Looking for more curb side appeal--exterior help!

9 years ago

Need help vamping up the exterior this cute cod-ish style house. Any advice on paint colors to bright it up? Should be add a gable roof and beams? Remove trees and bushes?

Thanks much!

Featured Answer

housegal200

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

Very cute house. The bushes are boxing in the house and the tree has overpowered it as well. Suggest the following:

--Remove the tree and bushes on the right as well as the bushes blocking the porch so you can open up the entrance.. Extend a deep bed in front on the right and plant with perennial flowering plants, ground cover, and a small, flowering tree for a cottage garden effect. Do a Houzz search for "cape cod cottage garden" for ideas.

--Remove the shutters and the gate on the porch. (If you need a gate for a pet, then replace that one with a reddish cedar gate.)

--Consider painting the house butter yellow with a blue door and window trim.

--If you don't need or want to repaint, paint the trim cream or a red that coordinates with the roof color.

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--If there's money in the budget, replace the front windows. (See the windows on the yellow house and on the third photo.) The diamond windows are rather strange and must give a broken-up view from the inside.

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Comments (6)

PRO
JayMarc Homes
9 years ago
Cute house! It could be fun to dress up the walkway with lighting or flower beds. The tree is a little distracting so if you removed it, you could fill in the gap with more hedge.
claire s thanked JayMarc Homes
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decoenthusiaste
9 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
A sturdy little car or truck and a good length of chain will make short work of the hedges. Then have the tree replaced with a nice ornamental plum, dogwood or a Japanese maple. The roof color will influence any paint you put on the home. I think new windows and beefy square posts in place of the current skinny ones would help a lot. Here are a couple of palettes to consider.

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claire s thanked decoenthusiaste
PRO
Tim Andersen Architect
9 years ago
Claire, I received your inquiry. Your house is not a Cape, but a nice mid-century ranch. I would look to sources from 1950s for color schemes. Foundation plants are overgrown and over-shaped. I would keep the tree for a vertical accent, but thin and raise lowest branches to open view of house. New plantings should look natural and unshaped to contrast with the house. Original design was probably two-tone like the cars of period-- plaster base and shingles were likely different, but related, colors with darker below. Small window at entry with diagonal lights is cute, and should be the single "feature." Large double hung windows on porch with diagonal lights are too big, out-of-scale with other details. I would replace those windows with a smaller unit, and leave some siding on the right to match that on the left. Consider a new picture window with a casement on each side. Casements would be 1 light, 4 high to match (half) double hung windows. We recommend using only real operable shutters. These are obviously fake, since they aren't wide enough to cover the windows. Hardware is still available. For a ranch house board & batten shutters look good. Low-pitched hip roof fits the style. I would not suggest adding a gable roof over porch. Hope this is useful. Tim
claire s thanked Tim Andersen Architect
housegal200
9 years ago
Ooops. The shingles and shutters threw me off. So going midcentury direction colorwise and having more structured landscaping instead of cute cottage garden:
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claire s thanked housegal200
Linda Stacey
9 years ago
Such a charming house. What don't you like? I'm NEVER a fan of large trees and bushes growing right next to the house. Cut it down and let the house shine and breath.