Need inspiration for the Exterior & Garage Door of Your Farmhouse Home Project? Here are Shoana Jensen’s 3 Must-Haves

TV personality Shoana Jensen chose both charming and magnificent carriage garage doors with real overlays for her vineyard house make-over and they made a real difference in the whole concept.

Shoana Jensen is a well-known Canadian lifestyle and home improvement personality. Her last challenge? Converting a worn-out 70’s house into a superb wine country farmhouse. Farmhouse and Modern Farmhouse styles are still really in vogue. And they will be for decades as they are Classic Beauties that defy time. That’s why Garaga was thrilled to learn that Shoana carefully hand-picked its garage doors in the Princeton P-21 Design , Ice White colour, with Panoramic 8-lite windows. “ I didn’t even know garage doors could be so pretty!”, said Shoana in her special garage door video.

You just loooooooooooove the American Farmhouse or the Modern Farmhouse styles? Keep on reading!

Modern Farmhouse 2-storey house with 2 Carriage House garage doors with real overlays - Design Credit: Shoana Jensen | Photo Credit: Arthur Mola

Shoana decided to go all tone on tone with whites, for her exterior colour scheme – siding, roof, and steel Carriage House garage doors with X overlays. It’s fresh, it’s crip and it looks like a majestic diamond in a green box thanks to the vineyard in the background. Design Credit: Shoana Jensen | Photo Credit: Arthur Mola

How to make your modern farmhouse exterior the most gorgeous thing of the neighbourhood? The building materials you choose will change everything. Get inspired by Shoana’s 3 must-haves.

#1 > Choose Wide Vertical Vinyl Sidings

Board & batten siding is a must to get that Farmhouse feeling you are looking for. It offers a distinctive, trending vertical profile that will increase your home’s curb appeal. Unless you have a really tiny home with a reeeeally tiny façade, where it could not look as if it’s not proportional. Otherwise, whether it is for an American Farmhouse, a Modern Farmhouse or even a very Modern house, vertical vinyl siding is a bit more expensive than horizontal, but it’s an investment that pays off.

This plan from Architectural Designs proves that wide vertical vinyl siding can also look great on bungalows.

This plan from Architectural Designs proves that wide vertical sidings can be beautiful on bungalows too.

6 Pros of Vertical Vinyl Siding:

1. Super realistic wood look without its drawbacks

2. Lasts decades

3. Never need to be sanded and repainted

4. Resistant to harsh Canadian weather (rain, snow, ice, and sun)

5. Easy to clean

6. Eco-friendly and money-saving choice for a renovation project! You don’t have to remove the previous material, strap it with 1x4 boards and add the siding over top. Quicker for your installers. No waste removal charges. No construction waste.

In this Farmhouse inspiration by Royal Building Products, the designer used white, green and two shades of gray.

In this American Farmhouse inspiration by Royal Building Products, the designer went with withe, green, and 2 tones of grays,

Why You Could Consider Board & Batten from Royal Building Products ?

  • Distinctive, trendy vertical profile
  • 29 UV-resistant colours
  • Beautiful low-gloss woodgrain captures the look of natural wood
  • Deep profile provides exceptional shadow lines
  • Designed to withstand hurricane-force winds up to 273 kph
  • Won’t warp, buckle or sag
  • Manufactured from recycled materials
  • Made in Canada!
  • Plus they have colour matching Shake & Shingles

White and black house with Modern Farmhouse architecture and double black garage door with windows. Picture by Planimage.

Love the Modern Farmhouse style but not sure about the all-white scheme? Black and white exteriors are also very pleasing to the eye as well as never out of style colours. Black roof, windows, entry door and garage doors combined with white vertical siding are winners too. Add wooden insertions such as columns at the entrance, arches, and beams for more warmth.

Modern farmhouse style house plan, Planimage #22001

#2 > Consider Metal Roofing

Metal roofs are truly gorgeous, but they are more expensive than traditional asphalt shingles. In fact, around twice the price. But if you have the budget, you should seriously think about choosing one.

