You have a jumble of Craftsman (window muntins, columns), Colonial (shutters), & Mid-century Modern styles ( door, garage). Better to pick one and stick with it.

Keep in mind that in real life your roof isn't as prominent as in your mock up, so you lose that balancing element.

In your mock up, the two upper right windows are a different size than your current openings. If you try to install double-mulled windows, as in your mock-up, where you currently have single windows, it's going to look like a tight squeeze.

I like the materials you've picked. They look fresh and attractive. Maybe cue off of that and stick with the modern doors, but come up with a contemporary window & column design?

Also the wood siding idea above the garage in your mock-up is taller than the space you've got. It might look a bit stunted in actuality, & you won't have space for that nice address number design.

Agree with above. The door and garage door look particularly off with the style of your house. I would also consider getting rid of the shutters and replacing with window trim. They're not large enough to be "real" shutters in many cases and don't add anything great to the exterior.

If you definitely want to move to the more modern exterior I would try seeing what it looks like without the shutters and then also changing the grid pattern on the windows. Not a pro so I'm sure better advice will follow but that's what I would mock up if I was trying to move to a modern exterior with this house.

I agree, with the posters above, the windows just do not look right, and certainly are not really colonial, and the garage, seems to throw everything off. Almost looks like you are trying to take a colonial, and turn it into mid century modern.

NO. What you have is already head and shoulders above that silly attempt at a joke of a McMansion. It is really and truly sad that you think it’s an “improvement”. It would totally ruin the house, and tank it’s value to be so remuddled. It’s truly gawdawful.

Totally agree with Sophie.

Agree with all of the above, you have a mix of styles and too many materials. If you are looking to modernize your home, here is an insp pic that has had a successful and beautiful transformation:

For your home, remove the shutters entirely. Shutters vs Shudders

Change the windows, but not to the craftsman type windows unless you decide you are going with a craftsman design rather than 'modern' design.

Change your garage door and front door but keep it in the same style of your new direction for your home (modern vs craftsman for example).

Which style do you like the best? Modern? Craftsman? MCM?

Home styles are not clothes to be assumed for a white tie party, or a back yard swim party. They are the body style underneath. You can’t take my tsll skinny aunt and put her in the same dress that my short dumpy gramma would wear unless you want her to look ridiculous. And this Middle Aged semi stately old girl looks really silly with an attempted nose ring, tattoo, and steampunk faux Craftsman style.

Go with what the house IS. Not isn’t. It’s just like a marriage. You have to love the person underneath the cool haircut and awesome sunlasses, or you just don’t get married. And if all you love are cool haircuts and awesome sunglasses, then marriage to anyone is a mistake.

The innate substance and form matter. And it is not malleable without doing extensive, very expensive, reconstructive surgery.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with Sophie. This is a suburban post-war box with bad bones. I live in one too. Initially, the homes were given phony Colonial styling, but how is that any better than trying to remodel the house into a modern style? What IS appropriate for a box? It's not a true Colonial, it's not a true Craftsman, or a contemporary or a French provincial, or a farmhouse, or anything. So to accuse someone of trying to make the house into something that it's not is meaningless to me when the house has no dictating style to begin with. Are we to resign to the idea that we can't ever refresh the facade of house? I say no. Make-up, jewelry, & stylish clothes actually help a lot.

If OP is trying to go contemporary, then lose the shutters and brick. Put in plain windows (sliders or casements), simple cedar posts, wood siding.

I agree with awm03. I see Sophie's point, but how is the owner going to UNMUDDLE a remuddle without picking an appropriate style?

Yes, it's best to enhance the original bones of the house.

But, as awm03 thoughtfully points out, there are many (millions perhaps) of homes built across the country over these many decades without any sort of style at all...just a box. It does take a creative someone (architect and designer) with vision to come in and fix those old bones into something cohesive and stylish. Not all architect's are equal and not all have vision.

However, throwing 3 styles onto an elevation and mixing many materials is not the way to do it.

Thank you all. I do indeed now see the error of my ways. We are trying to do something more modern. I'm going to take another wing at this and get back to you. Really appreciate the feedback!

