Seek a talented architect to do the designing. I have seen too many poor designs of the style you are looking for.

You do color blocking.

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Oh, I know that I'll need a great design. It will be quite a statement so it better be perfect. I feel like it is possible with what I have now, I hope I'm right.

You can see the rear of the building kind of lends itself to the multi-material look and yes... with some color blocking. If you look close you can see the smoke damage on the glass inside the garage doors. The portion of the living space above the garage is smoke damage and needs to be gutted.

The couple of hundreds of thousand spent on changing your houses’s dress will net exactly 0 in additional value. And might actually result in a big loss. Those are all overblown and try too hard. Yours has a simplicity that would only be enhanced by stripping it down a bit more. Not adding on gaudy costume jewelry.

IMO, your inspirations are all ugly. Yours is much nicer. Simplicity has a certain elegance that should be valued.

I am with live_wire_oakyou have to be careful about spending high $$,$$$ upgrading with net 0 value. It is not clear to me if your house is multi-family/tenant structure or not.

If you are bothered by the garage(s) giving these doors and trim a different color and installing lights above each of them, to break the tall wall, may help.

In general it is upgrading to a larger windows and giant doors... But once you started tearing your stucco.....

IMO those perforated panels are something I would not do. IMO color blocking would work well with that house but you will need some guidance to get it right. I really dislike the back of the house but not sure how important it would be to spend money on it since you have no back yard to speak of and it faces what appears to be an alley but since there is work to be done on that side then I would look at alrger windows if there is something worth seeing out of them . Is this a single family home? I find all the overgrowth really does not work with the house . A much more structured landscaping would be better. This could be quite an amazing house but you need real pro help to make it better and not just $$$$ down the drain.

A new paint combination chosen with the advice of a professional paint color consultant could get you an updated look without changing the structure. Also, you have a green thumb for the plants- hire out the careful pruning and rejuvenation work that needs doing before the painters start hacking things back to get to the walls and moving the large pots. Bigger pots in striking colors make a bold statement.

This is a triplex. I live in the front and rent the 2 units out in the back, furnished. I like having tenants 1 or 2 months at a time but I have to hustle to find those people and I'm ok with that. I'm empty for now because of the fire and booking will be tough for a while after all the travel interruption. I'm trying to prepare for that.

I've been told in the past by younger tenants that they selected my units because it is was one of very few modern design furnished units available... I get them to pay a premium price. NOW, my city has hundreds of modern style rental units being built as we speak and coming on the market in the next couple of years. I'm looking to compete for the young tech crowd coming to the city on business and I will have some great-looking modern style competition. The look of the building makes a difference to these renters and their friends that visit them. I'm not so sure pouring a little money into the facade will be money lost in the long run.

I am hearing from you guys that I could do less than a total makeover to make the place more impressive. I'm certainly open to saving money. How about a partial screen on just my unit? It would address some long term issues including the railing being too low, the need for more privacy on the rooftop deck, and a windbreak for the gusting winds we sometimes get. I've photoshopped it below. I would also add a shade structure up there that will take more time to render. What do you think?

The shaggy trees to the left in the picture of the rear are my neighbors and drip sap on cars... I'd love to prune them. The big bushy plants on my property are privacy screens of bamboo. I could make them more leggy and thin them. The clinging wall vines are usually kept more manicured!

Apart from what other have said I like the cladding on the 3rd example.

Your house is pretty monolithic and bland for sure! It lacks texture and contrast, so I understand your desire to install a screen. Some color blocking would help as well. Here's a cool Aussie home with color and texture variation.

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Here's another color block and cladding idea. Try to think out of the neighbors' boxes when selecting something to add to the house.

Block Colour Extension - Richmond · More Info

I'm not suggesting this color, but if you want to paint the whole house, consider an ombre effect using a light pastel palette. Your garage doors are already giving this impression in the photo, so you might just play with the idea of continuing to use those smoky blues Could be a sharp look if done right.

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Ombre is interesting... I'll try photoshopping something later. The glass garage doors are ombre now with a gradation of soot from the fire... it's a mess in there.

I love the simplicity of your exterior, and think just having the stucco (or whatever it is), touched up and freshly painted would do wonders. The style reminds me of bauhaus.

Pay an expert. Those screens are not attractive. There are things that could be attractive, that fit your house. You need the experts.

Well, that is nice of you. I have a huge project with the fire restoration in front of me with about 33% to 50% of the building needing to be gutted from interior smoke damage. I want to make sure the place is as transformed and updated as it can be after all this.

Your house is not dated at all. In fact many houses in my area are being built to look similar to yours and are going for multi-millions.

My friend is undergoing the same trauma from a bathroom heater fire. It is a painful process! She also learned that her husband renewed the insurance and didn't get full coverage!!!

I agree with the above people saying your house looks better than all your inspiration houses. You just need some fresh paint.

