How do exterior accents affect fiber cement cost?
Replacing your old wood siding with prefinished fiber cement can cause your annual exterior maintenance to drop significantly so now you have a decision to make: should all that savings go to interior improvement projects or should a little be used to add a few exterior accents to your home? Sprucing up the exterior of your house can improve its curb appeal and when the time comes to sell, that can make a big difference in a difficult real estate market. Fortunately the many color and style choices available with fiber cement make it easy to blend other materials into your exterior elevation to improve the appearance of your home.
Accent materials that may not add much to your fiber cement cost
An exterior accent is often just a focal point created with a different material to break up the expanse of siding on your home. It can be small -- such as some brick veneer around your front entry -- or it can be expansive -- such as using faux stone on an entire front facade. In many cases the accent material may be more expensive than your siding, so it stands to reason that if it's installed on a large area, it may significantly increase your fiber cement cost. However, the nice thing about accents is that a few are often more attractive than a lot. A few accent materials to consider:
- Stone veneer -- Natural stone looks great anywhere, but around an entryway or garage doors it can make quite a statement. Stone veneer costs about $32 a square foot including labor.
- Faux brick panels -- Faux brick doesn't need support like conventional masonry. It can be used anywhere, and it's very DIY-friendly. Panels range from about $60 to $80 each and cover approximately 8 square feet.
- Fiber cement shingles -- These offer a different look, but allow you to stay in the fiber cement family. The materials cost about $8 a square foot and up, but you may have to purchase a minimum quantity.
These are approximate prices and may vary in your area, but if used just for accents, these materials shouldn't add much to your fiber cement cost.
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