10 House Skirting Ideas
By: Ami
House skirting may not be the most talked about exterior design element, but it is important! A home’s entire color palette could be based on the choice of house skirting. Multi-colored stone, wood paneling, corrugated metal, and lots of different colored brick are all options. Keep reading to learn from our application ideas, unique material choices, and color pairing recommendations.
Have you wondered if your home could use updated house skirting? Our expert designers at brick&batten are here to help guide design decisions like this! Learn about our virtual design services.
Our designers only use and recommend products that we know, love, or would use on our own properties. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission, at no cost to you.
What is house skirting?
House skirting is the cladding installed on the exterior walls that sit beneath the interior floor. Height can vary based on the slope of your property and/or if your home is raised off the ground.
House skirting isn’t just decorative. It can also help to retain heat in the winter to keep pipes from freezing, deter animals from moving in, and add structural integrity. So it looks good and it’s functional — the best of both worlds.
#1 // Multi-Toned Stone
The home above is elevated and needed house skirting between the ground and bottom of the first floor. With such a tall and wide section of skirting needed, consideration for curb appeal is a must. The original stone and concrete dated the home and didn’t feel welcoming. Using a lighter cultured stone brightened the exterior and provided excellent color options to pull from for paint. The multi-toned cultured stone has creamy whites and different shades of gray in it. Pulling from those hues, a fresh coat of Origami White by Sherwin Williams was applied on the brick and siding and Blacktop by Benjamin Moore on the eaves. A lot of black or gray isn’t needed when the roof is already black. Painting the façade one color eliminates distracting mismatched textures and allows the stone to anchor the home.
#2 // Creating a Grander Feel
Does this home seem bigger or taller to you? The before photo shows dark brick without skirting, a closed-in entrance, narrower stairs, and no cupolas. The addition of the cupolas makes the home feel taller, as does the fresh house skirting. The latter creates the illusion that the house is sitting on top of a beautiful platform. Painting the brick white in Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore also lifts the home and makes the façade appear larger.
#3 // Visual Separation
Beautiful brown and gray brick on the garage juxtaposed with the slate blue on the home’s siding is a gorgeous color palette. The brick is continued from the skirting on the right side of the home and onto the garage wall. The brick on the garage helps to separate it from the main living area of the home, adding depth and dimension without overpowering the home’s other design elements. This seamless, layered feel is the design flow our designers aim for with every rendering we create for our clients!
#4 // Simple with Contrast
Simple changes with a big impact on this small home! The house skirting wasn’t covered with stone or brick. Instead it was simply painted in Marshmallow by Sherwin Williams. Paint is a budget-friendly and easy solution to updating your house skirting and creating beautiful contrast.
#5 // Highlighting a Patio
The first thing we notice in this before and after is how much more of the house is visible. The removal of the bushes in the landscaping allowed for brick&batten’s designers to add statement-making design elements — like the house skirting. Notice how the stone stretches across the entire back of the home. The stone on the narrow section on the right, to the wall of the screened porch, to the wall of the home inside the screened porch provides texture and dimension. Plus, the colors in the stone blend in a lovely way with the siding, which is rendered in Rockport Gray by Benjamin Moore. It’s a monochrome-leaning color scheme, with wood for warmth and dark accents for contrast.
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.
#6 // Corrugated Metal
Mid-century modern to 21st century modern. We love the brown metal house skirting on this home and how it transitioned into a gorgeous accent wall! The color chosen brings out the warmth found in Sherwin Williams’ Origami White. Corrugated metal is a unique choice and not nearly as common as stone or brick. It comes in many colors and widths to customize according to preferences. Keep in mind that it’s important to use a product that is rust-resistant to ensure lasting quality for years to come.
#7 // Adding Dimension
For homes that don’t have a lot of architectural angles or lines, house skirting is a great way to add depth and dimension. The before photo above shows a flat rectangular façade. A light beige limestone along the bottom portion of the home — extending up beyond the classic skirting covering to clad almost half of the main level — adds much needed texture to the stucco. It also gives the home some shape and offers contrast against the stucco’s new paint color, Chantilly Lace by Benjamin Moore. We like how the color of the stone ties in with the pea gravel in the landscaping, creating a cohesive look throughout.
#8 // Don’t Forget the Sides
Homeowners tend to overlook the sides of their home. After all, most of our focus is on the front for curb appeal and the back for outdoor living and entertainment. The rendering above shows that even the side of a property can benefit from house skirting. The creamy and gray hues of the stone skirting perfectly complement Grant Beige by Benjamin Moore, the accent paint color on the porch columns, fascia, eaves, and soffits. We love the earthy color scheme our designers created with wood and patina bronze accents.
#9 // Pretty and Sophisticated
A beautiful farmhouse re-imagined with a modern take on the traditional home style. The house skirting in this design is all about contrasting with the blue siding and complementing Greek Villa by Sherwin Williams on the trim and garage door. The house skirting pulls the gray from the blue and the cream from the white, all while grounding the home and providing visual interest.
#10 // Long Lines
Ranch style homes are known for their sprawling floor profiles and long façades. Incorporating house skirting on this style of home helps guide the eye from the garage all the way to the entrance. Our favorite part of this design is that the stone skirting extends all the way up to the bottom of the picture windows.
Our Thoughts on House Skirting
House skirting is a wonderful way to add visual interest, texture, dimension, and curb appeal to your home. It’s straightforward to apply, it’s a non-structural change, and it’s easy to customize according to your wants and needs. Overall, house skirting is a great addition to many homes and can get you one step closer to achieving the exterior design of your dreams.
Are you curious to see how your home would look with house skirting? Or how it should fit into your overall exterior upgrade? Our designers can help you visualize this awesome design element on your home. It’s as easy as submitting photos and answering a few questions. Get started today!
Subscribe for more content like this!