Best Value Remodeling – Remodeling Magazine’s 2015 Winners

Posted by: Ken Mariotti

Each year Remodeling Magazine releases it’s Cost vs. Value Report. The report compares year by year changes in job costs with Realtor’s perceptions of what those jobs bring to a home’s price at resale. The 2015 Report measured 36 projects nationally and by region. Three projects that exceeded 2014 values stood out in this year’s report, they are, steel entry doors, roofing, and vinyl siding replacement. The cost-value ratio expresses resale value as a percentage of construction cost. In the north central area, steel entry door replacement returned 86.3% of the replacement cost at the time the

It’s not surprising to see these three replacement jobs on the list of most return for your investment given the rising perception nationwide of the value of curb appeal. If you’re considering undertaking any of these remodeling projects in 2016, now is the time to start your research and here are a few things to consider as you make your decisions.

Upgrade the front door

Steel Door with Sidelites

Your entry door is a key element of design so use this opportunity to capture the look you’ve dreamed of. Modernize your home with a contemporary door, add architectural detail with a craftsman style, or replicate a historical period with a traditional door. In the report, steel entry doors return the greatest value on your investment and an insulated steel door will likely save on energy costs. Wood and fiberglass doors generally cost more than a steel door and so, rank below the lower cost steel in the Report, but we’d recommend comparing the performance of different materials when you do your research. Lastly, once you’ve decided on the type of entry door you want, make sure you get the perfect fit. The most reliable method is to remove any interior or exterior trim to expose the true opening and then measure the width, height, door thickness, hinge locations, hinge width and height and handle center. Better yet, let us help before you order your door.

Replace your old roof

Red Metal Porch Roof - Pinterest

Aesthetics, materials cost, weight and installation requirements are key considerations when researching replacement roofing. A square is the basic unit of measurement in roofing, you may win a Trivia game with this little known fact. One square is 100 square feet, making a square the equivalent of 10 feet x 10 feet. A typical two story house, 2,000 sq. ft. with gable roof will consist of less than 1,500 sq. ft. or 15 squares. The cost for your replacement roof will primarily depend on the condition of the existing roof and shape of the roof. Asphalt is the least expensive and slate (most durable) is the most expensive material, with wood, tile and cement, and metal somewhere in between. Asphalt is the most popular because it’s economical and easier to install. When choosing roofing material, the slope of your roof and the weight of the shingles are key factors to consider. Add flair to the look by adding a red metal roof over a porch like you see in the photo. When you’re ready, let us help you select the appropriate material and design for your roof style.

Add flair with new siding

Alside Prodigy Siding

Vinyl siding has been the siding of choice now for many years since technological advances made it both functional and stylish. Replace ugly or damaged siding and you’ll change the entire look of your home’s exterior. When replacing siding, consider adding a few architectural elements such as crown moldings, beaded soffits or decorative trim. Numerous vinyl siding styles and colors, including custom colors are available. When you’re ready for a change, visit our showroom to see and touch these beautiful products and learn about installation.

Entry Doors - Victorian Era

Posted by: Ken Mariotti

Pinterest

What makes a house Victorian style? It’s describing Victorian era architecture in the period of Queen Victoria’s reign. The Victorian styles include Queen Anne, dominate from 1880-1910, Gothic Revival 1840-1880, Second Empire 1855-1885 and Italianate 1840-1885. You’re guaranteed to win a round of Trivia with this question.

It was common for American home styles to follow style trends from England, but what also accounts for an abundance of Victorian style homes in America was the building boom during the later nineteenth century.  Victorian homes were the first product of our Industrial Age after the Civil War when munitions factories were converted to make house parts. The factories mass-produced wood trim for the decorative trim, porches, gables, towers and dormers.

Although Victorians are largely made of wood, this was not always the case. In fact a large number of old Victorians around the Midwest are built with patterned brick and stone, which was the preference in urban neighborhoods.

DYINetwork.com

What are the characteristics of front entries during this period? Typically entry doors are rail-and-style wood construction with raised panels. Commonly they’re designed with two panels with the upper panel made of glass and decorative motifs. Four or six panel doors will combine flat and glass panels. Generally speaking these homes have a porch or a projecting pavilion above the entry door.

