Crazy. Is it two units - up and down?

It was at some point. Now it is single family. The upstairs level porch is right off the master bedroom.

I kind of like it : ) . But if it's for resale and if it's unusual for the neighborhood, it may have to go, or at least get painted white. What do the neighbors think?

That would be a great house to decorate for Christmas and Halloween...

it's interesting..the top level must have a railing so leave the ironwork..I would NOT paint it white..would stand out TOO much..it would glow in the dark..look at the white chairs next door and the downspout laying on the ground..see how they stand out?..the landscaping needs HELP..the place could be charming..look for pics of houses in New Orleans..

It's looks like there is a lot of rust on some of the support posts of the winding stairway, is it sound?

I love the iron work. I just don't like the spiral staircase in front. Can you just remove the staircase? I bet someone would pay a nice price for it.

love it! theoretically speaking-I'd never be able to make the stairs..and many people would be in the same camp with me. on the other hand others would be thrilled

no, wouldn't paint it white..would find some other color...something gloomy lavender..or silvery sage..pale gray is actually nice too..wasn't it not unusual for the neighborhood I might go with deeper colors...

(talking about exterior paint here)

does one HAVE to take the stairs to get access to the second floor, or it's more of an additional decorative feature?

if one can access it differently-I wouldn't worry..unless two units indeed..I'd freshen this black on the railings

(ah sorry missed your answer. it's single family)

it's both cool and a bit..well, New Orleans comes to mind that's true:) Halloween too:)

I think with improved landscape and some flower pots and plants on these stairs will look more approachable less spooky

depends of course what the climate is

I wouldn't take the spiral staircase off..it brings something..something that'd be lost..the house will stay unusual but less cool if I can put it this way

Love it. Dangle some old Mardi Gras beads in the trees. Paint the house a cheery tasteful color and the iron and shutters back and...I dunno. Look to NOLA's French Quarter for inspiration cuz whoever installed that ironwork sure did!

I LOVE that, including the stairway! Instead, I'd whack out those junipers and do a little landscape update, something more in tune with that gorgeous ironwork.

It does seem to overwhelm the home. I am not a fan of wrought iron--but that seems like a work of art. "Unusual for the area"--so not New Orleans? I am thinking the cost of bringing it back to life is prohibitive? Painting it white in my mind is just giving future owners a huge job when the paint peels. I would not remove it--that is a decision for the next owners who will be there awhile--hopefully. What is the realtor saying?

It looks like the whole thing needs a fresh coat of paint, even the lamp. The Junipers look out of place like there is just a line of plants for no good reason. I'd get the iron painted black I do believe. Could you imagine the nightmare of having to get furniture up that spiral staircase? UGH!

Freshen the paint and LANDSCAPE LANDSCAPE LANDSCAPE!!! A couple of the sorority houses at my college had that kind of gorgeous iron work (not in NOLA btw) and it was stunning. The prettiest one was painted white (the body of the house) with black wrought iron. To me, the landscaping is the bigger problem here.

I'm with those who like it. I'd keep it for myself regardless of neighborhood, but of course we don't see the context for this property. I used to be an appraiser and it does, of course, matter.

I do suspect the undesirable, now-dysfunctional staircase needs to go to improve marketability. It looks odd, makes no sense now, and would be chalked up to functional depreciation and to lack of appeal on an appraisal report to explain its negative effect on value. Besides appearance, many buyers are fearful of crime and a feeling of safety is a particular priority for them; those buyers would all pass on by. With it gone, that upper balcony would seem like a safe place to sit out and children to play on instead of offering psychopaths easy access to

The gap in the balcony rail could be filled in with a panel taken from one side of the porch, where it would be replaced with something similar. That would leave a central framed area on the upper porch that, if it seemed desirable, could be used to frame some quiet detail as if it was always meant to.

And as said, for sale paint and LANDSCAPE, LANDSCAPE, LANDSCAPE. :) In this case, use plants to camouflage remaining issues, including any imbalance in the shape of the building and to and tie the house to the ground. On the lower porch a charming chair in front of the new panel would keep the difference from being noticed on the porch side, while some handsome shrubs would make it disappear from outside. Since you're selling there wouldn't be time for a tree to grow, but architects love those too for disguising problems with charm.

Okay, this is good advice. We will definitely remove the staircase. My husband was creeped out about the thought of somebody sneaking up there at night anyway:). I wasnt planning on doing any landscaping but y'all are making me rethink that. Hmmm. Thanks!!

It will be really pretty with ferns hanging in each arch next summer. You might want to think a about painting the shutters also black like the iron work. Security wise good idea to take down the stairs. Geeze I wish I had that iron work on my house.

So is it original to the house? I vote for not painting it white. I wonder what's under that siding.

Looks like the side coming out to connect to the pole on the staircase at the top could be the piece to fill in when the stairs come out.

Agree with aprilneverends and Olychick about keeping the staircase..a new owner might love it..if I was a criminal I would AVOID a spiral staircase..easier to use a ground level door or window don't you think?..it also makes a great fire escape..

Yes, let the new owners decide about the staircase! If it's easy to remove and they hate it, they can do it. If they love it, they'll be sad it's gone. And yes to the fire escape aspect.

So, I am the realtor and the home owner, haha. I found a neat engraved plaque that states who created the iron works for the homeowner in 1985. The seller has told me that they went to New Orleans years ago and absolutely love the iron details on homes there. So they hand drew a copy of a pattern they loved and had it custom made for the home. That makes me want to keep it. The plaque is cool too!

This is in Michigan. Not near NOLA :)

The original porch posts are still in the garage. This was an add on about 90 years after this place was built.

Janelle, so when you wrote about "wondering what to do with this for resale", is resale far, far down the road? Because if it is, I would keep and enjoy the iron work, and even fix it up, and concentrate on things like the exterior landscaping etc. A few years down the road, or when you get close to reselling, you can revisit what to do.

nichols, I must admit: i thought the same..vivid imagination: say, I'm a criminal..)) arrived to the same conclusion lol

april..we have a similar mindset don't you think?..I've noticed that we tend to agree..are we crazy or is everyone else?..lol

Any chance you would consider residing? The ironwork looks pretty anomalous with beige vinyl siding. I think it could look lovely with yellow clapboard, white trim and black shutters and ironwork.

Is this the FRONT of the house? (If you told us I missed it.). If it’s the front, I’d definitely remove the staircase. But don’t get rid of it. New buyers might have a use for it. I think the house might look charming without the stair.

Can you imagine how much it cost to have all this iron done and installed?

Are you rehabbing this house to sell? The ironwork is the kind of feature that drives the entire design of the house.

If you’re staying and love it, keep it and bring it life and make changes to enhance that New Orleans feel. Right now it looks random because the house doesn’t have any styling to match. The example robo shows above is beautiful and this house can definitely become a showpiece in the neighborhood.

However, from a financial position, if you’re looking to sell I would probably tear it down. Most people on this forum love houses and love design so we get excited about all the ways to make the porch beautiful, but not everyone loves the unique and different and sees potential in rusted iron. It’s going to take a lot of time and money to bring the porch back to life and make the styling on the rest of the house consistent with this look. Depending on your area, I think the chance of getting any ROI on fixing the curb appeal would be really tough and anything less will make the house hard to sell.... but then again it will probably also be expensive to get rid of it.

Good luck with whatever you choose to do!!! If you choose to go the New Orleans route, please post pictures when you’re done!!