High Value Add-Ons to Make You the Talk of the Town

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How many times have you talked to a potential customer and they start the conversations with something like, “Well, I don’t want a cookie-cutter house” or “I need a home that reflects me as a person”? These days, no one wants to have one of fifty identical houses in a subdivision. They want a showpiece that means they’re the Joneses everyone else is trying to keep up with.

Of course, not everyone with a Pinterest inspiration board is actually a home designer, so if you ask them to explain what exactly they’re hoping for, you may not always get an actionable answer. But don’t let that stop you from creating the best homes on the market.

Here are seven high-value add-ons that you can include in your homes that will give homeowners the house of their dreams.

Unique Siding Details Or Soffit

A lot of times, when people want unique details, they’re talking about color. Choosing a bold or bright siding option is definitely one way to make a house stand out in the neighborhood.

Or, if a sunshine yellow or ruby red house is maybe a bit too bold, how about choosing a dramatic color for your soffit? Yes, seriously: Soffit is a wildly underutilized design feature. Make a dramatic color pop underneath the roof so it’s eye-catching without being overwhelming.

Another way to utilize siding is to choose more than one profile. Use broad panels for the first floor and more narrow ones for the upper floors to give some movement to the design. You could also try scalloped edges to bring a gingerbread feel, with no cookies required!

Modern House Numbers

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We have this neighbor whose house numbers at the curb look like his modern metalwork sculpture fell over. Took weeks to figure out that was what it was supposed to look like.

Isn’t modern art great?

But you know what we do know? His house is number 11. Why? Because we look at it every damn time we walk the dog, trying to figure out if it blew over in the wind or if it’s supposed to be a hunk of metal lying on the grass.

Point is, you don’t have to stick with brass numbers screwed to the mailbox. Choose a place and a design that makes the dog walkers’ heads turn (but maybe something that’s also legible).

Upgraded Doors, Windows and Door Handles

For a home exterior that’s tired, upgrading doors, windows and door handles can be a quick facelift, and you don’t even need an expensive plastic surgeon to get the look.

When working with homeowners looking to update a tired exterior, the details matter. Energy-efficient windows with minimal frames, modern doors with clean lines, funky door knockers (we’re particularly fond of brass lion heads; those never good out of style) and black hardware all help bring a home into the twenty-first century.

Set Up Some Uncommon Fixtures

Wooden deck and patio of family home at night.

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Speaking of funky door knockers, it’s always the little details that mean so much, isn’t it? Think about small LED lights embedded in the soffits, instead of big flood lamps that scare the neighbors every time a leaf blows by the motion sensor.

Or maybe your customers want those curling wrought iron handrails to give the home that perfect Morticia Adams aesthetic, instead of a standard white railing with square posts.

Choosing the right fixtures will help your customers feel heard in terms of their design input and make a statement that will get people’s attention.

Don’t Forget Landscaping

You know what’s boring? Grass. Grass is boring. It’s flat and green, and we work so hard to keep it flat and green, and no one ever bothers to appreciate the beauty of each individual blade of grass, they just see the whole flat boring green thing.

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You know what’s not boring? Almost literally anything else you could do with landscaping. Throw a couple of window boxes together, add a few planters (they’re extra pretty if you can get them with the little flowers and the tall grasses so it plays with all the levels) and invest in a couple of shrubs. Ah, shrubbery. If they worked for the Knights who say Ni, they’ll work for you, too!

Upgrade the Path

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Homebuilders have been using their front walk as a way to make a statement for a long time. Just ask Louis Le Vau and Andre Le Notre. Oh, sorry, you don’t know Louis and Andre? They were the architect and landscape architect duo for the palace at Versailles. They know about making an entrance.

But even if you’re not building a palace, there are still ways to update a path that goes beyond adding a few solar lights along the side. Bricks, stamped concrete, stamped concrete that looks like bricks, bricks that look like wood … there are literally a ton of different products on the market, each of which brings a unique flair to a home’s first impression.

Install a Package Security Locker

Yeah, okay. Upfront, this may not sound as sexy as a shrubbery. But trust us when we say it’s the feature homeowners are going to brag about most. A secure locker like a Package Protector™ means that homeowners can order packages and be confident those package boxes will be waiting for them when they get home, instead of with some nefarious porch thief or carried off by the sweet-but-slobbery neighborhood pooch. Now that’s something to show off.

The Package Protector™ comes in the PRO version — which can be installed directly into the home’s exterior during construction or as part of a major renovation — or the PORT model — which is case mounted and can be installed pretty much anywhere. Even next to the shrubs and the walkway made of bricks that look like wood!

If you need help picking the perfect lion head door knocker, we can’t help you (but we’re seriously cheering you on because those things are rad). If, however, you want help specifying the right Package Protector™ for your next building project, we are all over it! Just contact us here to get started.

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