You’ve inherited a property that is at least 70 years old. You never wanted a traditional home. It has always been your dream to have a modern contemporary home. But here’s the thing: this property has the perfect location. Plus, admit it, you don’t have to pay the mortgage anymore. All you need is to renovate and redesign the home’s exterior to make it look more contemporary. So what are you waiting for?
Turning traditionally designed homes into modern styles doesn’t have to be expensive. At the most, you need to remove some details, add modern accents such as glass, and repaint the whole house. Renovations don’t have to be expensive as long as you have a plan in mind.
Check Foundation and Stability
Before you go any further into your remodeling project, make sure that the home’s foundation is sturdy enough for what additional accents and elements you may upgrade it with. Once that is out of the way, you can begin working with your contractor to make the home look more modern. Also, take time to check with your local ordinances what permits you need to renovate and remodel a house.
Removing Old Classical Accents
What kind of style does your house have? Is it baroque or colonial? It might have a sculpture outside, or perhaps the roof is in the shape of a dome. Colonial homes have entrance columns and plain exteriors. They are also often made with bricks, stones, and wood. If these are not the styles that you are gunning for, remove them from the house’s exterior to give way to more modern design elements.
Fix the Garage Door
Unfortunately, many homeowners don’t give the garage door a second look when they think about remodeling the home’s exterior. A broken garage door will cheapen the overall look of the house no matter how much you try to upgrade it with new improvements. Repair the garage door or install a new one depending on the style you want to achieve. Many modern garage door designs will complement your home’s overall exterior.
Add Accent Sections
Instead of painting the entire house’s exterior in one color, why not add sections to make it look more modern? You can choose two main colors that will highlight the different sections of the house. The colors can draw attention to the upper stories, eaves, attached sections, and towers. Aside from using paint to highlight design elements, you can also add shingles, corrugated metal, panels, board-and-batten siding, and decorative trims.
Use Bold Color Trims and Texture
If you don’t want to create sections in your house, you can add a pop of color by painting the trims with a darker hue than the rest of the house. For example, if the house is colored light gray, you can paint the trims with navy blue or midnight green. These are eye-catching details that are attractive but will not exactly be hurtful to the eyes.
Another way to modernize your home’s exterior is by adding texture. You can choose among brick, accent wall, stone veneer skirt, or cedar shingles. If you’re up for more texture, you can also use stucco on one exterior wall panel. Texture adds character to a house, something that tends to be lacking in modern and contemporary home designs.
Enlarge Your Windows
Older homes have small windows and outdated shutters. If you want to modernize your house, enlarge your windows and change the shutters into something more modern. Glass is one of the best contemporary materials. When you enlarge the windows, it will add dimension to your exterior. Not to mention, it will bathe the home’s interior in natural light. Aside from the windows, you can also replace some walls with sliding glass doors, so you have the option of opening up the home to access the yard.
Choose Metal for Your Fence
Instead of a wood fence, which looks a bit more country, go for metal or steel fences because these are materials that scream modern. Not only does it help define your property’s borders, but the fence will also secure your home. They are also low-maintenance since metal and steel can last for a long time without the homeowners exerting too much effort.
Modern homes will look right in place for decades to come. They have clean lines and simple designs that speak of the low-maintenance trend that’s practical in today’s fast-paced world. Going modern isn’t difficult and expensive. Since modern homes have more basic design elements than classical, colonial, and baroque homes, the renovation is uncomplicated.
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