I very much doubt those are boxwoods-they have too much of a textured look. My guess would be either yews or juniper neither of which take to severe pruning that well o nce they're overgrown. So go ahead and bring in the backhoe and give them the heave ho. You can thank me later. Since you have a sloping yard I think a little rock garden would be in order, perhaps with an artsy water feature. Your driveway looks sound but is prominent so I'd have it scored into sections and stained brown .

PLEASE don't muddle with the midcentury lines and details of your house! Lose the shutters for sure, paint the door a bright color, move/remove the giant hedges that are hiding your gorgeous facade, and you'll have an immediate improvement. Good luck!

Just to give you an idea what stained concrete looks like : Very classy look for the money.

Remove boxwood and replace with low Carolina jasmine bushes.
*Paint the trim and overhead a deep red and well ad the door.
*Remove shutters.

*I don't see a way to put columns bay the carport, they make a lattice board that looks really great in those types of car ports. Leave it White, possibly add a flowering climbing vine.

*Larger light fixture, industrial type. In a brushed nickel.
*Change storm door to something a bit more inviting. Or paint the trim same color as door.

*your steps need something; planter on either side?

I think your hedge needs to be trimmed about 2 to 3 feet do it early spring or late winter so new growth will cover top. They also need to be reshaped. The stairs to your door are too small. I think a landing with stairs to each side would look nice with white railing. Stairs to drive and secret garden behind the hedge.

A few pictures

I think you definitely can soften the look with a porch, some minor landscaping…like the lake house I posted above. Also, a porch/deck will increase living space in the warmer weather, and make it even more appealing at resale.

Thanks for all of the ideas, pictures, and renditions!! They're all great! The exterior was just painted within the last few years, so think we're just going to focus on the door, fixtures, and landscaping for now.
In total agreement with getting rid of the shutters and vertical blinds in the trapezoid windows. I hate the vertical blinds! Any ideas on what to use for inside window coverings for the trapezoid shaped windows? I'm sure it would look best with nothing, but there's too much sun and the room gets so hot if they're not covered.
And one more question, do I need to change all the light fixtures to match the new one for the front door, or just need to be the same style and/or finish? We have 6 other light fixtures: one in the carport, by the doors opening to the deck, downstairs entrance on the back right side below the deck, and on the garage in the back.
Thanks again for all the ideas!!

They sell cling vinyl that lets in light but blocks out the outside.

Some porch light ideas

I've played a bit with your house, taken out the boxwood completely to show off the new exterior.

grover, the car goes so nicely with the paint color!

Okay, you've got a midcentury modern house which any number of people would kill for and you want to make it traditional? Can I ask why you bought it in the first place? You've definitely been offered some good advice on colors and landscaping that I hope you're willing to take. Please please please don't denigrate this mid-mod by trying to turn it into something it isn't.

@Margot: Great eye to see that Mission Style vocabulary in there!

I was just going to say that the only eyesores are the big shrubs and the skinny posts.

The only reason I could see to NOT do the posts is if that style does not sell well in your region (check with a RE pro). Then there's reason to ditch it and take a different course, but those solutions will all cost more than simply finishing the posts in the current style.

Let's not ask people why they buy a house if they don't like it. Perhaps they bought what they could afford.

Don't stress. Just get those box woods out, spruce up the landscape, loose the shutters and a tweak to the house color and you're good to go. As long as a buyer can see the house and it looks cared for they will start to get their own ideas as what to do with it. I love your house. Has a hip feel.

Lol. Sissy49, you brought up a very good point. Long story short, I didn't pick out the house. Instead of trying to sell 2 houses at once, we decided to sell mine first, and move into his until we find something we both like. This style house is not very popular where we live in South Carolina and selling can be tough. That's why we've been trying to figure out how to make it look more traditional and "blend in."

If the goal is simply to make it more attractive to sell, then you should check with an experienced realtor and do some research to find out what improvements will give you the best return. In the end, your best bet may be to sell it "as is." Let the next owners, or the ones after that--whichever ones decide this is their forever home--decide what they want to do.

First get rid of those tall shrub berries and plant some colorful flowers in the front. You can't even see the front of the house it's a cute house. Redo the driveway again with some liquid concrete and whatever flowers you used for the front yard also plant them along side the driveway.

