Dark Board and Batten Siding Takes Home from Traditional to Contemporary
By: Britteny
Carolyn R. wanted a fresh look for her home in Georgia. While she had some design ideas in mind — such as installing new board and batten siding — she wanted guidance from an expert to ensure her vision was executed properly. She had been following brick&batten on social media for some time and liked our designs, so she decided to enlist our help.
Keep reading to learn how we helped Carolyn take her home from traditional to contemporary and see the process from start to finish.
From colonials and cottages to cabins and Cape Cods, we love working with owners of all sorts of house styles to help them achieve the exterior of their dreams. Learn more about our virtual exterior design services.
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The before
Carolyn successfully remodeled the interior of her traditional colonial house, but an inability to share her vision for the exterior kept her from renovating it. Until she partnered with brick&batten, that is!
We had a very traditional colonial home that we remodeled on the interior in 2016 but were waiting to do the exterior as it was extremely difficult to find resources to show contractors our vision.
The design
Carolyn told us her home is sandwiched between two white houses, so she wanted to paint hers a dark color. We rendered the new board and batten siding in Sherwin Williams’ Iron Ore and chose Tricorn Black, also by Sherwin Williams, for the trim and door. Iron Ore is both timeless and modern and felt like a great fit for Carolyn’s home.
In addition to a fresh color palette, we made several other design recommendations to transform Carolyn’s exterior. Our rendering features a wood awning over the front door, wood lintels above some of the new windows, faux copper gutters, a modern cable railing for the front porch, and a cut stone walkway with a cozy seating area in front of the steps. Other updates include a black chimney cap, new light fixtures and house numbers, a wood fence, planters, and landscaping. Finally, we suggested removing the home’s shutters.
Given the investment we were making, we felt it best to engage brick&batten for a realistic rendering. The process was super simple. We just took a few photos of the house, and in no time they were able to bring our vision to life!
Carolyn used her free revision to see another paint color — Sherwin Williams’ Black Fox, a warm hue with rich brown undertones — on the board and batten siding. Tricorn Black is also featured on the trim and door in this version. Our other design recommendations remained the same.
The rendering provided by brick&batten was invaluable in our remodel process. We had interviewed numerous contractors and service providers at the beginning of the process and NO one could envision our plan. I had crafted a rough sketch in PowerPoint, but it was not until we received the rendering that the vision truly came to life.
We always recommend sampling and testing paint colors before committing. Factors such as natural lighting, undertones, and your property’s fixed elements will have a significant impact on how a color will appear on your exterior. Our friends at Samplize offer extra-large 9 x 14.75 inch peel-and-stick paint samples of the colors we love for exteriors. Order your ‘Real Paint, No Mess’ samples from Samplize here.
The process
Carolyn hired a team of professionals to complete her exterior renovation, which she said began in February and wrapped up in April. She told us her brick&batten design deliverable was “the key to planning our project.”
The rendering was taped to the front of the house with our permits for contractors and inspectors to reference, and of course, we provided it to our project manager. It cut down on so many questions while at the same time raised new questions we had not even considered. I would not do this process again without a rendering.
Carolyn’s rendering wasn’t only useful to her contractors. She said she also used it to keep her neighbors informed of the changes being made to her house.
We live in a small cul-de-sac without an HOA, so we tried to keep neighbors up to speed with the project. The rendering was a very useful tool in sharing our plans with the neighbors.
The actual after
Carolyn’s home looks almost identical to her brick&batten design. From the paint colors to the smaller design elements, she implemented almost all of our suggestions. She decided not to paint her front door, and didn’t update the walkway, but her new exterior still looks stunning.
We love the house, and it was very well received by our neighbors. Our modern colonial home is much different than our neighbors; however, it has inspired many to up their game in curb appeal and move ahead with plans to update their own homes. We have people drive by daily to take photos and admire the house we are so proud of.
Board and batten siding transforms a traditional home
New board and batten siding painted with a modern, moody hue, plus some other smart design decisions totally transformed Carolyn’s home. A once-dated dwelling is now a cool, contemporary colonial that the owner is proud to call home.
Has Carolyn’s home renovation inspired you to refresh your exterior? Start your exterior design project today.
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