2-story farmhouse in blue with orange door and silver metal roof - Builderonline photo.

Of course, a black and white scheme and an all-white scheme are the most popular looks for Modern Farmhouse. But you could dare to do something different too, as you can see in this picture found on Builderonline .

List of the Top 3 Reasons Why You Could Choose Metal Roofing

1. Good to go for the next 50+ years!

Maybe asphalt shingles cost half the price, BUT they also last around 15 years. So, if you count a bit, it means you would have to do your asphalt shingles 3 times within the lifespan of a metal roof.

In fact, most metal roofing products have a minimum warranty of 50 years. But under favourable weather conditions, a metal roof might not need to be changed before an impressive 100 years. So, while you may invest twice at the beginning, you’ll end up saving money in the long run.

You don’t think you will live in this house for the next 50 years? No worries. Metal roofing has a far better return on investment than asphalt shingles while also having a positive impact on your house’s curb appeal.
 

2. Awesome Eco-Friendly Products

Metal is 100% recyclable . And you can make a little money too. When you bring your metal roofing – and as matter of fact any other metal scrap – to a specialized company, you’ll reduce your environmental impact since metals can be continuously recycled without degrading their properties.

On another hand, asphalt shingles are 0% recyclable. So, in 15 years, when you redo your roofing, it means they’re going to end up in the landfills. Same thing in 30 years. Same again in 45 years.

3. Incredibly Energy-Efficient Products

Thanks to their reflective properties, metal roofs really are a great choice for saving energy. They also perform better in harsh weather. In winter, the snow easily slides off metal roofing. When there are heavy rains, it acts as waterslide which helps you avoid a leaky roof. In the hottest summer days, metal roofs reflect up to 40% of the sun’s heat. So, it easier to keep your house cooler. You will also save on your power bills while reducing your environmental footprint . A win-win situation.

The backside of Shoana Jensen house.

This picture of the back side of Shoana’s house shows how beautiful metal roofs look, no matter their slope. Credit: Shoana Jensen | Photo Credit: Arthur Mola

Why You Could Look Closely at Metal Roof Options from Vicwest ?

  • Shoana chose the SuperVic , exposed fastener cladding, as it perfectly reproduces the “barn look” she was going for. She picked Regent Grey for the colour, instead of trying to match the white of the siding. Brilliant! Otherwise, the results would have been a little drab.
  • 38 colours
  • Added coatings to protect the roof from rust or colour fading
  • Complementary trims are colour matched to provide a completely integrated, weather-tight system.
  • You could also choose metal tiles imitating traditional shake tiles without their drawbacks. Cedar Creek Shake, Costal Wave, and North Ridge Slate are truly beautiful solutions .
  • Made in Canada!

#3 > Go for Carriage House Garage Doors with Real Overlays

Did you know that when chosen in a good-quality range, your garage doors can last more than 25 years? Since they cover up to 40% of your Modern Farmhouse’s façade, choosing a garage door design that increases this feeling of a “deluxe barn” is really a must. What’s more, it’s the smallest investment of the 3 essentials in this blog.

What is the Difference Between Steel Garage Doors with Real Overlays and Other Steel Garage Doors?

Single garage door in Shaker-Flat XL design, Ice White color with windows.

As you can see in this picture of the Shaker-Flat XL design , traditional steel garage door models have their design embossed in the exterior steel sheet. Although it is a very flattering design for American Farmhouse and Modern Farmhouse styles, you could choose an even more flattering garage door.

For an even better trompe-l’oeil effect, look for steel garage doors with PVC overlays added on the steel panels, like the garage doors from the Townships Collection , as Shoana did.

Garage doors with X overlays, which add a more country touch, as do V and A overlays.

