Additional Design Information

There may be items on your design that are not specifically linked to company websites such as gable accents, porticos, columns, and wood headers. These items are best for you to source locally and/or ask your contractor for local recommendations. We only link design elements to companies that we know and trust do quality work. Below is additional information about many of the elements you will find in your designs:

Columns

Many columns are strictly placed on your design for aesthetic purposes but others are weight bearing. It’s very important to discuss the best material for your needs and environment with your contractor. In some cases, your current columns may be wrapped to cut costs. Woodtone and Barron Designs have beautiful real wood columns and faux wood column wraps that can be custom manufactured and shipped directly to your project site. Architectural Depot and Ekena Millwork carry composite columns. If customized columns are not an option, many times cedar or IPE wood is recommended for building columns on site. Your contractor will be able to advise on the best material and stain for your project. Please also refer to the stain notes below if you’re using a stain and the paint chip on your deliverable if you are painting your columns.

Concrete Columns & Panels

Concrete columns can be built by a local concrete company or a contractor can build with iron and concrete. Be sure to specify “architectural finish” (smooth concrete) and allow the engineer to specify the footing and beam. You can also contact OrganiCrete Hung Panels and they can build and ship custom columns to you.

We also recommend OrganiCrete for concrete panels because of their high quality, knowledge of what works and what doesn’t, as well as their ability to customize sizing for any project. Please reach out to Tyler at Hung Panels to learn more about the OrganiCrete panels and used in your design. By looking at your brick&batten design, Tyler can recommend sizes and colors that work for your needs.

Doors

Your front door is the focal point of your home’s exterior. We have partnered with different vendors across the country from Montgomery, Dallas, Austin, Atlanta, etc. — including Marvin Windows and Doors, US Door & More, Exclusive Iron Doors, Doors4 Home, Pivot Door Company, ETO Doors, etc. We love all of their work, which is why we have chosen to partner with them. Our experts guarantee the highest quality and craftsmanship available. Often they are less expensive, even with shipping! They are happy to give you a free quote. All you need to show them is your brick&batten design. That said, we realize you may want to work with someone locally. Most doors can be copied or custom made by someone in your area. Be sure you consult an expert when obtaining measurements to ensure proper door fitting.

Garage Doors

brick&batten is happy to help you with the selection of your new garage door; however, to keep your costs low, we recommend purchasing your door from a local garage door company directly. Clopay offers an array of garage door styles and colors that can be sourced from big box companies like Home Depot and Lowes.

Gates / Fences

We recommend Garden Passages and Pacific Gate Works for our gate designs. Both companies offer different styles for different types of architecture. Your local contractors and local fence companies can also often create similar gates and fences on site for less.

Gutters

In many cases, your current gutters may be painted to create the look of the design in your deliverable. For faux copper gutters, we recommend Copper Penny Aluminum or Dark Bronze from the Gutter Supply. You may also purchase the decorative leader heads, downspouts, medallions, and brackets from most local hardware stores. Your local gutter supply store will be able to help ensure proper measurement and installation.

For gutter protection, we recommend LeafFilter Gutter protection. LeafFilter offers the highest quality raised screen technology gutter guards. You can reach out here for a free gutter guard estimate.

House Numbers

Modern House Numbers has a variety of different font styles to choose from. Since we don’t take measurements we recommend that you refer to MHN Sizing and Visibility Guidelines for further details or refer to our below general size guidelines.

Hardscape

In most cases, walkway stone may be purchased at a rock yard or local hardware store. Using a local rock yard allows you the opportunity to pick each stone individually. Faux stone may be purchased at your local hardware store. Driveway changes such as stamped concrete, pavers, etc. should also be sourced locally. We recommend finding a local vendor and asking them to match our look with their local selection.

James Hardie Panels & Siding

Without dimensions, we cannot ensure that the seams will line up exactly as shown, however, we do our best to estimate. Your local James Hardie specialist will recommend what will work best for your home. Please note that we provide the visualization to the best of our ability but your James Hardie representative will know the measurements and can ensure that the panel placement best suits your home’s requirements.

James Hardie siding is available in pre-finished colors or can be purchased unfinished and painted our recommended colors. Siding can be sourced locally or directly through James Hardie. If sourcing through James Hardie, keep in mind that colors shown in our renderings may vary due to screen resolution. Please request actual product samples to see true siding colors in person.

Landscape

We place generic landscapes in your design for height, color and softness. We do not specialize in landscape. Often a local nursery will come to your house and make a plan knowing your climate and soil type. If you’re just looking for inspiration, check out these landscape beauties for curb appeal. For more geographic landscape expertise to bring your landscape visualization to life, we recommend Tilly as an affordable online landscape design company. Tilly creates custom landscape design plans scaled for your yard based on your location, planting zone, and more and can even procure your plants and have them shipped directly to your home. Reach out to Tilly HERE to see how they can help you bring your yard to life!!

