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Selling Your Home

When I was a kid, my parents decided to sell the small brick home we lived in. Unfortunately, they didn’t receive any high offers for the house. Because I don’t ever want to experience the difficulties selling a house that my parents did, I’ve researched home improvements homeowners can make to add value to their properties before placing them on the market. A great remodeling project to undertake before selling a home is installing new windows. New windows can add value by improving both the appearance and energy efficiency of a home. On this blog, I hope you will discover the benefits of installing new windows in your home before attempting to sell it. Enjoy!

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Selling Your Home

Three Important Tips If You Plan To Dress Up Your Home With Urethane Exterior Trim

by Jesse Henderson

Ornamental millwork adds curb appeal and value to your home when you place it around exterior windows, eaves, and doors. You can install traditional painted or stained wooden millwork or use a modern synthetic product like urethane trim.

The key benefit of using urethane trim on your home instead of wood is the low-maintenance quality of the pieces. Urethane doesn't split or rot like wood does, and it won't warp after getting soaked with rain. Because the surface of urethane is impervious to water, the paint you use won't start peeling or chipping the way paint does on wood surfaces exposed to the outdoors.

If you decide to go with urethane millwork rather than wooden trim, follow a few guidelines:

Check out how others have trimmed similar homes

If you're not sure exactly which style of trim you prefer, take a ride around local neighborhoods and observe how other homeowners have used trim on their dwellings. Note the various styles of trim and how they work on homes that are similar to yours. Also study the various color combinations to determine which ones work for your tastes and your color of home siding.

If you're having your siding redone as well, ask your home siding contractor to show you samples of the various styles and color combinations available. They will have examples of trim and siding work they have done on structures to help you choose the best style for your home.

Read the fine print in historic districts and HOAs

If you live in an area subject to strict home styles, make sure you read all of the requirements for the look and color of your new trim before you paint or install any urethane pieces. You may be required to go with a more understated style than the one you prefer, but it's better to know all of the rules beforehand so you don't face the risk of having to remove all of your new trim.

If you use a professional to install your trim, chances are good that they will know the architectural design rules to follow in a historic district, but they may not know about all of the specific requirements for each and every HOA in the area. Research the regulations yourself and get approval in writing and signed by an official of your district or HOA before installing the urethane millwork.

Use care when installing yourself

Keep millwork in a cool, shady spot, since urethane expands and contracts as it gets hotter or cooler. You want pieces to remain a uniform size when you use the glue and fasteners necessary to install the trim.

If you plan to install urethane millwork yourself, understand that urethane trim may feel as tough as wood, but it isn't meant to hold up anything except itself. If you plan to place any decoration, planters, or other material over the urethane millwork, the material itself must be attached to your exterior wall structure.

Think of exterior millwork as an accent that brings out your home's grace and style. Even your garage door takes on a new life when surrounded by easy-care urethane trim. For more information, contact a professional in your area or visit a website like http://www.beisselwindows.com.

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