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Top 12 Exterior Products of 2015
by Rachel Lyon, The House Designers' Assistant Editorial Director
Finally, the time has come for us to show off our favorite exterior products! Whether you're focused on increasing the curb appeal of your home or streamlining and simplifying the functional features of your exterior, this list has something that you'll love. Continue reading to learn all about beautiful and savvy products that will make you want to start upgrading now!
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1. A Simple yet Striking Modern Entry Accent
A number of functional and artistic features must be balanced to create a welcoming entry, and Therma-Tru® Doors expanded its decorative glass offerings in 2015 to include the perfect option for anybody searching for a crisp, modern design to accent their entryway. Axis™ decorative glass features a linear design created with narrow reed glass, a strip of clear bevels, and black nickel caming to complement contemporary sensibilities with clean style and a bit of edgy contrast. Available on Fiber-Classic®, Smooth-Star®, Profiles™, Traditions, and Pulse® doors, you can truly make Axis™ your own, whether you're dreaming of a transom, doorlites, and/or sidelites to dress up your entryway. The triple-pane construction reduces noise penetration, and it's ENERGY STAR® qualified, too!
Model: Therma-Tru® Doors Fiber-Classic® Mahogany Collection™ Entry Door with Axis™ Decorative Glass
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2. A Free Takeoff Service to Dress up Your Exterior
If you want architecturally accurate, cost-effective millwork to enhance your home, but you don't know where to start, Fypon® can help! Have your builder provide elevations and using specialized software, Fypon® will be able to deliver digitized takeoffs that make it easy to add synthetic millwork to your home. Experts review the plans and make recommendations for products that will look great and will really improve the quality of your design, usually within 72 hours. This polyurethane moulded millwork is tough and weather-resistant, so it is a great low-maintenance choice that will look beautiful for many years. With window and door trim, decorative millwork, porch posts, columns, and much more, you are sure to find everything your home needs!
Model: Fypon® Takeoff Service
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3. Windows That Balance Beauty and Efficiency
Pairing matchless strength with stunning looks, Integrity® from Marvin® Windows and Doors offers windows that have everything you could ask for. Made with Ultrex® pultruded fiberglass, Integrity windows outperform vinyl and vinyl/wood composites across the board, and they are also exceptionally energy efficient, so they are a great investment. Dual panes and Low E coating reduce window heat loss, lowering your energy bills and keeping you comfortable year-round. These windows are designed to allow winter sun inside while filtering out and reflecting summer sunlight, thereby lowering both your heating and cooling costs. Be sure to check out the different climate options, which are tailored to the ENERGY STAR® Climate Zone Map to provide the best solution based on your location.
Model: Integrity® from Marvin® Windows and Doors Wood-Ultrex Casement and Awning Windows
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4. A Stylish Garage Door That Increases Curb Appeal
The days of bland and limited garage door options are long gone, and now you can create a truly spectacular statement thanks to the wide array of styles from Clopay® Garage Doors. We especially like the Canyon Ridge® Collection Limited Edition Series, which combines carriage house doors with faux wood overlays to create a stunning look that can be customized to fit all sorts of exterior designs, from classic farmhouses to rustic craftsman homes. Get natural texture and intricate woodgrains without worrying about the upkeep of the natural product, and with an Intellicore® insulated steel base, great energy efficiency comes built-in, too! There are multiple door designs, window options, and hardware styles to consider, so you can make your garage doors your own.
Model: Clopay® Garage Doors Canyon Ridge® Collection Limited Edition Series
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5. Hardy Shake Roofing in Authentic Colors
If you want the appealing look of natural cedar shakes for your home, DaVinci Roofscapes has a great range of composite shake tiles that have achieved superb test ratings, offering you a more secure home without sacrificing style. With a Class A fire rating, 110 MPH wind resistance, and Class 4 impact resistance, these polymer roofing products maximize safety so your only concern is what color to choose to best suit your home! DaVinci Roofscapes provides a palette of different wood tones with natural color variance to create a realistic appearance. Alternatively, you can use their Color Designer to produce your own custom blend. No matter the case, DaVinci Roofscapes will deliver a roof that you'll love.
