Municipalities Demand Better-Looking Neighborhoods
for Increased Home Values
by Earl Rivard
Municipalities nationwide are enacting ordinances requiring the use of "curb appeal" techniques to beautify neighborhoods to increase home values. Major contributors to curb appeal, especially in budding neotraditional-style developments, are carriage house garage doors, as well as decorative rocks, shutters, and wrought iron. "Architects are designing more and more communities in the pre-World War neotraditional style using nostalgic elements creating strong curb appeal. The character of a carriage house door fits the style of these communities," said David Gibson, President of Collaborative Group Architects Inc. Gibson serves on the City of Gilbert, AZ design review board, and helped design Verrado, a unique "home-town" community nestled in the foothills of the White Tank Mountains in Buckeye, AZ., recognized for its use of timeless town-building principles. Since contemporary garage doors are the largest moving part in a home and the broadest piece of curb appeal on display, often taking up 30 percent to 40 percent of the front elevation of a home. More municipalities are demanding housing characteristics which downplay the garage door's large horizontal mass. Garage doors often incorporate carriage house motifs that greatly enhance the architectural character of the home and the neighborhood. The latest garage doors offer increased style and function that can enhance the aesthetics of any home, detailed to blend into the aesthetics of the home's design. Their architectural frame occupies a major portion of the front landscape and has a major impact on the street perception of the home. And they are safer to use than ever before. Homeowners and builders alike are expressing increased interest in carriage-style garage doors, reminiscent of the wooden doors on old-fashioned carriage houses, they create car stopping, jaw dropping, curb appeal and are designed to fool the eye and mimic old-style sliding or swing-up doors. They are also a cost-effective way for builders to meet the demands of the municipalities. By adding a steel carriage door, builders can avoid more costly options. These options include: changing the elevation of the home with expensive brick or other treatments, designing homes with a side-entry garage requiring greatly expanded lot widths, or designing the garage entry into the back of the home which lengthens the driveway and can diminish curb appeal. Steven Berry, Manager of Residential Design for the Verrado development, said, "To help create the authentic architectural styles for our homes, we require the use of steel relief-panel and carriage garage doors, which complement the elevation styles required at Verrado. To look like a wood door with authentic patterning and wood grain texture, the door's total design in terms of panels, relief, shade and shadow must be believable and credible. Like great front-yard landscaping, good carriage door designs enrich the appearance of the home and generate tremendous value. If all homes on the block have them, then the entire street and neighborhood becomes more valuable." Today's carriage house garage doors may look attractively old-fashioned, but they open overhead like any other modern sectional garage door and are often made entirely of steel insuring durability and low maintenance. Homeowners are driving the curb appeal trend by actively expressing dissatisfaction with living in homes that do not reflect their personalities. With the same front elevations, same tile roofs, same color schemes, and same garage doors, neighborhoods can look plain and uninteresting. Add a few touches of curb appeal -- with decorative rock, shutters, wrought iron, water features, or an expanse of unique carriage house garage door -- and neighborhoods grow beautifully in character and value. Company Name: 1st United Door Technologies
Website: http://www.firstudt.com
Author: Earl Rivard
E-Mail: marketing@firstudt.com
Address: 7255 S. Kyrene Road
City: Tempe
State: AZ
Zip: 85283
| 
