors.com (574) 533-2070

showroom location 2114 elkhart rd. Goshen, in 46526

Photo courtesy of Quality Window and Door, Elkhart

Daniel and Gloria King have been in business at Quality Window and Door since 1987, and they’ve seen many trends come and go. Carmen Snider at QWD said, “The most popular trends currently are vertical siding as opposed to horizontal.”

What about a sunroom or other wall of glass? What about varying shapes of windows? Natural light is always such a great addition to your home. Snider said, “Currently that means black exteriors for windows, with modern and clean lines, big openings and lots of glass.”

You might wonder if some houses are more difficult to renovate, such as stone or brick? Are old homes more difficult with the possibility of previous building materials now deemed unsafe and the type of removal that may require? How do you work around that? Snider said, “It doesn’t matter if the house is old or new, remodeling can present many challenges. Hiring a company that knows how to adapt and adjust to these changes is key. No two houses are exactly alike, so it cannot be a cookie cutter approach. Both customer and contractor need to be flexible and work together on these challenges, problem solving for a positive end result!”

What if someone wants something that’s just not possible? Snider emphasized, “Present the next best option. There is always something that can be worked out, maybe even better than what was originally hoped for. And we can see potential issues that the customer might not, so we’ll work it out. We do about 60% remodeling and replacing projects and 40% new construction.”

Are customers wanting to be more trendy these days or classic? Which is more easily achieved? Snider said, “It all depends. We serve a wide demographic of people. We are seeing that a lot of new construction homes have more of a modern feel.”

Much depends on your intent. Do you plan to live in this house for many years or are you planning to flip it? A realtor might tell you, for example, that red shutters and trim won’t show as well as more neutral ones would. And don’t forget to consider the grounds around your house — existing trees, shrubbery and flowers or the lack thereof. Enjoy the journey and revel in the results. n

Join us for our 20th anniversary! Friday, September 17, 2021

7:30 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

Register as an event sponsor or to host a booth at pfw.edu/tapestry/sponsorships/

2021 KEYNOTE SPEAKER Mina Starsiak Hawk

Celebrated host of HGTV’s home improvement show “Good Bones”. Be inspired by her personal success story!