Model: DaVinci Roofscapes Multi-Width Shake Roof in Autumn
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6. A Bluetooth®-Enabled Smart Lock
Imagine being able to unlock your front door by asking it out loud. Now you can! With the Schlage Sense™ Smart Deadbolt, you can say goodbye to keys and open your front door using an access code on its illuminated touchscreen—perfect at night when finding the keyhole is a challenge—or by using your iPhone—for when your hands are full! The Bluetooth® wireless door lock technology only lets in the right people, because you assign codes and designate phones through the Schlage Sense™ app. It works with Apple HomeKit™ technology and responds to Siri®, so you can "talk to unlock" with ease. With no fees or subscriptions, total control of your front door begins and ends with you!
Model: Schlage® Schlage Sense™ Smart Deadbolt with Camelot Trim | $229.00 MSRP
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7. Rugged Cedar Siding Meant to Last
Trying to balance rugged, authentic beauty with practical concerns like cost and maintenance can be difficult when you simply love the look of a natural product. Now, you can rely on CertainTeed to provide the cedar siding you want without the drawbacks of the genuine article. Cedar Impressions® Shakes show off a TrueTexture™ finish that is molded from real cedar shingles, so you get the look you want with this virtually maintenance-free solution. Choose between straight-edge, staggered, half-round, and rough-split varieties to imbue just the right amount of rustic charm in your home. And with over 30 color options, you will find the perfect style and hue combination for your exterior design.
Model: CertainTeed Cedar Impressions® Northwoods® Single 7" Straight Edge Rough-Split Shakes
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8. A Power Backup Plan
When inclement conditions take down power lines, you'll want a generator that will supply your home with electricity during the outage. Most people don't know what kind to get, though. Now homeowners and contractors have a user- and mobile-friendly tool that will take the guesswork out of the decision-making process. The home generator sizing calculator from Eaton® allows you to input variables like house size and the appliances that you need to run so it can suggest the right generator for your situation. The calculator also gives you the option to connect with an Eaton Certified Installer, so you can be well on your way to getting your generator in just a few minutes!
Model: Eaton Generators Home Generator Sizing Calculator
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9. A Magnificent Outdoor Fireplace
Combine the feel of a campfire with the appeal of a fireplace and you'll get a great new outdoor experience. Outdoor fireplaces give you the chance to think of your outdoor living space as a year-round extension of your home rather than a seasonal one. Whether you prefer wood-burning or gas, Heat & Glo® has some great fireplaces that will find themselves right at home on your patio. And while there are plenty of natural, rustic-looking options that add old-time charm, we are especially excited by the more modern models that mean that contemporary homes can experience the best of outdoor fireplaces without deviating from their design scheme.
Model: Heat & Glo® Palazzo Gas Fireplace | Starting at $4,999.00
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10. A Smart Water Tap Solution
If you think your outdoor faucets could be more user-friendly, you're right! With the Aquor House Hydrant, you no longer need to thread hoses and worry about wasting water through leaks. Installation is simple, and then you can connect a garden hose almost instantly—it simply attaches like an outlet, and the water stops flowing automatically when it is disconnected. And for those who live where freezing is a concern, the Aquor House Hydrant offers additional peace of mind, because the system stops water deep inside the house where it is still insulated. With such precise control over your water usage, you'll save money while helping to preserve our precious natural resources.
Model: Aquor Water Systems House Hydrant Kit | $49.99 MSRP
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11. A Time- and Money-Saving Building Option
Most houses are built using the stick framing method, but panelized construction is just as viable a method that can save you time and money! Fabrik-International can pre-build your home in pieces and then ship the components anywhere in the world. The parts are numbered for easy assembly on-site, which can be done by local crews, and the entire process is fast, minimizes waste, and limits the frame's exposure to the elements. Getting started is just as quick and easy—send Fabrik-International a set of your house plans and they will prepare a quote for you within 48 hours. With projects already completed in Canada, the United States, France, and Ireland, people across the world have taken advantage of this amazing service.
Model: Fabrik-International Panelized Homes
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12. Automated, Retractable Screens
Blur the line between your indoor and outdoor living spaces with remote-controlled screens that are there when you need them and disappear when you don't! Phantom® Screens can be installed on windows, doors, and porches and patios. These screens match your home's architecture—they can recess right into it!—and won't clash with your décor, so you have total design freedom to install them where you need them. Block out bugs and filter the sun to create a comfortable environment to enjoy. Phantom® Screens can provide sun and wind sensors to control the screens when you're out of the house, and they can even be integrated with your home automation system for even more convenience!
Model: Phantom® Screens Retractable Screens for Porches and Patios
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