Giving curb appeal to ugly brick ranch

10 years ago

My husband and I bought this house because we love the inside, but the previous owners did nothing for the outside. You can kind of tell at one point someone had painted random bricks blue and black on the front (they're now peeling and drive me nuts) and I think there must have been large overgrown bushes on the left because the brick is super faded and dingy (we even tried power washing it and it's still not better). I'm already building window boxes for the two smaller windows.

I'm weighing two options... Since the brick is so bad already my first thought was just to paint it (its just a brick facade on the front, the rest of the house has white siding). Any suggestions on colors for the brick, trim and garage? (Thinking maybe cream/khaki paint on trim, a wood garage, and a bright door?)

My second thought was go with charcoal trim/siding and a wood windowboxes, garage, and door and leave the trim. If I leave the brick natural though any ideas to make it better/less multicolor and dingy?

In an ideal world I'd make a portico and enlarge the front patio to give the face of the house more depth, but I don't think we have the money for that. (Also I live in planting zone 5).

Featured Answer

visualizemaven

10 years ago

It sounds like you are on a tight budget so I will try and give you the biggest bang for your buck!

I am sorry to say the front porch is not doing anything to improve the curb appeal. The railings are ill advised and do not make sense. I am suggesting you remove all the railings.

The house #'s are too big for that space. The lantern is too small.

Option 1. Paint the brick Rockport Gray HC 105 or Meditation AF 395 (which reads tan/gray). Keep all the trim and garage door white (consider removing the shutters for a more modern look). Paint the front door red (check out Impressionist Ruby). Paint the front stoop the same color as the body of the house.

Option 2. Invest in new siding ; perhaps same as side siding in a medium gray or a darker tan.

If you want a more traditional look, add window boxes.

But my rec is to fill the front of the house with an assortment of flowering bushes and small evergreen shrubs.

My personal pet peeve is an oval window in a front door which doesn't compliment the style of the house or competes with other elements (like your window pattern in your garage door). So if at possible, I recommend you switch out your front door with a window detail which mimics the design going on in our garage door.

Thoughts?

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Comments (13)

Cody
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you visualizemaven! I LOVE the idea of the rockport gray, that's a beautiful color.

I couldn't put a finger on why I didn't like the front door before, but now it makes sense! That's on the list of things to replace so I will try to have the new one echo design elements in the rest of the house.

I agree with you that the porch is ill-proportioned and doesn't make sense right now. I'm pretty sure the railings are there because there is an egress window below the picture window so they serve a safety function since the hole is so close to the porch. We've thought about getting a window well cover so we might be able to remove the railings but my fear is that without them the house would just end up looking super wide and flat...
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Patricia Colwell Consulting
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
So you are already experiencing what happens when you paint brick it peels and it also ruins the brick. I would get a stripper to remove the paint from the bricks that are apinted , the 2 things that IMO have to change right now is remove the shutters they are all wrong and get a door that suits the house and I would run the porch all across the front but for now paint the whole thing white and strat with some nice landscaping under the windows flowering shrubs are always nice and in 3 different heights Sorry did not realize that there were basement windows there do you have to have that one on the right or could you live without it in the basement.
Cody thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
Cody
Original Author
10 years ago
It's unfortunate that the egress window is in the front but it's for the master bedroom and there is no other exterior wall to move it to so it has to stay.

I would be open to extending the porch though, would it look too weird to just expand it out to the left?

I also like the idea of three layers of landscaping, thank you!
Sigrid
10 years ago
Gray sounds good, the white is blaring. You could also paint the wood blue. You need landscaping. Hydrangeas are always pretty. Baptisia is probably native.

I'd put two shrubs flanking the front of your walk. If you are a gardener, flank the entire path. Lavender is pretty. Echinacea is native.
Cody thanked Sigrid
visualizemaven
10 years ago
Your welcome cll14 - I'm glad you like Rockport Gray too - it one of my favs!

Since you have received feedback, have you been able to prioritize what is the most important to you and how you will proceed?
PRO
memararchitects
10 years ago
Ad a front porch. Please feel free to visit our page for design ideas
tatts
10 years ago
Instead of using a stripper (which could cause the color to soak in to the brick), use a propane torch.

Captain Obvious would add that you approach this carefully, gently and in stages, and in an inconspicuous area. I saw a building maintenance man in the neighborhood doing it years ago. It also works to get English ivy feet off off of brick after you pull it down.
emmarene9
10 years ago
The platform in front of the house is harming its good looks. It looks contrived, it is too tall, and it is too close to the egress window. This house would have had one step in front of the door, wider than the door opening. Then, a second level below that. The current design is not good with the height of the roof, IMO. I also do not see the advantage of the current set up. It is still exposed to the elements and it is not roomy enough to comfortably relax on a chair. All it does it provide a wider area for UPS to put a package. I would get rid of it.

Remove the shutters, they do not suit the style of the house. Nor does the front door.

I couldn't paint the brick but I tried to show the stoop I am talking about and gave you different door colors
Landscaping is needed too.
Irene Morresey
10 years ago
Some ideas
marcadillo
4 years ago
Beautiful job Irene! I am looking at something similar love the color on brick. Typical L shaped ranch built in '59. flat front, door in corner, no porch at all. Here's my brainstorm idea let me know what you think. This is a before and after rough photoshop rendering. Thoughts?
Koko Sztajer
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Im ao happy you posted this! It seems we have the exact same house! (but at least you have some type of porch)

I was so happy reading peoples recommendations!!!!

This post REALLY helped me out a lot!!
ShadyWillowFarm
4 years ago
What the heck is that on the ground between the porch and driveway? A cellar door? I would extend the porch to match the width of the portico, and does the portico stick out where you can add a boxed column? Paint the front door blue, add a bench under the window.