Pat is correct.

You could update it a bit with paint.

@Patricia Colwell Consulting Thank you very much for your input. You are always very active and helpful. I did not know somebody else other than myself can see my idea books. I did not plan to do major remodel for exterior which could be very costly.

@BeverlyFLADeziner Thank you for your input. Do you mean to paint the brick white?

You do not have to do much work to rid yourself of the tudor wannabe. Paint it all the same colour and your tudor will disappear. I would suggest something dark to help those gables blend in more.

Get rid of the gables entirely, what remains (after painting out the mock-Tudor boards) is contemporary.

It looks like a 1970's house with some Tudor style accents.

If you want to change a bit, try painting the underside of the front entry gable white to match the walls. Also paint the small gable's underside on the right of the photo.

It will look much less dark and much more welcoming. You could start with the small gable to see if you like the way the white paint looks since that doesn't require as high ladder.

@sky1122, go into your ideabooks and hit the lock/private button, so no one can see them. You can always open them up again if you want to share later on.

This is a contemporary home that got lost on its way to completion and somehow endured an attempt to present itself as a pseudo-Tudor home. You know the neighborhood esthetics and the community, so I wouldn’t try to second guess that but IF the neighborhood and community is amenable, I would call it contemporary and go with a more modern California contemporary look. This isn’t an easy task since we have to deal with the A-frame gables, the Tudor-style diamond pattern windows, the herringbone brick pattern at the entry, and the decision to deploy Tudor styling on the second level — however, it can be done in stages and I can imagine some gorgeous elevations that would provide you with a beautiful contemporary home.

The easiest approach is going to be rethinking the paint and painting out the Tudor elements on that second level. You have a dark brick which could also be painted and I’d experiment with a gray, white, and black palette to start. Since you didn’t include your budgetary restraints, I’ll leave off there but you have a great deal of opportunities: replacing the windows with quality casements, taking the gables away, restyling that balcony area above the porch (guessing it doesn’t get a lot of use as is), creating a front-entry courtyard, and adding in some curb appeal with plantings.

It looks like a fun project! Good luck.

@BeverlyFLADeziner Gave you good visuals. Painting the timber and house all the same or the house white and the timber light gray will change that house immediately. And @Patricia Colwell Consulting is absolutely right about the exterior and interior “matching”.

@apple_pie_order You are absolutely right. It is from 70s.

@chiflipper Thank you for letting me know. I have a lot of things in my idea book which is old and unrelevant now. I just don’t want it to be confusing.

@Dray Wharton Thank you very much for the reply. We are gonna change whole house windows. I am thinking any of these styles.

Hopefully it is a fun project, not a painful one. It is not a good timing for us, but we have to do it, at least interior and windows.

@RedRyder Talking about we don’t have to match interior with exterior, if we consider resell value, is it best to keep it consistent?

Hmmm. I think a lovely interior speaks for itself. Some people will want your neighborhood and schools and care less about the house. Some people will love the exterior and take on the interior to redesign to please themselves. Others will love your interior design. You have NO IDEA what will help sell your house when you list it. Right now, anything with 4 walls and a door sells where I live (Nashville) so it didn’t matter what homeowners chose to do outside or in. Do what YOU want so you’re happy. Designing for some unknown future invisible buyer does not make sense unless you will sell within the next couple of years.

If that’s the case, a realtor will give you better advice around how to design to sell.

Do you need to replace the windows? Do the windows that you now have contain removable grilles within them? Check and see. You could get a new, more contemporary look, by removing the diamond grilles.

Not at all sure how to do construction-wise, but if possible, I'd remove the slanted sides of the A that are below roof level. But I'd leave the pointed part of the A above the roofline just to add some interest to the basic shape of the home.

Are you just moving in or have you lived there a while? Does the exterior need a complete new paint?

I concur with MJLB: lop off the gable section on the right at the roofline and at the balcony on the left. Then repaint in softer colors. After that all you need is some landscaping. The images others have shared illustrate the softer colors perfectly.

It is a faux Tudor/chalet ranch! You really have to wonder what kind of drugs the builder was taking back in the 70’s.

I think that you have good advice from the Houzz community so far. Start with paint to tone it down and unify it while you consider your options and gather your resources for future projects. Of the windows that you posted, I would go with the single pane ones if your goal is to de-Tudorize it.