While I agree that trying to Chang the style of the home would be more effort than its worth, enhancing what traditional aspects it does have can be a way of complimenting the neighborhood. Look at the paint colors used in the neighborhood and choose complimentary colors. I agree 100% in extending the deck and creating a center entry.

Rather than selecting "modern" fixtures, focus on transitional items. This will pull in the traditional styling you like without offending the more modern design elements incorporated into the home.

Pardon the typos... Thumb typing at its best!

This is now the age-old conundrum about salability, and it is a myth. The buying public is as diverse as the universe. The reason people buy the cookie cutter homes is because
1) there is nothing objectional about them so a couple can more easily agree. (This does not apply here because this a most likely a single person purchaser, not a couple),
2) someone told them that they should buy the same as everyone else for resale. (that person generally being a Realtor with no more than an eye to making an easy sale, by beating down the price.)

I have been a Realtor in several states, and I have to say that homes that are distinctive sell faster than run-of-the-mill. They stand out as different, and after you've looked at a few homes, anything distinctive is welcome.

In most cases, a mis-guided owner will remuddle a home, thinking that they are making improvements by trying to move its style to the middle of the pack. Their goal is to make it attractive to more buyers. But if achieved, that effort puts you in direct competition with the huge middle of the pack.

I'd always rather be a stylish unique home (as yours is with just a bit of tweaking), competing among a small handful of homes, rather than a bland version competing (and suffering the price competition) with a large number of too similar homes.

It used to be that everyone said you have to buy a 3 bedroom home for resale. However, it never made economic sense to pay mortgage, taxes and insurance for 3 small bedrooms when you could have spent your money on the same square footage used for a larger living room and master, with a modest office/guest room. Today, it is obvious in most places that you are better off buying the later over the former, and those small bedroom homes are a drug on the market.

I suggest that you buy the home that best suits you, instead of trying to mind-read the future buyer with 2.5 children, because there are more people just like a real buyer (your husband), than there are families with 2.5 kids. Any you'll enjoy your home while you are there.

In this case, you are ready to move. Enhance the aspects of the home that drew your husband to it, and you will find that you attract a buyer who can't afford to beat you up on the price because yours is the only house they will be happy with.

A borrowed chainsaw, a little paint, new lamp and numbers, maybe some neat treatment of your entry steps, and you are ready for market. Just don't list with the agents who tell you the house needs to be traditional to sell. They can't represent you. The best agents love selling homes that sell themselves, and that's what you have. Buyers either love or hate modern. And the ones that love your exterior realize they'll have to pay the price because there evidently isn't much to chose from.

No buyer prefers a remuddled ersatz Traditional to authentic modern.

I can't agree more with all of that. ^

I love the style of your house, and agree with most of the suggestions above - removing the overwhelming bushes, larger entry, take out the shutters. As for the windows at the top of the peak, I have just one window (stacked over a square) and hate the verticals inside that window. (Spiderweb perches) I would suggest looking into a gray solar film, that's what I'm thinking about doing myself. Good luck and please post pictures when you are finished!

I'll take the car! I would add some grid work in between the door and your window. I would also ditch the boxwood and add a real nice flower box under the window. Your home IS NOT ugly! I'm moving from Buffalo, NY to Charleston this Fall.
Great city.

You have an awesome home! Don't do too much to change the character... I agree about ditching the boxwood, but other than that, I think it has really terrific curb appeal already!

The house is a gem! Mad Men hasn't hit SC? Please don't touch the posts. Put up a modern trellis or potted tree next to the door if you think it's needed. Remove those bushes and put up a concrete wall or some type of contemporary fencing (search Houzz) to give privacy to the front patio. Even a batten board wall would be inexpensive and match perfectly. Or leave it open and just find a period patio set and paint it a stand out yellow or green. Minimalist mid century modern landscape and you're done! Easy care, perfect home for busy professionals or empty nesters.

This is a great little house!

get rid of the bushes. and do something to snazz up the stoop. those steps look like someone forgot to plan the proper entrance and just tossed those on at the last minute.

ourfarmhouse: What a great rendering job. I would buy that in a heartbeat.

If your dream is a traditional, moving is the answer. To sell this house, don't fight the Mid Century style, go with it and enhance it. The lines are there and it will be too obvious that you are trying to fight it's current style. MCM is hot and will sell. People will want your house, I do! Best mock up is by myfarmhouse. More modern landscape with privacy wall. I'd make sure there is a seating area/courtyard behind the wall at entry. Love the gray ay all the way, but I'd paint the MCM door yellow or lime green - welcoming! Embrace it!

