Are you saying you have no backyard and you are planning to hang out on a front patio which you will fence off from the street?

You are saying the view from the front front is not great plus there is traffic which is noisey and not a good thing. Therefore I would not replace the bay window with a big window. Consider transom windows and drop skylights into that room (living room, right?) This will give you a contemporary look and will also help with noise and view issues.

If you are committed to hanging out in a front patio - then by all means fence it off and add bushes and trees to help with air cleaning and noise control.

Thoughts?

Oh and to answer your question Flo. We will have to save up for this reno, we ARE trying to go with what makes our house look more INTENTIONAL for the least amount of money. Which isn't that true of many renovations. Thank you again for your help. I appreciate all feedback.

It's a big job, but sure! Those giant glass walls are very expensive. If you don't really think you are going to open them all the time (also, what rooms are at the front of the house?) you could do French doors or even sliders. You can get a lot of the look of your inspiration just by putting up a fence like that! I think that would be worth it even if you are not really going to make a big garden.

I think you need an architect before anything is done. A real plan is always the best way to go so that when it is all done it looks like it was actually planned out not just a little bit here a little bit there .I honestly can’t see your house being anything like the inspiration pic without redoing the whole thing.So get an architect that can pull off a great design that you will love . IMO something like this could be doable

Thank you all again for your advice. And Patricia I think getting some "Professional Help" (HA! :) ) is likely going to happen. Many other projects in our Fixer Upper have been an obvious fix But this exterior has proven to be a challenge which keeps pointing us to... "I think we need to bring someone in." But it's nice to get a second opinion on that. Thank you also for the pic. It makes my heart swoon.

Well Brooke you sound like you know what makes your heart swoon and that is a great thing! I hope you find an architect who understands what you love. When you meet with some prospects, be sure to bring some images of what you have in mind so you can gauge who is the best fit for you and your family.

Best.

If you replace the bay window with large windows, find an intentional color scheme, with siding and trim. A modern touch might be slate siding and a bright trim under the roof and in the windows.

But you really need to make your yard look landscaped. You need to find a ground cover, get your grass to work or lose it. I'm not an expert on arid landscapes, but look at the articles on California xeroscaping.

Making your house look like your inspiration photo is going to be tough. Turning the ugly duckling into a modernish, attractive house? Definitely doable.

It will take time and a great deal of money to go from what your current house looks like to the MCM home. We will share with you some of our designs that might give you a little inspiration while you contemplate more of your design ideas.

Nod to MidCentury Modern · More Info

Nod to MidCentury Modern · More Info

Classic Small Ranch · More Info

Please hire an architect (not me).

Daniel @ artgreeT.com