Exclusive Research: The First Impression

Builders are adding more choices to their exterior options portfolios with fiber-cement siding and composites gaining traction as an upsell opportunity with homebuyers.

Many Professional Builder readers and members of Builder Partnerships, in Littleton, Colo., noted that they’ve changed designs and raised the budget to build houses with combinations of exterior cladding materials—usually fiber cement, brick, stone veneer, and stone—in the pursuit of more detail and curb appeal. Fiber-cement siding was most popular with builders and architects in the Midwest, South Atlantic, and West South Central regions.

Great design and curb appeal were cited by two-thirds of builders and architects surveyed as the most important concern for their clients, followed by low maintenance, and energy efficiency as the distant third benefit. More findings from the 2017 Curb Appeal Survey are in the charts that follow.