This current rendering is not a winner, but I think you can give your home modern/contemporary features without shelling out $100K. I don't think you need to go all out by changing rooflines and other major work in order to achieve what you seem to be looking for. Honestly, you have the box look working in your favor in terms of update. If you know you want to lean more modern, definitely start by removing the shutters, there's no way your house will miss them.

What is your budget? What materials are a must to keep? I usually love red brick houses, but your brick does seem like a rare contender for a paint job.

I am not a professional designer but I have to agree with all of the above. I think you are trying to make your home something that it isn't into something you would like it to be and that will never work. I say if you are trying to make it look modern you will loose the battle and it will look awkward. I say stick with what you have and add a few updates or sell it and get what you really want.

The house lacks the gables of a Craftsman, and doesn't have a the shape or roof line of a modern style.

The house shape and roof line are more Colonial than anything else, garrison Colonial actually with its slightly overhanging upper story. Look at the pictures here and see if there are any color schemes and details that you like for your house. https://www.houzz.com/photos/query/garrison-colonial/nqrwns

How much of your house is brick, and how much siding, at the sides and back?

I would try to make it look like a contemporary version of what it is, rather than what you are trying to do so far.

What about a really streamlined modernized colonial? May totally not be your style, but as I was looking at it I thought it could work. Bronze windows without all the extra lines and bronze fascia and trim.

I tried a more contemporary look, but just couldn't work it out.

For reasons of security, I would only put windows in the garage in the top level of the door. That way you can still get some natural light but make it harder for anyone walking by to see if there was a car inside.

If it is in the budget, you might think about extending the porch all the way across the front of the house. :)

This is a fairly charming version of what you have, the scale is a little better, the shutters are more properly sized, --you don't necessarily need to keep shutters and things like that on your house but I think you could go a long way just by cleaning up and tweaking what you're given to work with rather than trying to reinvent it:

To go modern, you've already got some good advice. You need to add wood, and stick to modern details. For example, your posts should be plain wood. The half-stone look is Craftsman.

Also, be sure your landscaping is also modern. Squared planting beds rather than curved. Instead of mixed beds of shrubs and flowers, choose swaths of grasses or larger rectangle groups of shrubs. Choose an architectural-looking medium-size tree.

Here it is cleaned up with a more modern brick or painted brick and properly divided lites. 6 over 6 is a better proportioned than 8 over 8 --and I feel like no muntins might look a bit blank. The windows look a bit messy.

Now it just looks very plain, unfinished and very bare. This is a house one must love or lose or spend a fortune on (and it's not worth doing that).

I think there are a lot of houses around like this that look better with landscaping.

May I ask what app you used to do the rendering? Thanks!

3D Studio Max. I may be looking for another designer that can modify the current file. If you know somebody, please let me know. Thanks!

@

Derik St.Clair What are your thoughts on what your next steps will be? Any feedback on suggestions?

I like your house the way it is. I especially like the brick, the black door, the garage door style, and the placement of the house numbers. If it were my house, I would fix the siding next to the window, clean the siding and brick, and turn my attention to the yard. I might also remove the shutters because I dislike shutters that are so obviously inoperable; the black color is nice though. Also, perhaps a color other than white, like cream or a shade of green, would look better with the brick.

@partim - thank you for reaching back out. I wanted to contact you about helping me sort this out but Houzz doesn't seem to have a way to PM anybody. How can we connect?

@mononhemeter - thanks for your feedback but the house is a disaster as-is. Plus, it looks like every other house in the neighborhood. No style at all. The price was right and the neighborhood is excellent. So I've got to make this work. And yes, landscaping will be addressed. Thanks again.

drop the shutters and window grids and maybe I would believe it to be a little modern

You may want to consult an architect for some ideas on how to spruce up this home.

I think Sophie Wheeler got up on the wrong side of the bed yesterday. Chill! Feedback for improvement is different than criticism.

I created a new post with the changes...as I'm not sure I could add to this one so you all could see it. But here's the link just in case: [Colonial Modern Makeover Round 2[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/colonial-to-modern-ish-makeover-round-2-feedback-dsvw-vd~5205165)

Sophie is being Sophie, which is always a good thing. She tells it like it is, and is usually right.

BTW "feedback for improvement" IS criticism.

Check out this colonial facelift: https://hookedonhouses.net/2015/11/05/updating-a-traditional-two-story-house-in-delaware/