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Ready to Make a Change to Your Outdoor Space?

You’re not alone. Interior and exterior home renovation have seen a significant increase in spending in recent years.

According to Statista, remodeling spending has steadily gone up from 2015 to 2019 as homeowners seek to improve their aesthetic experience at home. 

Homeowners are embracing the idea of making their house a home by adding personal touches to their space. In the past, homeowners tended towards single-room renovations such as a bathroom, kitchen, or bedroom. Now, trends point towards an increase in outdoor remodeling. According to HomeAdvisors’ True Cost Report, six of the ten most-requested improvements were exterior home renovations. 

While starting a home improvement is exciting, it can also be stressful if you have to oversee multiple moving parts. When you choose Darlington Designs, we take all the headache out of your project through our one-stop shop approach to exterior home remodeling. From conception and design to execution and build, we handle every aspect of your project (as well as any subcontractors involved). 

At Darlington Designs, we take pride in our commitment to transparent communication and client education. Here are our top tips for homeowners that are just starting this process:

Tip One: Have a Plan

Your new outdoor space begins with an idea. Now, think about what that idea might look like when it’s complete. What style do you aspire to emulate? What is most important to you when you imagine the final product? What features are a must?

As you start asking yourself these questions, you can find inspiration by looking at photos and galleries online. You can look through digital magazines as well as the Darlington Designs collection of previous works. Once you are able to describe what you’re looking for, we can work with you to develop that vision into a full-blown plan.

Tip Two: Set a Budget

Your budget will establish parameters for the scope of your project, including the materials used and the extent of services. Our experienced design experts can help you create a plan that will meet your goals while remaining within budget. 

One of the steps in our design consultation is to outline a project budget. We’ll continue to update this figure to ensure you have a clear idea of your investment at every step. A transparent project budget allows us to better tailor your options for design features and building materials.

Tip Three: Prepare the Home and Make Arrangements

Depending on the type of exterior home renovation you’re planning, you may need to make allowances for the access needs of the construction crew. 

If you’re repaving your driveway, the cars will have to be parked on the street and you won’t be able to walk on your driveway for several days. But, if you’re building an outdoor pool, you should expect several months of extensive staging, which requires the use of larger areas of the property. 

To minimize inconvenience to you, we’ll tell you about any special access needs ahead of time. You will receive detailed information about the project timeline and how to contact your Project Coordinator in the case of a contingency (inclement weather, scheduling changes, etc).

Tip Four: Consider Renovations with the Best Return on Investment (ROI)

We understand that some renovations are necessities (damage or repairs), while others are chosen purely for recreational purposes. If you’re seeking a renovation to optimize your outdoor experience, then it’s smart to consider the options that will add the most value to your property.

According to FortuneBuilders, exterior home renovation projects with a high ROI include:

• • Exterior Paint
  • New Siding
  • Outdoor Kitchen
  • Outdoor Patio
  • Fire Pits
  • Garage Door Replacement

Tip Five: Landscaping Is One of the Most Valuable and Cost-Effective Exterior Home Renovations

Well-maintained landscaping can increase your home’s value up to 10%, according to HGTV. Whether you’re looking for something simple, like shaping overgrown shrubs, or something more involved like adding raised flower beds, landscaping will bring new charm to your outdoor space. 

At Darlington Designs, we offer a wide range of landscaping services such as outdoor lighting, gardening, pool/pond construction, and more!

Tip Six: Consider the Weather and Seasons

Depending on the type of exterior home remodel you need, the seasons may play a large role in determining when you should start the project. The type, length, and complexity of the project will also play a role in deciding the timing of construction. 

For example, if you’re building a pool, it would make sense to time its completion with the beginning of summer so you can make the most of your new purchase. If you have an exterior home remodeling plan that involves multiple phases, we can create a project timeline that will avoid any major occasions to minimize disturbance to your life.

Tip Seven: Get Involved and Ask Questions!

It’s important to communicate your vision effectively in order to get the result you want. To ensure that the final product is what you’re imagining, you should feel free to ask as many questions as you want. A top-notch company will listen carefully to you and ask for your feedback at each stage of design development.

Unlike many other companies, Darlington Designs provides clients with a preliminary budget to ensure full transparency. We create a design engagement to initiate a process in which you have multiple opportunities to offer feedback on the design, project scope, and pricing. This process allows us to more closely match our clients’ needs with appropriate solutions, without going over budget. 

During our 15 years of working in the industry, we have yet to come across another company that gives this level of attention and dedication to the design phase. We do it because we’ve found it’s the best way to bring our clients’ dream to life!

Darlington Designs Is Ready to Get Started On Your Exterior Home Renovation

Are you? 

Contact us today at info@darlington-designs.com or call us at 856-442-0440. We proudly serve the southern New Jersey and the Greater Philadelphia region. 

Also, feel free to contact us via our project forms on our site. The project forms can be found at the bottom of our Outdoor Living and Construction pages.