Nice house as is but probably would seriously consider painting the dark vertical and angled boards that are against the white background (that are not actual window trim) or just remove them.

@RedRyder I think you are right. There are lots of uncertainties when we sell the house. I should focus on what we want now.

If you ”un-tudor” your house it will just be a boring 70s block house. The proportions and fenestration will not be a pleasing contemporary.

I live in an 1973 neighbourhood of Tudor style houses. IMO unless the peaks in the roofline are removed and the whole front changed, attempts to de-Tudor have not improved these homes. The last one, unchanged since it was built, is the most attractive to my eye.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Can anyone give her a rendition of the house with the brick at the bottom being white? I wonder if that would make the house more uniform and the interesting timbers would look better. My eyes are confused when I see the various elements. Somehow, it needs to be more cohesive and taking away the timber’s may be the wrong move.

@Partim is right about “remuddling” the outside so it’s got NO character whatsoever!

Good landscaping would improve this house a lot. Start with some evergreen shrubs that , at maturity, will be in proportion to the house. Taller ones where there are no windows. Nothing trimmed to balls. I lack the skills to mock this up, and as I was trying to do so my spouse came by and said "Hmm, nice house".

The comments on "Tudor wannabe" make me smile. No North American home is a "real" Tudor. I still like them.

I would maybe go lighter with the timbers, but wouldn't remove them. I definitely wouldn’t replace the awesome and very charming diamond paned windows.

Example:

https://julieblanner.com/goodbye-yellow-brown-house/

@Jinx - The article is extremely helpful. @sky1122 - please click on the link to the article. It’s super helpful.

While it's a wannabe, the cost of deconstructing it far outweighs that of maintaining the theme. And smaller changes look, well, amateurish slapdash.

A 1970s Tudor look subdivision house we bought this summer. Were we given to changes, it would be to return to the original green and white theme.

And a block away the same model "modernized".

(At least, they spared us shudders!)

@sky1122 I like those windows… very simple casements. You’ll know best what weather requirements you’re trying to address and if you have any unique considerations when selecting your vendor. I live in the Rocky Mountains at 5,300’ ASL and I was forced to change out my builder-grade windows when they failed due to improper installation about 10 years into the life of my house. I selected casements from Marvin’s Infinity series. These are pretty good for my needs - they are double-paned with Low E3 glass and the windows are made of Ultrex (it’s a fancy term for reinforced fiberglass). My big concerns were addressed with the replacement: reducing heat gain in the summer, reducing UV rays that were destroying fabrics and finishes in my interior, and of course, the proper installation of the windows. I’m happy with the purchase and it was a big job: 71 panes. You will find windows at many different price points. Do what is smart for your budget. I was pitched a more expensive “architectural” window (more detailed finishes) but my neighborhood is full of only semi-customs and I really thought the architectural window would be overkill.

Unfortunately, had I know where trends were going, I would have opted for black frames as you’re showing here. Those will work really well in a contemporary setting. I’m not a fan of the divided light inserts unless you’re in a historical replication or the very popular “farmhouse” style that’s been popularized on HGTV. But if you like them, use them! They can fit into a contemporary home plan.

Finally, in my opinion, all projects are fun if you keep your objective in mind and periodically step back to think about how you’ve increased your home’s value, improved the visual appeal of your home, and found some personal satisfaction in taking on a task that will provide enjoyment for years to come. Keep us apprised of how it’s going!

I agree, it’s a Tudor wannabe, a ranch house dressed up in cladding. Geeze, what’s better, making a more genuine looking Tudor or making it a contemporary? The cost of real wood and hiring wood craftsmen throughout the home would be very expensive and narrow the pool of future potential buyers. Making this home contemporary would be cheaper and have greater resale value. I’d go contemporary. Don‘t try to hide the Tudor elements. Highlight them, but then I would go extreme contemporary to contrast with the existing Tudor elements, like I.M. Pei‘s pyramids at the Louvre.

Challenge: Try not using any paint whatsoever in the interior. Having to repaint ruins finishes and furniture. A No Paint House will age gracefully.

Challenge Number 2: No canned recessed lighting anywhere in the home, not even in the kitchen nor bathrooms. This trend has got to go the way of acid washed jeans.