Aja’s suggestion, definitely, but why not bring the driveway up to the front?

HI -- My brother in law had a backwards house several years ago . I told him to just forget which side was which . Then he put all the usual backyard items etc. to the front and started to decorate the back of the house to make it look like a front . He did it with the landscaping and changing some of the windows and so on. So he moved his vegetable garden to the other side and put in a sidewalk then added a patio/deck area to the former front . I noticed your house has no separation between the exterior and the roof . It's all kind of the same color and texture which makes the house look very flat and dull . If you are planning on a new roof , then have another color like a charcoal or a sandy / tan color . What you could do right now is paint the rain gutters and the fascia and trims in a charcoal /black. Play up the entrance or put in an entrance suited for a house front .It might take you a while to make the changes needed for the switch .

I so agree with judyg.

It's is an excellent suggestion since your home does not appear to have a driveway!

Also,freshen up your already existing flower beds. Clean up the shrubby

You need some flower beds around the house

Shutters on the back always look good!

Plant a hedge to take the backyard-stuff away from view?

Doesn't need to be that high, since the driveway is lower already.

Aja, where have you been? Haven't seen you for a while! :)

Here's some photos to give you some ideas. I'm thinking a ground level deck on the side that extends to the stairs would be lovely.By ground level deck, I mean it would be on ground level in the back area but where the ground slopes it would sit about the level of the block. This would to make a two level deck that surrounds this corner. Rebuild the stairs to have two levels. A short flight up to the ground level deck and turn an go up to the existing deck. A pergola in the corner by the double windows where the house juts out would look great. Maybe consider changing the double windows to French doors or sliders if that works inside. It would be costly but nice to build a three season porch at that location. Its something I've always wanted but still don't have one.
Your home looks like it is in a pretty spot.


https://www.houzz.com/photos/1940s-colonial-revival-remodel-exterior-traditional-exterior-minneapolis-phvw-vp~978766

Thank you all for the comments. I am making room on the other side for the trampoline, but the cloths line and laundry...well, I don't understand. If you are talking about the privacy curtains on the top of the deck, well like I said they are for privacy. During the day they are usually tied back and then we open the ties for privacy when we need them. I probably should have tied them before I took the pics.
I like the ideas of shutters and the "ground level deck to meet up with the other deck. The existing deck is only 3 years old. Below is a picture of what it was like before the deck.
As far as the roof goes, I wish I would have found this site last year, before we had a new roof put on ;-( ..oh well!
Again, Thanks you all for the suggestions. The house is on almost an acre, most of it is wooded but the other side (front side) is on a steep slope with the very front of the property a sheer 70' straight down cliff.

Hap, if it is in the budget, could you build a new deck on the real front, with steps going down to the new driveway which have brought around to the front?

I am sure our creative Houzzers will be able to suggest alternatives for privacy that will not be mistaken for bedsheets drying on your porch/deck!

May we now safely assume that the stairs have been repaired and the garbage cans have been moved out of sight?

yes you may :-) !

Well my suggestion is to build a new porch on the side of the house and landscape it for privacy.

HI -- Would your interior allow you to have a new entrance made on the back to look more like a front door ? Other wise maybe a wrap around deck and stairs etc. would solve that problem .Then access could be for either side .

Looks like at one time there was a front door where the bathroom is now looking at the bricks, perhaps the back was at one time the front of the house?

Some form of latticework or fencing might work to provide some privacy yet allow airflow ...

The best advice is to switch out your "front" + "back" yards. I'd do that today!

I love, love, love your green gables -- this color needs to be repeated for continuity! I suggest a much darker shade of the same green, in a solid color stain*, for all your deck, stairs + arbor wood. You want that beautiful feature to "pop" against the brick instead of blending in.

*Seriously. They have some gorgeous solid color stains. Grab a chart at the paint store + see what looks good against your gables + brick. Don't be afraid to go dark! Everything's kind of a mid-tone or light right now.

Speaking of dark, could you replace your white storm door with a dark brown one? Or is painting an option?

Re: the white privacy curtains -- maybe some natural woven outdoor blinds would look neater + coordinate more with the brick house. Outdoor drapes are very in style, though, + would probably be on sale right now. I'd opt for a natural or tan or wheat color instead of white.

Personally, I'm not seeing any windows that are calling out for shutters . . . however, that window in your gable is too high. It "needs" a large window box under it. I'd choose a dark brown to tie in with your new storm door. Be sure to plant something lush + trailing next spring. Sweet potato vine is always awesome. At Christmastime, decorate it with natural greenery + sparkly lights + large, shiny outdoor ornaments. Festive!

Your foundation + the under deck area definitely need landscaping, + lots of it. Measure the height of both + see what full-sun plants would fit. Fall's a good time to plant, + there are good sales, too! Don't forget to include evergreens winter interest. Nothing's prettier than an evergreen covered in snow.

I think climbing plants make a garden look so established, + all those vertical posts would be perfect. Plant something climbing + fragrant in pots up on that deck. Yumm-O!

I love your house! Good luck + keep us posted! This is fun!

Kay @ redbirdv.wordpress.com

I agree with Aja, but you could block the view from the rear with clever planting , then there is a discovery as people drive around the 'front.'...then remodel the front/entrance elevation !

make the entry as inviting as you can and if possible add a porch around the side and back or awnings over the windows. A nice walkway would go a long way.

