Seattle Homes and Lifestyles 2007 Source Book

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2007 Directory

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PRETTY ON THE OUTSIDE
Our experts offer tips on finding style and durability for your home’s exterior

When it comes to building or renovating the exterior of your home, the selection of materials can be daunting. Should you use reclaimed or synthetic materials? Exotic or native wood? Regardless what siding, window or decking material you choose—especially in the Northwest climate—it must withstand weather and time and keep the exterior looking great.

From left: Siding by James Hardie, Inc, windows from Sierra Pacific Windows, and fencing by Trex Company.

Siding
“You just can't beat cedar for the durability and quality that people demand,” says Grey Lundberg of CMI Homes. Homeowners still want classic cedar-shingled homes, according to Lundberg, though demand for durability and quality spans the spectrum of design—beyond the classic shingled look—and has led to new choices in exterior building materials.

Manufactured products—such as resin-based trims, dimensional lumber and fiber-cement bevel siding shingles—are making aesthetic strides in the marketplace and find applications in both traditional and contemporary homes, Lundberg says. Though manufactured products can deliver durability with varied style, he finds that getting back to conventional, proven products is where homeowners want to go.

“All our high-end projects have a lot of cedar products on the exterior, but we'll mix in some stone and metal for variety,” Lundberg says, however. “There's a trend to not be monolithic and to have varied types of siding products on the house to give different dimension and to break up the monotony. That's done by using a combo of wood and metal and stone.”

Windows
The combination of wood and metal on a home comes together most efficiently on its windows. “Ninety-five percent of the product we sell in the Northwest is an aluminum-clad product,” says Mike Shelby of Sierra Pacific Windows. Aluminum-clad windows combine the durability of aluminum on the exterior with the aesthetic qualities of wood on the interior.

Aluminum-clad windows are more energy efficient than vinyl and can be painted to match or complement a home's color. However, from a style standpoint, “If you're trying to get a warmer, classic look, it's going to lend itself more to the wood[-finished] window,” Shelby says. A black- or bronze-aluminum exterior with interior mill finishes is a popular choice. Shelby says that what once was pine is now Douglas fir. “I think it's the fashion end of the business. It just happens to be the hot wood species right now.”

The most popular design trend in windows, Shelby says, is walls of glass known as curtain walls. The largest pane Sierra Pacific Windows can make is 60 square feet. To install a curtain wall, aluminum or wood creates vertical divisions—mullions—between large panes of glass held above by tubular steel.

Fences and decks
Other new exterior products to look for include Trex Seclusions and TrexContours, new fencing and authentic-looking wood-grain decking by Trex Company. A weather-resistant and natural-looking blend of recycled plastic and reclaimed wood, Trex products bring an extra dimension of durability and quality to the home exterior.