Alameda Times-Star
The curb appeal charms of many modern homes are comprised of synthetic products such as fiber cement shingles, fiberglass columns and steel doors
By Elaine Markoutsas
UNIVERSAL PRESS
UNIVERSAL PRESS
It is widely known that curb appeal helps sell a house. But the elements that shape it - the basic building blocks, architectural details and palette - are what really make a house feel like a home. Thanks to technology, much of what you see on the outside may not be what you think it is.
A marvelously maintained home that appears to date from the turn of the 20th century may well be clad in vinyl or fiber cement doubling for old-fashioned wood clapboard or shingles. The majestic fluted columns that frame the veranda of a Georgian house will never rot or fade because they're made of fiberglass. The blue paneled front door with leaded glass transom and sidelights may be factory-painted on steel - never to require the touch of a paintbrush again.
Ditto for the brick-red window frames, aluminum-clad outside but wood inside, a nice complement to the wood molding and flooring in the living spaces. In addition, brick homes with charming weathered pastel tones actually may have started out as plain red brick, taking on an instant aged appearance with the addition of a special finishing process.
In the last five years, man-made materials have gained wider audiences for siding, roofing, porches, trims and decks. The same goes for interior features like columns, molding and flooring. According to the National Association of Home Builders Research Center, which has been studying construction trends since the 1970s, significant changes have taken place for a number of reasons.
"The products are better than they've ever been," says Andy Engel, executive editor of Taunton's Fine Homebuilding Magazine. "At the same time," he points out, "the quality of lumber has gone down the tubes. We're running out of old-growth forests. New growth just can't compare. The trees grow faster but the wood doesn't have the density or stability of old growth."
Although reclaimed woods are an alternative, they're often cost-prohibitive. And the bottom line is a huge factor.
"Economics drives building," Engel says. "I can buy manmade I-joists for about the same prices as I can buy solid lumber - and these days, they're better."
Masonry is virtually indestructible and conveys a sense of substance and quality.
But brick and stone are heavier and more expensive to transport and install because they require skilled labor. Convincingly realistic manufactured stones lack these problems and thereby are winning new admirers, especially with the advent of substantial boulderlike corner pieces that don't give away thinner veneers.
Some buying shifts are the result of recent building codes. States such as California have specific energy requirements calling for materials that won't deteriorate over time. So builders may actually specify vinyl and aluminum products instead of wood.
In addition, Engel believes that recycling programs have contributed to the trend toward alternative materials.
"Twenty years ago we didn't have mandatory recycling, at least where I live. Now we do. And there's a lot of second-hand plastic on the market," Engel says.
Other environmental concerns, such as the safety of pressure-treated woods, also have builders exploring options. An arsenic additive in pressure-treated woods has been linked to cancer and has been banned from use by the Environmental Protection Agency. But while newer materials are less toxic, they may be more expensive.
How materials stand the test of time is another consideration. Long-term maintenance can become an issue. Wood, for example, needs upkeep - at best, paint, and at worst, replacement if the elements or insect infestations cause rotting.
Whether building or remodeling, the choice of materials plays an enormous role in a home's durability as well as its aesthetics. Today there are more color options as well as styles that run the gamut from Victorian to contemporary.
You can start from the ground up and include outdoor structures as well, such as decks, gazebos and arbors, which all have synthetic material equivalents. So do trims - including gingerbread, fan brackets, spandrels, porch balustrades, crown molding and fishscale shingles.
Perhaps because of the availability of some great-looking stone look-alikes, they're being considered not only as a foundation component, but also on chimneys and walls. Cultured Stone, a division of Owens Corning, is a manufacturer of dozens of products with the appearance of limestone and other natural stones.
Lightweight and a fraction of the cost of the real thing (installed, costs range from about $10 to $15 per square foot), some builders appreciate the texture it adds to a facade. Dry-stack ledgestone, which re-creates the appearance of a natural ledge outcropping, might be teamed with stucco, wood or brick.
Vintage homes and a revival of shingle-style exteriors are feeding a desire for more siding options - and manufacturers are paying close attention to color and texture.
Weather-repellent woods such as cedar, redwood or cypress applied in shiplap, board-and-batten, beveled and tongue-and-groove boards are the purist's dream. But wood siding is more expensive than vinyl, aluminum and fiber cement.
Many vinyl-siding manufacturers such as Wolverine have added a pale green to their palettes, a welcome companion to mostly beige. Colors are more limited in vinyl than aluminum, but the latter dings more easily.