This pseudo-ranch needs your help and ideas!

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

Hello folks,

My husband and I are considering buying a house that is completely renovated inside, but needs some help on the outside. One of the "features" we're not so keen on are the wooden panels with green accents under the bedroom windows. These seem to be installed above a brick sill. These windows also have green shutters, as well as the front door. The rest of the house has aluminum siding. What might be going on with window panels (were the windows maybe larger at some point?). How can we update the outside to match the new contemporary design inside? The bedroom windows are less than 5 years old, the picture window is original older dual-pane.

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Anglophilia

8 years ago

New, larger windows would make an enormous difference to this house! I did that with my own house and the difference was incredible. It was worth every single penny as it turned a rather ordinary 1 1/2 story 1948 house into something with more presence and gave it some charm. Inside, the additional light was very welcome, too.

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Comments (6)

phuninthesun
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I would absolutely remove the green shutters/trim. Most likely the windows were larger, I would change them back if that is a possibility. Adding a more substantial porch would greatly improve the curb appeal.
sheloveslayouts
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Adorable house!

I wouldn't swap out new windows. The size was probably changed with a functional reason. Are those bedrooms? Low sills in small bedrooms--especially those visible from the street--can be tricky. In our last house the sills were low on the front of the house in my kids rooms. It made furniture placement a bit of a challenge, but the worst part was when a 2/3/4 year old decided to running around naked and the blinds were open :-)

Remove the shutters, paint all the trim off-white to match the window frames and install some window boxes with plants and flowers to camouflage the panels below the windows.
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JudyG Designs
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Possibly the panels were added to align the smaller windows with the picture window, as all wndows have the same sill.

Definitely, you would take off the shutters (if you can call them that). Ask the broker if the panels are decorative or part of the construction. Maybe you could just pop them off. If not, paint them all white.

The other thing you could do in the future is replace the windows to touch the sills.

As you don’t own the house, I won’t hurt your feelings when I say I hate the front door and how the garage door is painted.

Otherwise cute house and if the inside is great it does allow you to spend some money on the exterior….the opposite of buying a good looking house and fixing up the inside...
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Original Author
8 years ago
Great ideas everyone! Thank you, this is so helpful. The smaller windows are guest bedroom windows, the master bedroom is located in the back of the house as part of an addition.
ptreckel
8 years ago
In addition to removing the shutters and painting out the green trim below your windows....I would remove what I suspect are snap-in muntins from within the windows, themselves, if possible.
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