I won't address the question other than to make a few comments re the landscaping. I would begin by having everything growing across the front porch area removed. They're overgrown & not very attractive. I would concentrate on that portion of the yard to begin with. It looks like a nice house & some creative landscaping there would make a huge improvement. I would visit your local garden center & seek their advice, better yet pay to have one of their designers draw up a plan you could accomplish in stages if necessary.

Perhaps this isn't in the budget, but I could see the front porch extended to the ends of the home. It might help accentuate the already present horizontal lines.

Thank you for the responses! Here are the requested photos.

yes the roof is light gray, this is the best photo I could find.

Closer picture of the brick

I agree that the house would look better with wider trim around the windows, searched and found this which is making me consider doing painted single siding above the brick. Hope something similar is doable on our budget.

Laura, I was considering adding a portico leading to the front door. It may look better to extend the front porch. I'll try to find some examples.

Are you interested in changing the look -- going more modern/contemporary, or just cleaning up what's there?

House has nice clean lines as is, but I can see how a few changes could make a real difference.

Is the siding in need of replacement?

A P, if you keep them, the posts across the front look "spindly" considering the second story. Something more substantial would help the "top heavy" look.

PPF, yes we are open to changing the look to something more modern. Since this is our first house, and I have almost no idea what I'm doing, we are open to almost any ideas.

The siding will need replacement within the next few years. We like the house as is, but think it is boring as is and in need of an update. There are many similar homes in the neighborhood so we would also like the updates we do to differentiate ours to avoid the tract home look.

chloebud, I agree, the posts are my least favorite part about the front of the home.

For a modern look, I would paint the bricks white, modify the porch-like projection to be more square, put dark gray vertical siding on the 2nd floor, and black trim around the windows. House has a nice chimney!

Better lighting & add house numbers.

Does your budget for the exterior include the hardscape (driveway)? It looks like it needs repair/replacement. Consider a eco friendly driveway like below:

We are planning to replace the driveway and are considering "drive-able grass" or xeriscaping that incorporates the driveway.

One of the things I dislike about the house is the driveway takes up the entire backyard and would like to turn it into a place where people feel comfortable pulling chairs onto, playing yard games, etc since we like to entertain. Will also have to find a way to hide the AC unit since it encroaches on the most usable portion of the yard.

happyleg: House numbers is a good idea and will definitely update the lighting, unsure of the style at this point as it will depend on what direction we go with the house.

Our total budget for the next year or two is as follows:

- exterior/trim/windows 40k

- landscaping 5k

- driveway 10k

- Interior 50k - I will start another thread for this at some point and will update both of these throughout the year with photos of the improvements.

sstar, I am going to work on a rendering, haven't thought of that direction but open to it.

It appears your brick has already been painted. The shingle siding is going to give a much more traditional look where a wide horizontal or even vertical siding is going to be more modern. Deciding which direction to go style wise will dictate everything else you do regarding porticos, porches, window grid design, etc.

Katinparadise- That is one of the issues I am dealing with, my wife and I like the traditional look, but all of the renovations in the neighboorhood (a mix of similar homes and single story ranch homes) are going with modern looks for resale. Not sure what to do at this point.

Also started the interior thread here if anyone happens to be interested (The furniture is not ours). We thought it would be a fun experiment to "crowd source" the renovation in real time.

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/1960s-colonial-interior-renovation-with-weekly-updates-dsvw-vd~4728306[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/1960s-colonial-interior-renovation-with-weekly-updates-dsvw-vd~4728306)

Since you just bought the house, I wouldn't worry about resale for now. You have to live in it and love what you have. I know that Austin has experienced a tech boom and as a result, is turning into the new Seattle or San Francisco so I'm sure you're seeing a lot more modern renovations. I think you can span the gap by not going totally traditional but somewhere in between. I would search for a local architect in your area whose vision matches yours and have him come up with a long term plan for you. Since you're planning this over a period of time, you have time to explore all kinds of options to find what best suits you. 40K is a good budget IMO, and it's worth investing in expertise to be sure you land where you want to be when all is said and done.

Cute house, but it is not a colonial.

So, my suggestion is to spend your money replacing the overhang with something more appropriate to a mid-century look, and enlarge the windows. When you redo the yard, go simple and sparse.

I enjoy removing things that bother me so I removed the landscaping that was blocking the porch. Turns out the house looks fine.

A lot of those plants can be reused. I think I see Nandina and it is drought tolerant. I like the grassy plants too, but not where they are. You say the siding does not need replaced for a few more years. My advice is to wait on any big change of the exterior. I looked at the other thread and I think you may go over budget on the interior. You will need to hire a kitchen designer. Everything costs more than you think.

In the backyard, I would plant lawn near the garage. Lawn is about the only landscaping that recovers from being driven on or parked on once in awhile. It does not seem like you need to park there daily so I would make the area useful. Do the Xeriscape area where I drew in dirt. It can be walked through but not driven on.