Love it our farmhouse! Looks like some real hip people live there. Especially with that car:)

Love, love, love ourfarmhouse's plan. I'd remove the curved corbels on the roofline, too, although that may be a SC country touch worth keeping. RE: lighting, same style and finish should do it.

Going solar and owning your own power would be great on a property like this. back-up battery solutions,
LED lighting and efficient appliances.

Try to look for traditional rugs and lay them out in different parts of the house. This is very ideal. There are a lot of options that are available in the market. Try to look into the different selections and see to it that you have the exact measurements of your area. That way, you won't waste your money on rugs that you won't be able to use.

curb appeal? nautical porch lights go well with your home exteriors! : )

I would paint the burgundy to a bold yellow. I think of South Carolina as beachy and coastal. I would embrace that your house doesn't look like the rest. I like the idea of the landscaping block, but I do feel that it is taking up too much of the exterior. Maybe look at removing, adding a few shrubs and colorful landscaping in yellows and whites, and add a couple sections of a picket fence. Maybe stain or paint the concrete patio and set up a couple white Adirondack chairs with cushions. I think this would give more of a cozy cottage feel.

Hi there I would recommend replacing the blinds with shutters . They will give you a more modern up to date look .

http://www.blindsdirectcanada.com/shutters-toronto.html

I think that ourfarmhouse is spot on, love the look. I look forward to seeing the final outcome.

Our farmhouse, what is the name of the program you use to do mock-ups? I love the design you came up with and would love to play around with our house and see different ideas in pictures like that.

Donnie, it's usually just plain ol' Adobe Photoshop with a little Adobe Illustrator mixed in for good measure. Thank you for your kind words.

Any progress, lizann?

Yes and no. We haven't killed each other yet, so I'd consider that progress. Over the summer, our area had an abnormally high amount of rain. The garage behind the house ended up with several feet of water in it, so having to deal with that took priority over the front of the house.
We've taken the shutters down and painted the house. The color's very similar, but a shade darker. Just taking the shutters off made a huge improvement!!
Hedge in the front hasn't come down yet, but that's on the list.
Working on trying to find a new front door now.

Yes you have to first deal with water damages because water damages looks ugly, and it is virtually impossible to cover up. Even if you can paint over water stains.When it comes to water damage, wood acts like a sponge .Wood is also especially vulnerable to mold.
It can ruin your electrical system.Water damage can ruin your drywall and can corrode pipes.Dripping water can lead to holes in your concrete.Water can damage metal structures, and insulation. Standing water is a haven for bugs and fungus.

Pebble Stone Coatings provides an all natural concrete overlay for your driveway or any concrete area. With a variety of designs and colors to choose from, you cant go wrong with a product like this. With the pop of color, a bland exterior will gain curb appeal as well as making the home more inviting! Visit www.pebblestonecoatings.com for more ideas and information!

Pebble Stone Coatings is annoying.
Sorry to hear about the water damage, sounds like you've recovered well and are back on track. I can't wait to see the house without shutters.

I agree that your home is nicely painted and that the boxwoods are the main problem. I would suggest that you relocate the boxwoods to the left side of the drive, but have at least five feet of open space between them for ease in mowing and trimming and about ten feet from the drive for ease in opening car doors and exiting. Then, I would suggest that you make a small porch in front of the door so that you can standsecurely while opening the door and add a rail for safety. Then, I believe a ground-level patio across the front of the home would look wonderful, especially if you put the small plants around the outside border and leave a space for walking between the plants on each side. Your home has many nice elements, but the landscaping just needs to be spread out a bit.

Before I create a 3D video presentation of your options (Yes, I am serious, and no I am not selling anything), I need to know, are you still taking suggestions or is your project already complete? This house closely resembles the first house I lived in. I have the template on Sketchup so this a no brainer! The only difficult part for you will be the choices. You have many options. Simple, inexpensive options that will provide your desired curb appeal and then some! Listen to BrickIn; Believe it or not, Your house IS a gem. A rough diamond! We only need to polish it. Let me know if you are still taking suggestions. We can go soup to nuts with this if you want! donflumerfelt@gmail.com

Am I too late?

Old post 2013