The real question is what will attract the young tech crowd to rent from you, not what any of us think. Do you have repeat business or are most of your guests a once and done? If they are once and done is it because they don't come back to your city or is it because something was not right? Have they recommended your home to their friends? Have you surveyed past guests? What do you know about your competition? How do you obtain the marketing data you need to be successful? Is the young tech market large enough to sustain the glut of potential competitors?

Large corporations using short term independent contractors or housing executives while they find a permanent home usually recommend a few local real estate agents that help find housing. Have you talked to those real estate agents?

I think you need good data to make a solid business decision rather than design advice from a mostly residential design site.

Agree with a few of the above comments - your home is a gem - as an Architect, I'd hate to see you or another owner bastardize it with the wrong approaches. Not suggesting treating it as historic and cannot be changed although that's an option. Since you asked - I'd strongly recommend working with a talented, licensed, insured Architect. They can guide you through a host of factors you may not have considered and introduce you to materials pros and cons. If I were your Architect, I'd ask you about updating the look - keeping with modern - but discovering what your house would be as a 2021 modern - including a better energy envelope and improved curb appeal. Not sure if this is a good fit for us - we're picky about the clients we take anymore - open to discussing as you really do have a diamond in the rough. Yes. We work nationally. Regardless - find a good Architect whomever that may be.

Thanks all, there is no question younger people book my place because they like modern interiors. My biggest clients are parents in town to visit their adult children, usually for a birth/wedding... again the kids pick the place, not the parents. Those parents come back about once a year. When the tech crowd rents its usually for months and then I never see them again.

I just thought since I have 700k or so going into a renovation I should think about an update to the exterior a bit at the same time. (The building was just painted but I see it could use a power wash after the rainy season.) I hear from a majority of you that a huge update is not necessary. However, I do want shade on the rooftop deck, more privacy, sound containment, and wind protection as well. If all that can happen on the front of the building and also enhance not detract from the curb appeal, that is what I will focus on.

Paul,

Fire/smoke damage - get your architect to negotiate your insurance payout - we've been successful in getting more insurance $ than they offer in almost every case. Your income property has 3 values; replacement value (depends on who prices that how accurately), market value ("comps" difficult when you have a gem - you may need help with that) (once improved, that number much improved - leverage), income approach (current income vs. what the market will bear once improved - know your market - give them what they want - charge accordingly.

Be cautious about power washing any kind of house cladding.

As I mentioned before my property was damaged in a fire and while I was fixing the place I wanted to somehow update the curb appeal. Many of you said the exterior wasn't a pressing issue. I've kinda cooled on the concept of a ventilation curtain cladding but still want some improvements to the front rooftop deck to make it more usable in the hot summer months and to provide some protection from the rain and wind.

Do you think a shade structure up there will enhance or detract from the look of the place? I did my best to photoshop it into place. I'd use curtains to soften it and to make it more cabana-like. It is a louvered roof that opens to for more of a slatted trellis. I also need to raise the handrails about 8 inches to make it safe up there so maybe I'd add 1-foot tall ombre sand-blasted panels of glass that gives the effect of white smoke rising around the rails.

BTW... I can make that shade structure up there ANY color I want. The frame can be one color and the interior roof with the paddles closed can be another. If I do it I would match the frame to the existing galvanized metal and make the ceiling white.

Any input would be appreciated!

Well we only have one photo of the house, but the white stucco is beautiful. Hard to see any details, but I agree that your house is better than anything posted.

Here are some pictures of a unique home in Mexico that might provide you with some inspiration.

I think your photoshopped shade structure looks great. I'd choose a modern style pergola. you can even get louvered style slats for the top that you can open or close depending on where the sun is. or some people weave fabric in and out of the slats.

or if you didn't want wood, I'd suggest a lighter color. don't make it stand out.

Greek villa inspiration

I really like the simplicity of your house. I would agree that I think it looks better than your inspirations and I would not color block or add a bunch of cladding because I think it would take away from the clean, simple, modern design.

Instead I would recommend making the entry more welcoming with planters and plants. Right now I see some planters with low plants on the steps. But what about making that ledge with the blank wall have some planters with taller plants that would add a more lush experience to the entry? You could share more pictures of that area and I bet some of our landscaping experts would have great suggestions.

I love your idea of adding a more substantial shade structure to the upper deck. It looks nice and would add some great functionality.

Thanks, Beverly and Anna for the inspiration photos. The place was designed by the Cuban owners years ago to look like a Miami property the neighbors told me.

BF... I would be putting on a Renson motorized pergola that has a rain sensor! The building already has galvanized accents so I'd just match the color for the frame and use a white ceiling.

https://www.renson-outdoor.com/en-us/aluminum-pergolas/algarve

Prickly, I'm glad you like it! I did a design dilemma on the front yard a while ago and got some good feedback. My city was paying people to change their landscaping to low maintenance... so I went for it. The weeping juniper died so that is no longer there. I agree I need better entry plants/planters at the front door though!

wow, those are really beautiful pergolas. nice choice. now I want one!