Whether you are renovating your property to maximise its sale potential or making improvements for your own satisfaction, a common aim in both is enhancing curb appeal. People do judge books (and homes) by their covers, and if you want to attract interest in your property, you have to entice buyers to want to see more, and shabby facades and unkept gardens are not appealing incentives.
An easy way to modernise the facade of your home is to use cladding, like NewTechWood, for example, on the exterior walls. Modern composite cladding is low-maintenance, resilient, and durable in our harsh Australian climate, often outlasting natural timber. In this blog, we will share modern exterior cladding ideas and solutions to enhance your home’s curb appeal with composite cladding.
Benefits of Composite Cladding
Obviously, the thought of the ongoing maintenance required for natural wood cladding can be a deterrent to its use, which is why composite timber cladding is so lauded. Composite cladding, like NewTechWood’s Castellation cladding and Shadowline cladding profiles, require no maintenance. That is, no sanding back, no repainting or oiling, all while offering the striking appearance of natural timber-looking cladding. Unlike natural wood, composite cladding is UV and stain resistant, doesn’t warp or rot, and does not interest termites or other wood-boring insects. Just install it and forget it (maybe hose the dust off if the winter rain doesn’t do it for you)!
How Cladding Enhances Aesthetics & Durability
Here’s the thing. Composite cladding is not only a decorative feature that will improve the aesthetics of your home, but it’s also low to no maintenance over its entire lifetime, and environmentally friendly. No trees are ever cut down to make NewTechWood.
Manufactured with 95% recycled materials (timber and plastics), and protected with a strong, durable polymer shield that fully caps every board, NewTechWood composite cladding often outlasts real timber – which requires time consuming and costly maintenance over its li fetime and despite regular repaints, often ends up looking like this anyway!
NewTechWood composite is much more durable, which is why it comes with a 25-year warranty.
Top Design Trends in Modern Homes
NewTechWood’s composite cladding is highly versatile with the options for different textures and colours, enabling you to customise your home to perfectly suit its façade and your unique tastes. Stunning used alone, you can even combine it with stone-look cladding for rustic appeal, for example. Here are ten design ideas to inspire your imagination of how you can incorporate composite cladding in your home.
#1: Highlight Architectural Features With Selective Cladding
You don’t need to clad entire walls. Use cladding to highlight any special architectural features on your home, or near front entrances and porticos for example.
#2: Practical Cladding Solutions For Gables & Porticos
Consider practical uses such as for gables and Portico or ceiling lining. You won’t have to paint them anymore if you use a composite like NewTechWood, and they will always look new and clean.
#3: Add Contemporary Flair With Vertical Cladding
Today’s home designs are clean and almost minimalistic. To keep with the popular style but add a touch of class, you could install a section of vertical cladding on one part of the façade, or perhaps around a bay window, chimney, or column, for example.
#4: Enhance Country Charm
If you own a weatherboard or country-style home, chances are you already have some form of timber cladding, which may or may not require ongoing maintenance over the span of its lifetime. You can still update the façade with a composite, but using a complementary colour or a different texture helps to add pizzaz.
#5: Achieve A Coastal Look With Timber-Look Cladding
NewTechWood offers a variety of light-coloured timber-look cladding that is tailor-made for Coastal, Scandi or even Hamptons style homes.
#6: Transform Your Garage Doors With Stylish Cladding
This is becoming increasingly popular, with many homes now cladding their garage doors to blend with the cladding on their homes, or merely to make a fashionable statement. Either way, it is a joy to view from the curb.
#7: Camouflage Fence Lines With Creative Cladding
You can plant trees and shrubs to hide the fence line but this is going to create higher water usage for you and the necessity to keep trimming them and weeding the beds. If you don’t want to spend your time and money on this upkeep, why not just clad the fence? You can go traditional with vertical cladding boards, or let your creativity run wild and turn your fence into a work of art.
#8: Make A Statement With Unique Mailbox Designs
Despite modern technology, we do still receive paper mail and need a letterbox to receive it. Gone are the days when these were simple metal or brick structures. Now your letterbox can make an eye-catching statement that will definitely enhance curb appeal.
#9: Improve Pathways & Driveways For Safety & Aesthetics
Are your pathways and driveway in good condition? Uneven pavers not only look ugly but are dangerous trip hazards. Removing weeds that might have grown between the pavers is crucial for maintaining curb appeal. Faded, peeling cement pathways are an eyesore and a fresh coat of paint will do wonders for the visual aesthetic of your home.
#10: Ensure Your House Number Stands Out
Make sure your house number is clearly visible from the street. Choose a number design that is appropriate to the style of your home. For example, federation style homes suit large brass number plates, whereas Mediterranean style homes look fabulous with colourful ceramic number signs.
Other Curb Appeal Considerations
Don’t forget, when aiming for excellence in curb appeal, it isn’t only your house that people are noticing. Here are a few considerations to ensure your home is looking as good as possible.
- Keep a tidy garden.
- Mow the lawn.
- Remove weeds.
- Ensure your plants are healthy.
- Remove clutter from your veranda and yard.
- Repair any damaged façade elements. This can also mean repainting peeling paintwork or replacing rusted gutters.
- Consider the condition of your front door. It might need a fresh coat of paint. You can use this opportunity to opt for a contrasting colour that will really make the front of your house POP.
Final Thoughts
Cladding offers a versatile and stylish way to enhance your home’s appearance while adding practical benefits. Whether you’re highlighting architectural features, embracing a specific design theme or improving curb appeal, the right cladding can transform your property with minimal effort. Explore creative options to make your home uniquely yours while reducing maintenance and maximising charm.
You can visit here for information on NewTechWood Castellation Cladding, and here for NewTechWood Shadowline Cladding.
Our website Gallery may also inspire you!
When you are ready to buy, you can find our national NewTechWood resellers here, and installers, here.
Architects, designers and builders are welcome to contact our experts for professional advice!
And of course, don’t forget to tag us (#newtechwoodaustralia) when you share your masterpiece reno projects on social media!