dupe

no..it says '780' ; )

don't paint the brick, its a lifetime of misery after. i've seen worse brick and far far worse pillars. i'd leave the heck alone. your house is what it is.

you could put plinths under your columns so they don't look so 'all the way from there to there', get an estimate no idea of the job involved.

Thanks! I think you're right about the columns.

Auntthelma, I realized it was a duplicate post and still can't figure out how to delete one of them.

I would paint the columns , what color are the shutters ? Match them , probably black . Also remove that low retaining wall add plantings and site 2 trees one on each side. Preferably flowering , I am not sure what zone you are in , but they can also give winter interest.

Ditto Maria. Definitely do not paint the brick. Add some color by painting the front door with a bold color. Also the white front door trim kind-of washes out.

Other more costly and complex possibilities are: Change the front gable to a hip roof. Enlarge and update the look of the dormers. Change front gable siding to stucco or panels. Re-roof with a darker shingle or slate would add definition.

I would paint the shutters to match the beige or taupe that is in the brick. Otherwise, I wouldn't change anything else. You could also lighten up the door color with a warm taupe.

50 shades of beige ...

It is a gray brick. Not solid gray, a "marbled" gray; dark, medium light etc.

Why have you started a second thread on this same dilemma? You'd be better off to keep it to a single thread.

I didn't think it posted, it was delayed or something. When I tried to delete the duplicate I couldn't find an option to do so. They were posted a few minutes apart.

Your beautiful home looks timeless, not 80's. The house is grand but the garden seems charmingly cottage to me. I hope that is a look you will want to encourage.

I dislike the brick bed that lines the path to the patio. It looks very awkward. I also dislike the brick ring around your tree and bird bath. If you want edging it should be at grade level, not above.

I also consider the "entrance" to include the patio all the way to the columns. I do not like any of the entrance to be obscured. I painted everything out and gave you just lawn instead.

I am a poor artist.

This is before.

Beautiful home. It is a timeless classic design that will never go out of style -- except to those that have little confidence in their own personal taste and, therefore, tend to yield to the latest fad -- some of the same people that want drapes to have the sloppy drag-the-floor look.

Definitely do not paint the brick. Seriously consider painting the columns and the white trim the same color as the gable end (appears light gray) rather than white (not the color of the shutters -- you do want some color contrast).

If the uninterrupted height of the columns disturbs you, then you could remove the decoration above the entry door and create an arbor behind the columns from the left side of the roof to the right side of the roof, remembering that whatever you add will require maintenance.

Who cares about the second post. Answer the lady's question!

Is there a problem with a house looking like it was built in 1985? or 1961? 0r 1850?

I am not understanding - are all our houses supposed to look like 2016?

I do understand if there is something you do not like about your exterior - though it looks very nice to me:)

I am trying to imagine Olivia Walton saying, "John, our house looks so 1930!"

jhmarie, I think she means to say "I don't like the way my house looks. Help me." So of we can't help, then.........

this! /\

My house looks a tad 1890, but we like it that way. Styles come and go. That's what makes architecture fun.

@taralea898 -- IMO your home could've been built anytime from 1950-present. i.e., it isn't a design that dates it to a specific decade. It's quite pretty and the brick looks just fine. Sounds like you just want a bit of a change/freshening up...? Go with one of the popular grays or classic black for the door and shutters. I'd keep the columns white. Consider pulling your landscape forward on the left side (my left) from the corner of the house all the way to the curve in the walkway; layer it with different textured greens and seasonal color.

I understand what you mean - "Does my house look like a 1980's interpretation of a 1780's house?"

Yes. But it looks much better than most. I don't know why 1920's - early 1950's revivals are so much more architecturally pleasing than more recent construction, but many people feel this way. Why does a 1930's Tudor revival look classy, but a 1990's French chateau looks like it belongs in Disneyland? I don't know.

I think someone already made a good suggestion about the columns. I notice how the windows are shoved up right under the eaves. I am guessing that would be pricey to fix, and might impact the interior negatively. It also looks like maybe the roof pitch on the main structure is shallow, but I can't really tell from the photo.

Overall, I am guessing it would be pretty expensive to try and bring it closer in appearance to a home from the era it was modeled after, and possibly not entirely successful. Since it already looks pretty good, I would focus on the front door. I think that should be replaced. I can't figure out what is about the front door, but I don't like it.

It's a pretty house. Just, yeah. A little 1980's.

Maybe the roof pitch isn't shallow.

Two more

For me, it's not the period of the house that is the issue. It's the high contrast between the portico and the rest of the house. This is what I'd do:

1. take the shutters off the upper windows that are under the portico. The shutters emphasize the windows' closeness to the roof. Also the upper windows will then match the lower windows. The shutters on the rest of the house can stay. They add weight which helps counterbalance the portico.

2. paint the siding on the front of the portico to match your roof. The current colour is too bright.

3. paint the colums to match a mid-value colour in your stone facade.

Something like this:

Jennifer K, thanks for the image!! I'm liking these changes.

Emmarene, the photo really helped! I didn't realize how distracting the little wall was until I saw your drawing.

jhmarie, I appreciate your appreciation for different eras. I'm not trying to make it the "latest fad" in fact I like older homes. But for me I felt like maybe the house could use simple updates... Such as the columns. I'm. It trying to completely reface it.

ecpt, thanks. It's sounding like some landscaping help is what everyone is strongly recommending.

Janedoe2012, YES!! You get what I'm saying.

Doing something with the gable is a great suggestion.

Get a new updated door style either in black or a fun color:



I would also get rid of the numbers and black lines above the front door. Paint it white. Get new numbers and find a better place for them.