Shoana chose garage doors with X overlays that add a more rustic flair, as V and A overlays do too. But there are also I overlays, which are available 1, 2 or 3 vertical overlays, and rectangle overlays, that are perfect for a more modern touch. They say little details make a big difference. That’s why we love the decorative hardware Shoana added on her garage doors. Credit: Shoana Jensen | Photo Credit: Arthur Mola

These type of garage doors are the quintessence of the swinging doors of yesteryear without the drawbacks and the maintenance that go hand in hand with a wood garage door. That’s why they are the ideal garage door models for Modern Farmhouse homes.

Modern 2-storey farmhouse with 2 single garage doors in Princeton P-12 design with Iron Ore Walnut color panels and Black overlays.

Many homeowners go all-Black or all-White for their garage doors colours. There are also deep Browns and soft Beiges if you prefer those earthy colours. But one thing you could do is to jazz things up by choosing a colour for your steel panels and another one for your overlays. Like this couple, who dared to be different and chose the Princeton P-12 design with Iron Ore Walnut doors and Black overlays.

What about insulation?

Embossed design or steel garage doors with real overlays, whichever you decide, is going to look good. Looks are important for curb appeal, everybody knows that.

But another thing is FOR SURE, don’t bargain on the quality of the construction of your garage door and its insulation. Otherwise, you will pay for it – and we mean literally – on your power bills for the next 25 years.

Modern farmhouses and American farmhouses have attached garage. So having poorly insulated garage doors is like having no insulation on the 4th wall of your garage.

Make sure the garage door you choose has a high enough R-Value (at least R-16). Getting this kind of R-Value is only possible with garage doors that are insulated with polyurethane foam. This insulation is the most effective of the insulating materials on the market for the space allowed. It is not a well-known product, yet it does wonders in insulating and weatherproofing Canadian homes from harsh winters. It is twice as effective as polystyrene insulation (commonly called Styrofoam). Polyurethane is also an air barrier as well as a vapor barrier.

A graphic of the different weatherstripping parts on a well-insulated garage door.

When you shop for your new garage doors, ask the salespeople to tell you more about the weatherstripping. Not just the bottom weather seal, but the perimeter seal and the intersection seals and moldings, as they act as a shield from air infiltration .

After all, eco-friendly choices also mean energy-efficient choices. When it’s good for the planet and good for our wallet, it’s a no brainer.

Watch this segment on Cityline TV , and let Shoana Jensen walk you through the purchasing of garage doors which average people only do once or twice in their lifetime. You can also read her best advice on her blog.

Construction or Renovation? What is More “You”?

According to Forbes, renovating your home is almost always less expensive than building a new one. But other factors are not to be neglected. Are you buying a home that needs to go through intensive renovation? Are they aesthetical or crucial simply to keep the house afloat? Like does the roofing need to be done now to stop rain infiltration? Are you a handy person? Remember that roughly half the expense of building or renovating is labour. Can you or your family do some of it? Will you have time? Whatever you decide, make sure you are realistic about your project, your budget, your talents, your ability to handle stress and anxiety, and the time you really do have.

Before and after picture of 70'ies outdated house turn into a beautiful two-storey house, with two single Princeton P-21 garage doors

What an amazing Before and After renovation project! Shoana’s home is the envy of us all! And the incredible location with vineyards made it even more worth the time and effort. Credit: Shoana Jensen | Photo Credit: Arthur Mola

Sooo many questions you have to discuss with your partner and to be honest with yourself and your life! But it will be so fulfilling once you step inside your new home. Whether it is a renovation or a construction won't really matter. Home is where the heart is!

Like the Modern Farmhouse and American Farmhouse exterior designs but not sure it is your style?

A Transitional style house plan created by Anne Paquet Design/CRÉA Architecture Design, here paired with Garaga’s Flush design garage doors in Black.

A Transitional style house plan created by CRÉA Architecture Design, here paired with Flush design garage doors in Black.

Read this blog about the Top Trends in Home Exteriors and the perfect garage doors to go with each of them.

Maybe the Transitional Style or the Scandinavian Styl e would better suit you for a dream house exterior you will love decades.

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