Examining an exterior renovation
Extensive renovation work can be challenging. Fitting new elements with the existing structure to end up with a cohesive finished product can often take some construction ingenuity. Such was the case when my repeat clients retained Scholl Construction to give the exterior of their home a much-needed facelift. The homeowners wanted to transform the look of their relatively plain 1960s-style house into a more updated style, better suited to the other homes in the neighborhood. They had already updated some of the interior spaces and were ready to give the exterior of their home a little TLC.
The original exterior was overpowered by its gambrel roof that was covered with traditional black shingles. Blending new elements with the existing roofline was needed to balance and update the entire look of the home. At first glance you wouldn’t think that adding more roof and actually extending the existing roof to create overhangs would be the answer. But that’s exactly what it took to give this home a more balanced, cohesive look. Replacing the heavy-looking black shingles with lighter, hand-split cedar shakes and new white trim around the roof lines helped update the exterior, too.
The exterior renovations required a lot of new structural work to accomplish what the homeowner and architect had designed, starting with the front dormers. The original dormers simply stuck out of the roof adding little aesthetic appeal to the home. The new design called for extending the roof lines to give each dormer a peak, and reducing the size of the windows to bring the dormers into proportion with the rest of the house. The resulting dormer design now breaks up and adds interest to the large expanse of roof.
