Spotlight on Soffits

Rethinking curb appeal with a spotlight on soffits. 

Cardiff with A side of Ranch by Surfside Projects, photo by Tomoko Matsubayashi

Want to upgrade your home’s curb appeal but don’t have time or budget for a full facelift? Don’t underestimate the power of a striking new soffit. A beautifully re-clad overhang can create a lot of visual impact with minimal impact to your wallet. It’s also a great weekend job that doesn’t come with all the inconveniences of other major home reno projects. 

And if you want to add value to your home, think wood. Replacing manmade materials such as vinyl with natural materials such as Real Cedar will increase the resale value of your home. As one of nature’s most versatile building materials, there are a lot of ways you can strategically use cedar on your soffits.  

Here’s a few ways to create a dynamic look for your exterior entryway.

Photo: Sama Jim Canzian

Contrast Stains & Finishes  

The beautiful Bluebonnet by Shelter Residential Design is a great example of how to create a dramatic exterior by using contrasting finishes. We love how the clear stained cedar siding and soffit draw the eye toward the cedar-clad main entry, which is stained black so that it blends in with the landscape. 

This striking color interplay was easy to achieve. That’s because Western Red Cedar is pitch and resin free. As such, it accepts and holds a wide range of finishes beautifully. 

In addition to color interplay, lead architect Mark Simone specified different grades of cedar to create even more texture and visual interest.

“We used KD Select Knotty and mixed grain clear with a shiplap profile throughout,” he says. “Knotty cedar was suitable for the vertically oriented boards which were stained black.  We liked the variation and warmth of the clear mixed grain for the clear coated horizontal boards and soffits.”

See how to choose the right finish for your project. 

Photo courtesy of Todd Davis Architecture

Create Texture with Knotty Cedar

A great way to warm up the clean lines of an ultra-modern homes is via soffit like architect Todd Davis did here with his Shotwell Residence project. He transformed a defunct, San Fran jam space into an urban oasis. How? By strategically incorporating the structure’s brutalist forms and materials with naturally beautiful Real Cedar. 

Specifically, he used a visually compelling knotty grade of cedar to complement the mass volumes of the home. The cedar soffit, in particular, plays a key role in bridging the gritty geometric massing with the outdoor living space. 

“Cedar was chosen as the common material linking the exterior surfaces, wrapping the new façade surrounding the cleaned and sealed concrete garage walls,” he says. “Cedar continues down the walkway to surround the yard and cover the new canopy overhanging the main residence.”

See if knotty cedar is right for your soffit. 

Photo: JVL Photography & Houry Avedissian

Mix & Match Grades 

Can’t decide on crisp clear wood or a textured knotty wood for your exterior? As architectural designer Houry Avedissian proves with this Ontario Treehouse project, you don’t have to. Instead, you can create a dynamic composition of knotty and clear. 

At the core of Avedissian‘s elegant palette is nature’s most versatile building material: Western Red Cedar. The main cantilevered volume of the second floor and its underbelly are clad in vertical grain clear T&G, the Southwest elevation features vertical Select Knotty WRC lattices, the slats on the balcony’s interior parameter are knotty horizontal WRC.

“These contrasting materials and volumes balance the natural and refined with the rough and exposed, as the harmonious, contemporary living space continues to thrive among the naturally evolving landscape,” says the award-winning designer.

Learn more about Real Cedar’s grades and profiles.