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The way to think of the windows, siding, and roofing on your Harford County, MD home is as one weather shell, not three separate products. When you get some exterior remodeling done, you want to think about how it will affect the whole. Water, Walls, and Windows Water follows gravity and always slides through the easiest gap. The roof is meant to throw rain to the gutters, and wherever a roof meets a wall, like at a dormer or the end of a gable, that water has to be turned away from the wall so it doesn't pour behind the siding. Metal flashing is what does that work. It tucks under the shingles and up the wall so the water runoff lands on the roof or in the gutter. Behind the siding sits a second layer, often called house wrap, that catches whatever gets past the boards and sends it down and out. Now here's the issue: windows punch holes through that protective wall and wrap. Any time you've got a hole, you've got potential for leaks, so around each window the opening needs its own wrap of flashing, with the bottom piece sloped so water runs out onto the face of the house rather than into the wood. If the roof flashing, the wrap, and the window flashing don't overlap, water will find the cut and get into your walls. How Heat Harms The same joints that can leak water are also your weak point for leaking air. Warm air leaving the house in winter and hot air coming in during the summer travel through the attic, through unsealed wall cavities, and around old window frames. A tight roof with a vented, insulated attic is great: but it doesn't really do much if the walls below it are drafty. New siding put over rotten wrap and leaky windows still leaves you with cold spots at every opening. Meanwhile, putting new windows into walls that have no continuous wrap still gives a great path for air intrusion. That's why the roof, the siding, and the windows all have to be dealt with as a unit. What a Coordinated Exterior Remodeling Refresh Does On paper, it can look cheaper to deal with just one piece at a time. In reality, that can end up costing you more. New siding that's cut around old window frames will only perform until the caulk dries and splits. A new roof dropped onto walls that will be stripped later means the roof-to-wall flashing will be disturbed again. New windows set into tired siding leaves the wrap incomplete. A whole-home refresh allows you to put the wrap on as one sheet, with the window flashing taped into that sheet and the roof flashing tucked into it, before the siding covers the upright legs. The house then sheds water the way it was meant to: roof to flashing to wrap to the outside face. Talk to Us About a Home Refresh in Harford County Ready to see what a refresh could do for your home? Contact us today at Green Solutions Remodeling in Harford County. We're family-owned and operated, and we've been doing quality work in the Baltimore Metro area for more than 75 years.

The exterior of your home is the first thing people notice, and while curb appeal is especially important if you're looking to sell, it's also something we want just for ourselves. Many times, the secret sauce that makes one Baltimore County, MD home look so much nicer than another is the right details in siding and trim. What Siding and Trim Details Boost Curb Appeal in Baltimore County, MD Homes? Timeless Profiles Some profiles have a proven worth and a classic charm that works with a number of architectural styles. Lap siding, for instance, has a clean, shadow-line effect that's especially perfect if you have a colonial or a farmhouse. It conveys a strong sense of tradition and warmth and is also easy to integrate with other elements to create some visual depth. Dutch lap adds a notched edge to all of this to make the shadows a little deeper and give the illusion of thicker boards. It's ideal if you want a home that has a distinctive texture look to it but you still want some subtlety. If rustic is what appeals to you, shake and shingle siding mimics the look of hand-split wood and has an organic and weathered appeal. This is particularly good for homes in a woodland setting and adds character without overwhelming the structure. Board and batten has vertical planks and covering strips and makes a bold architectural statement that looks particularly good on a modern farmhouse. Modern Profiles If you want something a little more modern, vertical siding pulls the eye upward and makes a smaller home look taller. It's a great trick for urban lots without much space, plus it helps with water runoff, which is a very practical bonus. Shiplap has tight, overlapping joints that give you a sort of modern/rustic hybrid. It gives you that Scandinavian-inspired clean vibe and is very durable. If you want something a little more elegant-looking, though, beaded siding has a rounded edge at the bottom of each board, and scalloped profiles have wavy, fish-scale patterns that look great on Victorian homes or cottages. Trim Details As important as siding is, it won't matter much without the right trim. Good trim frames features and adds some polish in places where you really need it. Putting a wide trim around your windows and doors gives you a bold and dramatic look and draws the attention to those focal points. Wide trim can make even a little home look much grander. Contrasting colors on a trim can make architectural details pop either to create a classic contrast or to add depth. Some decorative elements, like crown molding on your eaves, throw in some personality and make something plain look almost like a storybook cottage. Upgrades of the fascia and soffit give you clean roof lines with no sagging. These details are not just ornamentation because they also protect your edges from weathering while they guide the eye across the home's features and give you a balanced composition. At Green Solutions Remodeling, we know curb appeal doesn't have to come at the sacrifice of your environmental responsibility. Contact Green Solutions Remodeling in Glen Arm, MD now to get a free estimate and talk over your project.

“Green Solutions installed vinyl siding plus a new patio door for our home. From initial sales consult to finished job, we couldn’t be more pleased. Good advice for product selection, competitive pricing and skilled work. Hard working crew and daily clean-up. Highly recommend!” – M.G in Phoenix, MD Green Solutions offers many different styles of energy-efficient siding. When you’re ready to transform your home’s exterior, contact us at 410-592-3909!