If you’ve been thinking about doing a major exterior renovation on your North Carolina or South Carolina residence, the odds are good that you’ve seen the term “cladding” in some of your research. You may, however, have skimmed over it or used context clues to figure out what it means. In actuality, “cladding” is a home services industry term for any material that can be used to cover the outside of a house.
If you have brick exterior walls, that’s cladding. If you have vinyl siding, that’s cladding. If you have stucco, that’s cladding. You get the idea. One modern trend is to mix and match different sorts of cladding to create a completely unique look. If you are interested in giving this a try, it’s important to read guides like this first. Otherwise, you could end up spending a lot of money on a combination of materials that really doesn’t work. A few great cladding combos are outlined here.
Mix vertical and horizontal siding
If you want your Carolina house to have a monochromatic look, consider using a single siding color, but turning the boards in different ways. This works best on two-story homes. If, for instance, you have dormer windows on the second story, you could opt to use vertical siding on them and horizontal siding everywhere else. You could also choose a focal area, such as the front porch, to use one siding direction and use the opposite direction on the rest of your exterior walls.
Mix siding colors
Mixing siding colors is, perhaps, the trickiest cladding combination to successfully pull-off. This is not, however, to say it can’t be done. If you don’t have a natural eye for color and design, you may want to work with a local designer to make sure you select siding hues that perfectly complement one another; many decorators offer surprisingly affordable hourly services.
If you choose to combine siding colors without professional assistance, buying an inexpensive color wheel and looking for inspiration online can both be helpful avenues. Use your color wheel to determine if your favorite siding colors are actually complementary and use pictures on the web to see how other homeowners have successfully done this type of project. Typically, it is best to stick to neutral tones, such as deep brown and tan or two shades of grey, when using two different siding hues.
Mix textures
Some homeowners prefer the idea of mixing two completely different types of exterior cladding for a texture extravaganza. This is actually more common than you might realize! Many Carolina subdivisions from the 1990s and early 2000s, for instance, have houses with both brick and siding outside. This is an example of combining cladding styles. Today, homeowners are opting for unique combinations, such as raw wood siding with fiber cement boards.
If you are thinking about having the outside of your home resided in the near future, contact the team at Hatch Homes at your earliest convenience. We have experience with a wide variety of materials and can help you figure out what cladding combination is the best choice for your remodeling project.