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lorsteve

Need help with front of house please

13 years ago
This is a 1960's colonial with an added entry and garage. There is no curb appeal. I am remodeling it and need help to make it more 2013. Suggestions for paint, windows, doors, shutters and landscaping. thank you

Comments (18)

  • PRO
    13 years ago
    This looks like the back of a house.
  • 13 years ago
    What type of budget do you have?
  • 13 years ago
    Are the blue doors the front doors?
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    I don't think there is anything particularly colonial about the house. What I see is a ranch house that actually has some nice modern proportions, if a little unusual. The swoop of the wooden part over the brick (right?) and the somewhat haphazard window pattern are charming.

    Personally, I would remove any vestiges of its colonial decoration because I think they are irrelevant and confusing, so, lite cuts, door panels, bay window, light fixtures, etc. I also think the double door is a little odd in that location. They are typically located in areas where you might imagine throwing both doors open (e.g. in a courtyard), but, on the end of the building, it is hard to imagine that happening. I think I would replace it with a single slab door with two single-lite sidelites, maybe with fritted glass?

    I would choose a dark cool brown for the wood siding and an only slightly lighter related color (olive? grey?) for all of the trims. I would use a contrasting color for the entrance door and paint the other doors in the trim color.

    That's my 2¢.
  • 13 years ago
    Dytecure, it really is the front of the house!
  • 13 years ago
    hparks74, I have a small budget
  • 13 years ago
    Chandani, the single blue door in the middle was the original entrance. The previous homeowners added the double blue doors as an addition and made it their "formal entrance". They wanted a foyer.
  • 13 years ago
    But which entrance are YOU using? Where do you want to direct your guests? If it is indeed the double doors, you need something to direct people there. I would suggest if you are keeping the brick as is and not painting it (which I know people are going to suggest...) that you paint the doors that are not the entrances the same color as the body they are with. If you are keeping the double doors as the main entrance, paint the other doors the same color you use for the siding. Honestly, I think the blue used is not the best choice for the color brick you have.

    Landscaping and pathways will really add a lot to the curb appeal of this home.
  • 13 years ago
    The direction the house faces will determine some of the choices you make for landscaping of course.
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    build a front porch running the length of the house and add a covered roof
  • 13 years ago
    handymam, I am going to use the original entrance which is the single door in the middle. Not the double doors on the right. And yes, I am definitely going to get rid of the blue. Also, I am thinking of painting the brick because the double doors were an addition and you can see a difference in the color of the brick (in person. not sure if you can tell in the picture) and the brick around the bay window (which was also added by previous owners) shows a lot of extra grout.
  • 13 years ago
    Aaron's, Great idea, but will be too expensive for my budget.
  • 13 years ago
    I see the difference now that you are mentioning it lorsteve. In that case, paint will be a great equalizer and not have your house looking so added on to and differently colored.
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    While aesthetically, I hear you, you may want to read some of the many posts on houzz about painting brick houses. It can create problems. I think changing the double doors to a window sounds great. If it were my place, I would replace the bay with something similar at the same time. I would also consider constructing a wide-ish covered porch for the entry at the center, something similarly horizontal to the rest of the house.
  • PRO
    13 years ago
    This house has quite a bit going for it: good size, nice land and wide eaves. Do you have enough in the budget to swap out windows across the front? I mean, changing size of windows also, not just replacing in the same rough openings. If so, you could radically improve the appearance of your home. Paint will also help, but I would not paint the brick, which adds interest.

    The window issue is, too many unrelated sizes and styles all placed together on the facade. In particular, if you do nothing else with the windows, remove the bay window and put in a triple casement. Take off the shutters, and anything else that suggests Colonial...
  • 13 years ago
    Here Design, thank you for the advice
  • 13 years ago
    Sstarr93, thank you for your advice