Create what you want with landscaping. It does not have to be expensive but you can create nooks and divide spaces very easily. Plant the slow growing items first then fill in with faster growing perennials and annuals. In a few years, you will see your efforts pay off. Good luck. Gardening is a terrific stress-reducer and something everyone can do no matter their skill level. Your library or local parks department will have awesome resources or simply 'google' information for your home office. We just recently moved and have a blank slate to work with. Very exciting. We like to create different areas for the yard. A water feature, a vegetable growing area, an herb garden, Fruit trees, etc. Have fun!!

I agree with several people who have suggested addressing the rear yard functions. Shield the necessary functions with berms with ground cover or dense plantings with height.
The biggest return on appearance and investment would be to rework the deck as a two tiered, wraparound porch with stone or stone-like steps and plantings to cover the concrete footings and foundation piers. Treat the floor boards with medium gray stain or paint, just not brown, as that blends in with the brick and signals deck. Use standard porch railings, pickets and posts that will be painted a crisp white.
The lower deck tier would make the step down towards the driveway and yard more gradual. It can be furnished with a couple of chairs and table and planter garden flowers, but try to keep deck furnishings like dining tables and sofas to the upper deck, out of view from the street. Perhaps a moderately sized, pergola would suggest entrance and provide a bit of shade, as in Dar's last photo.
Lighting is also an important element, architecturally as fixtures during the day and when on at night to further define the entrance and provide safe footing.
The treatment of the windows with shutters and window boxes would add a life to an inactive facade. A lattice with a vine on the blank wall could break down the inexplicable lifeless area of the rear facade.
Lastly, the driveway needs cleanup and definition as in judyg's photo.

As people have suggested ,just extending the deck full width but without the 'pergola' posts and rails. A quality balustrade design like Dar 's picture 3 would be nice but expensive , but the one you've got painted a good colour . This would probably be the most cost effective not too invasive improvement. Then planting !

Once again, I love your green gables + think you need to add some more green.

I suggested a darker green deck -- not the mint you see in the project here, BUT . . .

. . . the dark green of the main house's window sashes would look fantastic!

Notice how it pops against their red siding, just as it would pop against your reddish brick!

I, personally, find your tall pergola posts charming.

Good luck!

Once again, I would like t thank all of you for your wonderful comments. They have given me a lot of great ideas to consider. Kay, I really like your idea of the green and thanks for liking my posts. At night, we have string lights hung above from the house to the outside posts that really make up a romantic evening with a breeze blowing the curtains and the soft lights overhead. It's a great place for me and my wife to unwind after a very long day.
Thanks again everyone. I will take everything into consideration. This is a project I will begin early spring if budget allows.
Hap!

Thanks for being so brave about posting this type of issue. I have a "cape cod style" house that has a walk out basement on the front of the house -- that is -- the side of the house that faces the street. We have had to do so much interior work that the only real work to the outside was roofing, and terraced retaining walls for gardens on each side of the walk out "front'. There is still an awful deck above it with a door that looks like a front door but no steps down off the deck.

It is so CONFUSING for guests to figure out how to get into our house -- enter at the basement??? enter at the side mudroom off a grassy walking path ????

We have been struggling with this idea for a while now -- how to change the "front" to the "side" or make better, more clear, access to the deck and the "front" door.

We don't have the $ for a wrap around porch, with a roof and steps that flow and turn to reach it so that they visually block the lower level. So, we are still fishing around for ideas.

We are adding landscaping "islands" next year to the slope in front of the walk out entrance to visually block the straight view and break up the scale of the landscape more -- we have such a steep sloping driveway!

We are also considering a one story addition to the walk out that has a clear "front" door and a really nice mud room and a pergola to the side to break up the scale of the front face of the house and make it clear that it is OK to enter there -- but that is a big project too.

What ever we do, it will be done in segments and chunks as time and $ allow but with an over arching plan in mind so it ends up looking well in the end.

Good luck with your project and in the mean time, don't fret too much -- people visit to see you -- if they are coming to see the house; well, they really aren't friends :)

I like judyg idea ..the back of your house is very Craftsman looking

If you're on a budget, I recommend using color, the least expensive route, to help define the entrance. Find yourself a wonderful rustic red and paint the window trim, eves, and patio entrance the same color. Shutters would also to be great to help open the look of the smaller windows.

I'm totally with you on the sitting-outside-in-the-evening romanticism! To add to your vibe, may I suggest that you plant 2 big pots-full of annual Moonflowers + grow them to climb up + over your pergola? Here's why:

Moonflower is the evening-blooming, white "cousin" to Morning Glories. Added bonus: they're wonderfully fragrant! White flowers are like little stars in the evening, they "pop" long after other colored blooms disappear in the darkness.

Your brick looks a lot like ours, with a combination of rusts + browns. I think the dark brown door would look fantastic + coordinate beautifully. This isn't the greatest of photos, but it's the only one I could find to share this a.m.

We stained our wood fence the darkest of dark browns, + it's very unusual + attractive, methinks. And added plus: it looks great in the snow!

Well, good luck!

It's me again. As I was composing today's blog post

http://redbirdv.wordpress.com/2013/08/16/siding-choices-plans-2-2-5/

I came across more photos of the items I've mentioned previously.

Since we have similar shades of bricks, please note how nicely the Japanese maples coordinate with said-same.

They prefer part shade.

Oops

Are your gables GRAY and not GREEN, as I first thought?
Signed,
Mrs. Magoo

Kay, they are green as you thought ;-)

My

Just a note about moon flowers -- the seeds are very toxic and they spread by a pod growing from where the flower was and then bursting and scattering when the pod is dry. Children, pets and so on should not have access to moon flowers. They are beauties, though, and a possible option would be white clematis that will climb a trellis too and be a glow of light color in the dark and a nice white contrast plant in the day.