Lighting

Some of our most trusted lighting partners include Visual Comfort, Shades of Light, Lightsonline.com and Lighting New York. For recessed lighting, we recommend aspectLED Ultra Thin. Sizing is determined by your space, however, we recommend 1/3 to 1/4 the size of your door as a general guideline. You can find additional lighting tips here.

Metal Awnings

Metal awnings are best sourced locally and installed by your contractor to ensure proper drainage and stability. The color of a metal awning will vary based on your environment and manufacturer of the product your contractor recommends. In direct sunlight a bronze metal may look brown with a hint of charcoal, whereas later in the day or a shaded area, the metal may look almost black. To achieve the look in your design, ask your contractor for samples of similar colors. Observe at different times of the day and in different areas before making your selection.

Brick Treatment Options

For limewash and mortar wash we recommend using Romabio products. A lighter application of slurry product will provide a German Smear look with exposure of some brick color and texture, while full coverage of the slurry will create a stucco-like look with brick texture but no brick color. Romabio limewash is available in several different colors. Your painter will be able to best advise on how to achieve the look of your rendering. For more information regarding limewash technique, please refer to our blog post here.

Pergolas

Pergolas can be made custom by your contractor or ordered as a custom kit from companies like Pergola Depot. Companies such as Frontera Outdoor also carry an assortment of pre-sized vinyl and faux wood pergola options.

Railings / Privacy Screens

Cable railings can be purchased locally from a hardware store or from vendors such as Keuka Cable. Keuka Cable carries black fittings and cables, as well as different types of railings and top rails. Top rails and railings include metal in different colors and wood in types best for your environment. We also recommend Viewrail for partially and fully custom cable railing systems. Viewrail offers numerous wood finishes for railings and top rails. The cable specialists at these companies will share available options and help you determine what best will fit your needs.

Wood railings can be easily made and installed by a skilled handyman. For iron railings and privacy screens, contact a local professional.

Roofs

We recommend colors and products for ideation, however, please be sure to ask your roofer what type of roof is best for your environment.

Shutters

Shutters can make or break your home’s exterior look. We LOVE our partner at Sunbelt. Sunbelt is an amazing resource and can accommodate many different budgets based on material. Please reach out to Michelle Shell at michelle@sunbeltshutters.com and email her your brick&batten before and after design. Michelle will help you with style, measuring, ordering, and installation.

Stains

Stain color for headers, columns, fencing, doors, and decks, etc. varies due to many factors: type of wood being stained, how the wood is prepped, who is doing the staining, the brand of stain chosen, etc. As with paint colors, it is important to test the stain color in your environment. Generally, we like Walnut, Dark or Black Walnut, Rustic Brown, and Natural in semi-transparent. As you can see in the below photo, the same color stain is used across each board, however, looks differently based on the type of wood.

Stucco

Before you do any work yourself, reach out to a painter that specializes in stucco. They will guide you in the right direction. Often stucco needs to be repaired or prepped before any painting can begin. Due to the texture, paint colors on stucco may vary. Always test before applying and refer to an expert for best results.

Faux Wood Siding (fiber cement, metal, and PVC)

For faux wood fiber cement siding, visit the Woodtone website and request samples of Summer Wheat, Aspen Ridge, Winchester Brown, and Sand Castle, which are all great colors. We don’t take measurements so clients will need to work with their contractors using our renderings to determine size and selection. We generally prefer James Hardie substrate with a 4-5” exposure; however, it’s really a personal preference based on project budget. Other faux wood siding companies we love and trust are Nichiha Vintagewood (fiber cement) and Longboard and Quality Edge Vesta (metal) and Azek (PVC).

Wood Porch Ceilings / Soffits

There are many different ways to achieve the wood panel look on soffits and porch roofs – faux or real wood options. Please refer to your contractor for what’s best in your environment. If you prefer real wood, we recommend Woodtone Fineline Paneling. Please get samples of colors: Texas Honey Brown, English Porter, American Nut Brown, and West Coast IPA. Faux wood (metal) options that we recommend include Longboard and Quality Edge Vesta. For recessed ceiling lighting, we recommend AspectLED Ultra Thin.

Windows

For window replacement, we recommend Marvin or Renewal by Andersen composite windows for their durability, low maintenance and exceptional warranty. More cost effective new construction and replacement windows such as vinyl or aluminum can also be sourced locally or from other manufacturers such as Champion Windows.

Window Headers

Custom wood trim pieces can be added to porches, doors, windows, etc. Your contractor will need to measure and choose wood or a composite material that is best for your environment. Faux and real wood headers can also be purchased from vendors such as Barron Designs.