Remodel Your Craftsman Style Home Part II - Exterior Features

Part I of this series offers considerations for remodeling the interior of a craftsman style home. Part II examines some of the exterior features characteristic of the craftsman style and offers some ideas for preserving them if you would like your renovation to be in keeping with the home's original style. It should be noted that variations of the features covered here can also be consistent with the craftsman style, so every possible option is not covered here and not every feature discussed here will apply to every home.

The craftsman style is characterized by aesthetics that are in harmony with the natural environment surrounding the home. The notion of blending with nature should be considered when making renovation decisions regarding the exterior of a craftsman style home.

A wide, unenclosed front porch with overhanging eaves spanning the full or partial width of the home is a recognizable feature of the craftsman style. Porches are often framed by substantial columns, often square or tapered and extending all the way to the ground. Because these front porch features exemplify the craftsman style, preserving the porch on your home to its original look to the extent possible is a great way to preserve your home's craftsman style.

Visible brackets supporting the roof on the exterior of a home are exemplary of the craftsman style, as are exposed rafters, which were sometimes only installed for decorative purposes. Such touches should be preserved if possible to maintain the craftsman feel of a home. Some homeowners choose to add these details where they did not exist before to give their homes the classic craftsman look.

The windows of craftsman style homes are often grouped together in horizontal sets to allow sunlight to enter the home. Windows typically have noticeable frames and may be double-hung or fixed, with some homes adorned with a stained glass window. You may be faced with the decision to either refurbish existing windows, or to replace them with energy efficient new ones. When replacing windows, there is no one specific type that must be used in order to maintain the style of the home, though selecting windows with a similar look to those being replaced is a straightforward way to preserve the original look of the home. Some homeowners choose to install a stained glass window for added charm that is consistent with the craftsman style.

Like windows, the siding material used on your home does not have to be one specific type. Some common siding materials used on craftsman style homes are horizontal wood boards and wood shingles or shakes. Stucco and stone are also commonly used, with many homes having more than one of these surfaces on the exterior.

Because original craftsman homes were designed for simplicity, they are typically smaller than many homeowners prefer today. Adding additional square footage onto an older home has become a common renovation project. For projects involving an addition to a craftsman style home, care should be taken to make the addition blend as seamlessly as possible with the original home. Matching siding, roofing and windows without sacrificing craftsman features such as a front porch or sleeping porch will give the home a cohesive, craftsman style appearance.

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