Closing this Thursday, excited to start Friday. A few updates.

- Wife and I talked more looked at multiple house designs and we have decided to embrace the MCM or a transitional look. It has really grown on us and fits the character of the interior of the house much better. Any further ideas on would be appreciated. The big exterior update will come next fall but we update a few inexpensive things until then.

1. Landscaping will be pulled out and replaced immediately as suggested by everyone, we are hiring a landscape designer but will do the work ourselves.

2. Will add MCM style house numbering and larger light fixtures to the front of the home. Thanks happyleg and kate

3. Door will be modernized

4. We may add a front sitting area incorporated into the landscaping on the L side of the house.

emmarene, thank you for the suggestion we are planning to do a drive-able grass driveway next year. Judy, love the modern house, will go simple and sparse on the landscaping too.

I'll post pictures as these updates are done. Thank again for all of the suggestions.

Around feb/march I will be looking for an architect for a consultation on the design, I am planning on doing the work with my own subcontractors. PPF, If there are any good architects you know in the area that will draw up some designs for a flat fee I would appreciate suggestions. Am willing to work with someone remotely as well if you are interested.

We really like the clean look of this house and the white with the black trim. I believe this is a transitional style, further suggestions are always appreciated of course. Excuse my crude paint mock up, I haven't had great luck with any free design software.

I left the Austin area 20+ years ago, but can provide a list of potential Architects. Contact via my pro page.

I look forward to seeing your remodel.

Love the direction you're going in! The lines of your home will work well with that.

Old landscaping out, most of it was dead and rotting. Will keep updating as changes occur. Thanks again for the suggestions.

Perfect! Now you have a blank slate to start over. What's your next step?

What fun!

This house has always been a favourite before and after. The lower level is painted brick. The one storey house, I like the windows, they aren't ordinary I guess.

So this is already done??

Kindly remove all the existing landscape/overgrown shrubs front and advise of the planting zone and I'll be happy to help.

Austin is zone 9.

[Build up those existing columns to give them a more stately/impressive feel![(https://www.houzz.com/photos/stone-residence-1-traditional-exterior-austin-phvw-vp~238700) The house has so much potential, good buy! :)

Definitely not done! For now the focus will be on the inside, I am removing the two ash trees close the foundation and planting something that will grow smaller and add color to the right side of the house. We are planting a small mulch bed in front for the next year or so while we focus on the inside. Long term plans include a fenced in area with fire pit and furniture in the front, perhaps limestone pavers and xeriscaping. Steel beds close to house. Bed with mailbox and MCM lettering by driveway. Tearing out driveway and converting to ribbon. Thanks Kelsey! I really like those columns. Bette that has always been a favorite of mine too.

Looking good.

Following

Following. Waiting for updates in the spring, as I will be looking for ideas for my house then as well.

Love seeing the progress.

Beef up those skinny posts with big wood posts.

Here are my microsoft paint plants, in real life we are considering

Bamboo Muhly

Spineless prickly pear

Plumbago

Red Yucca

I don't know if I should add some color with brightly colored planters, continue the raw steel theme, or plant directly in the ground.

This is a diagram of the yard perfectly to scale (in paint 1 pixel: 1 ft. The red area outlines the fence and bed areas, We would have about 450 sq ft behind the privacy fence and about 200 sq feet to the right by the driveway.

I feel like sometimes I think like an engineer and want everything to be symmetric and geometric, again, please tell me if this looks off. Harsh criticism is appreciated.

Sounds & looks good.

Wanted to update after a year. Interior is almost finished and now I’m focusing on the outdoor living spaces.

rented a jackhmanner and hauled the concrete to the recycling center.

Graded the yard by hand and compacted, put down heavy duty landscape fabric and steel border, filled with black basalt. Next step is to put up the fence and walkway. Ill also get some plants to put in.

In the backyard we had to shovel out about 3 inches of pea gravel and put down soil before sod. This took about a month of intermittent work.

More steel border and black basalt

Following

Wondeful!

Please continue to post updates! That new door is fantastic. I would do neutral colored pots and let your annual flowers be your pop of color.

It looks much better already. I can’t wait to see what you are doing. Lots of planning which is smart. I have looked a couple of times and I can’t see the new door that another poster commented on?
I bought a storey house late last year that we are working on so I am particularly interested in following your posts. Good luck.

Here is a better picture of the new door and mailbox. At some point we are putting larger columns, cedar accents around door, and new lights up front.

This is the side yard which I am having to delay to do drainage first. Unfortunately the yard slopes toward the house so I have to put in a ton or work on the drainage before anything else can be done.

My wife built some planter boxes and grows a bunch herbs, tomatoes, and blueberries in the back yard. The squirrels eat more of it than we do.

Love the door. You and your wife are doing a great job. Glad that you are changing the slope toward the side of the house, as Mike Holmes says you don’t want to create a swimming pool
The more substantial posts on the front will make a big difference. Once again good luck.

I love ur door!