Best 10 Exterior Home Products for 2012
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By Christine Cooney, The House Designers Staff Writer Protecting and dressing up your home's exterior has gotten a lot easier and more affordable thanks to new technology in home building products. Years ago homeowners and builders were limited to selecting wooden exterior products which required plenty of maintenance and had a relatively short life span. Now you can choose from a wide range of innovative, stylish and affordable exterior products made of synthetic materials that are made to last. This year our editors and writers uncovered 10 great exterior home products that are all designed for low maintenance and lasting beauty at a surprisingly affordable price from big names like Therma-Tru®, Fypon®, Owens Corning®, PlyGem® and Integrity Windows®. After you've previewed our favorite home building products, we'd love for you to vote for your favorite products on our Facebook page. Everyone that votes will be entered to win a $250 gift card. From now until December 29th you can enter each week to vote for your favorite kitchen, bath, interior and exterior products. Next week we'll showcase our favorite interior home products from 2012. |
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1 - Therma-Tru® Fiber-Classic® Mahogany The ENERGY STAR® qualified Fiber-Classic® Mahogany Collection™ 3-Panel Style Door is the newest addition to this popular entry door collection. It features rich, premium hardwood graining, 17 different decorative glass options, four privacy options and clear Low-E glass. A great feature of this new door is that you can combine it with a Smooth-Star® panel which is perfect for painting. For added protection these doors are available in fire and impact-rated versions. Model: View the entire Fiber-Classic Mahogany Collection™ |
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2 - Fypon® Column & Column Wrap Kits If you'd like to add columns to your new home design without breaking your budget, you'll want to check out Fypon's® assortment of decorative structural columns and fast-installation column wraps. Their structural columns have steel-reinforced interiors and high-density urethane exteriors that can sustain up to 12,000 pounds of weight. You can choose from plain panel, fluted, serpentine and flat styles to complement your home's architectural style. We were really impressed with the demonstration at IBS that showed how easy (it took less than 15 minutes) it was to cover unattractive columns with Fypon's® two-piece Semi-Assembled Decorative Column Wrap Kits. You can also use these kits on interior columns. |
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3 - Simonton Windows® If you live in a coastal area then you'll want to check out Simonton StormBreaker Plus® vinyl windows because these windows offer incredible protection against high winds and storms. Because they are made of vinyl they will not peel or crack, are unaffected by saltwater, and will shrug off impacts by flying debris. The vinyl construction offers excellent thermal efficiency and years of lasting beauty with easy maintenance. Model: StormBreaker Plus® 300VL windows |
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4 - DaVinci Roofscapes® Fancy Shake If you're looking for the natural, rustic beauty of real cedar shingles without the maintenance, check out DaVinci Roofscapes® Fancy Shake polymer roofing tiles because these new shingles look just like the real thing. They're available in a full spectrum of authentic cedar EcoBlend™ colors to help reduce heating and cooling costs by up to 15%. They recently earned the ENERGY STAR® rating for exceeding the requirements to reflect sunlight and heat away from the home. We really like the fact that you can work with one of their project specialists to create custom colors and blends. |
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5 - Fypon® Trellis Systems If you're looking for a unique, affordable and low-maintenance solution to accent a garage door, side entry or shed check out Fypon's® new PVC Trellis System. Available in two sizes to accommodate a single or double-car garage, it comes as a complete kit with outlookers (which support the overhang) reinforced with PVC for durability, attractive beams, lattice and hardware, which can be painted. Like most Fypon® products they are designed for easy do-it-yourself installation. Model: Fypon® Trellis Kits | MSRP: $1780 - $2,580 |
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6 - Cultured Stone® Country Ledgestone Cultured Stone® Country Ledgestone by Boral® now has 13 colors in its popular stone veneer collection. What we love about this product is that it not only offers beautiful textures and colors, but they are easy to work with and very affordable. Because their surface looks so authentic, you can blend many different textures together to achieve a unique style that blends with your roof and siding. Model: Cultured Stone® Aspen Country Ledgestone |
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7 - Integrity® Double-Hung Windows Integrity® Wood-Ultrex® windows combine an authentic wood pine interior with a virtually indestructible fiberglass exterior making them the perfect choice for new construction. One of our favorite features about the double-hung windows is that the top and bottom sashes tilt and remove easily for hassle-free cleaning. They now are available in custom sizes. Model: Integrity® Double Hung Wood Ultrex® |
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8 - Mastic Structure® Home Insulation System Mastic Structure® Home Insulation System from Mastic Home Exteriors® by Ply Gem® is premium insulated siding that wraps your home in comfort and style. This new certified green insulated siding system improves energy-efficiency, reduces outside noise and makes your home more comfortable year-round. There are plenty of colors to choose from as well as corner and trim options to complement any architectural style and design. Additional designer accents include shutters, gable vents and door surrounds. Model: Mastic Structure® Home Insulation System Structure Double 6" |
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9 - Therma-Tru® Classic-Craft® Sidelites Therma-Tru® has introduced new 12" and 14" craftsman sidelites with nine different glass options to complement craftsman-style home entryways. These sidelites are available in the Classic-Craft® American Style Collection™ and Classic-Craft® Canvas Collection™. The durable fiberglass sidelites feature handcrafted embossments, rich panel details and architecturally correct stiles and rails. Model: Classic-Craft American Style™ Sidelites |
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10 - GAF Roof Thanks to modern reflective technology you can join the green revolution with GAF® Timberline® Cool Series Shingles. Their highly reflective shingles use specially designed roofing granules to reduce temperatures in your attic, so your home will stay cooler in the summer to help reduce air conditioning costs. Not only that, Timberline® Cool Series shingles are made with their patented StainGuard® algae protection to assure the beauty of your roof against unsightly blue-green algae! Model: GAF Timberline Cool Series Weathered Wood |
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