Wood or Fiberglass

Either material will be suitable to create the Victorian style entry door look, however wood is preferable. In most cases, the entry door is protected by a porch, which eliminates weather exposure concerns. Second, wood can finished to mimic the same carved moldings throughout the rest of a Victorian house. Expensive Fiberglass is an alternative that will give the look of wood, but it’s unlikely you can match the overall finishes to the home.

Finehomebuilding.com

A very real challenge that most homeowners face when selecting an entry door is translating their favorite style photos into an actual door that will give their home the look. Selecting just the right door for a Victorian style home presents this challenge in spades because Victorian is a stylistic hodgepodge of classical decorative elements – it’s expression is very individual. Bring photos into Woodland’s showroom and we’ll show you the door profile and glass options you can build from.

For example, a classic London Victorian will have twin glass panels in the four-panel door.  Jeld-Wen Custom Wood Glass Panel Collection or Simpson Door Selects Series offer the door profile to create this look. Or if you’re looking for a single large glass opening the Therma-Tru Fiberglass Classic Craft Canvas Collection is a good place to start.

Glass

Use your imagination and design away. Today the availability of glass options is as endless as the glass expressions you’ll see on Victorian style doors and windows. Large single panes of clear or etched glass, standalone or framed by square panes are universally liked.  Frequently you’ll see multi-paned clear glass or colored glass insets.  More elaborate use of glass includes stained glass or beveled glass designs in a variety of motifs’.  Check out Simpson Door for glass panel ideas.

London

Hardware

You’ll have no trouble finding an assortment of suitable hardware choices for your Victorian entry door. We suggest you make your entry door hardware traditionally conforming, yet unique. You can do this by observing the door hardware of yesteryear such as, an oversized knob centered on the door or an address etched in the glass above the door. The Victorian era was the romantic period – express yourself.

Entry Doors - The Traditional Classic

Posted by: Ken Mariotti

Colonial - Homeguides.sfgate.com

What’s the right entry door for a traditional style house? It depends on which traditional style house you live in or plan to build. Traditional style means long established or customary and is the most common style in our area. Traditional is a broad term compromising many styles including Federal, Gothic Revival or Queen Anne.

When we describe a home as traditional we’re often referring to either a common style historically prevalent in our region, such as Colonial, Georgian or Cape Cod, or likewise, we may be referring to the specific classic features such as symmetrical windows, Greek shapes or a portico. What’s common to this type of home is that it has a timeless design with historical roots.

When shopping for an entry door for your traditional style home, it’s important to be clear about which style you’re trying to capture. Since most traditional home entries feature a decorative surround, focus on selecting a door to compliment and illuminate that feature of the home.

Balanced Symmetry

French Revival -Jefferybrianfisher.com

When planning a traditional front entry pay special attention to how you’ll create symmetry. Will you have plants, glass, lights, ornamental trim or some other artifact adorning either side of the entry door? The door needs to appear balanced with each element carefully placed and scaled to match the rest of your home’s exterior.

Six-panel - Pinterest

Solid Door

The most common traditional door style is made of wood with rail-and-stile construction with raised panels. Panels are quite suitable to Colonial, Federal, Cape Cod or Georgian styles. If you’re designing a French or Spanish Revival you’ll want to consider plank door styles, which elongates and simplifies the lines of the door. The tongue-and-groove look emulates plank doors, but usually is built using rail-and-stile to ensure greater performance. Victorian, Queen Anne or Ranch home styles often use a French or flat-slab door.

Transom and Sidelites

Victorian - Therma-Tru Doors

Bring light into the entry hall by adding a transom above or sidelites flanking the door. Glazing, the glass, should match your home’s windows. Let’s say that your grid pattern is a colonial style traditional. It’s likely six-panes of glass, separated by muntins in both the top and bottom window panels. Your transom would also have six-panes of glass with muntins and your sidelite divided glass panes would each match the size of one of the window panes. If you have Victorian style windows you can repeat the diamond-patterned grids.

Just because you have a traditional style home doesn’t mean your entry door is the same as every other traditional entry door. Using this traditional style guide you can create your own look from our manufacturer’s traditional style doors: Therma-Tru, Jeld-Wen, Simpson, Andersen, and Marvin.