Exterior Updates to Consider for the New Year

New year, new you-new look for your home? With the comforts of home now more relevant than ever, it's the perfect time to start thinking about increasing your home's curb appeal. Modern design examples are a good place to start for home siding ideas, but let's check in with the experts for additional inspiration.

Start With Siding

Your home’s curb appeal largely depends on the look of your siding, and the new year offers a chance to start fresh, change up your look or repair old siding. With LP^® SmartSide^® Trim & Siding, you can approach updates in a couple of ways. Here are a few ideas for house siding design and renovation:

Complete Facelift

If your siding is in need of repairs or you’re ready for a design overhaul, replacing your siding altogether can be an easy process with LP SmartSide siding. With LP^® SmartSide^® ExpertFinish^® products, you have a lot of options in terms of color and bringing a bold new look to your home. There are also many engineered wood siding styles and textures, from lap and vertical siding to cedar texture and smooth finish, so you can craft the look you want.

Kyle Miller, Marketing and Sales Director at All Around Construction, finds that LP’s “smooth product is growing in popularity and works wonderfully as a replacement for older traditional wood or fiber cement products that have a smooth finish.”

Smooth siding is a popular choice for modern farmhouse siding, a style many homeowners choose as they upgrade. Even if you choose traditional lap siding, engineered wood siding is one of the most durable siding options available, making it a valuable addition to the home. Our proprietary LP^® SmartGuard^® process ensures that four components of protection, including zinc borate, protect your siding against impact, termites and fungal decay, moisture and more.

Small—But Impactful—Updates

If a complete renovation isn’t in the cards, there are many other updates that can help you achieve a fresh look for your home. First, updating your home’s trim to engineered wood products from metal trim, for example, “will result in a much cleaner overall look because you don’t have to use all the extra utility channel components that are required for installing the metal,” Miller says. He adds, “We use LP SmartSide trim on the majority of our projects to enhance the curb appeal.”

Additionally, soffit and fascia may not provide the instant change in curb appeal like completely new siding, but they add to the home’s overall impression. Miller argues that “using LP SmartSide soffit and fascia will provide a more premium and realistic wood look and be much more durable than typical wood components.” LP SmartSide products like soffit and fascia are also some of the most durable siding additions on the market. 

Transform the Backyard With a Shed

Home updates for the new year can also center on the backyard. Why not create a brand new space to enjoy with an LP shed? The new year often brings de-cluttering resolutions and pledges to reorganize, which a shed can help with. But sheds can also be used as offices, playrooms or personal spaces to recharge and unwind.

With LP^® Outdoor Building Solutions^®, you can create an outdoor space that suits your needs. Built with engineered wood designed to keep your shed cooler, your durable siding can also resist fungal decay and termites and complement your home with a professional, finished look. Check out the Shed Visualizer to get siding design ideas for your shed!

Update With LP Elements^® Performance Fencing

Add even more style to your home in the new year with LP Elements^® Performance Fencing. It’s an engineered wood fencing solution designed to stand stronger and last longer than typical softwood alternatives. If you have traditional wood fencing chances are it may not be at its best, having been impacted by years of wear and tear. A beautiful new fence that matches your home’s exterior can take your curb appeal to the next level!

LP Elements pickets are manufactured with our engineered wood substrate, which includes a proprietary zinc borate-based process to protect against termites and fungal decay. Resins in the pickets give them strength, and waxes coating every wood strand protect them from moisture. Overall, LP Elements fencing offers a durable solution that looks great, too.

New Year, New Look for Your Home

As the new year begins, make sure it looks its best for a fresh start! Whether you choose a full re-side, a trim update, a new backyard shed or even a beautiful fence, LP engineered wood products can help you boost your home's curb appeal with durability you can rely on.

If you’re ready to work on siding ideas for your home try out the Home Visualizer, a roof and siding visualizer tool that can help you see what might look best on your home.