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Help with front house design

3 years ago

We are building a new home and are having a hard time making the front look special. I’ve included two (somewhat rough) renditions. Please give any ideas and opinions on pitch, dormers, windows, anything! Thank you!

Comments (16)

  • 3 years ago

    A house is not one side. All sides need to work together. What does the rest look like and how does it relate to the plot and also how does the exterior relate to the interior.

  • 3 years ago

    Anything? would be to take off the stuck-on facades to simplify this side and spend the money on the rear where it'll be for your enjoyment. McFarmhousing one side is not attractive, imo.

  • PRO
    3 years ago

    Is there a second story?

    Are those fake dormers?

    What area will the house be built?

    Are there other houses nearby?

    How flexible are you in making changes?

    What designed this (architect, house designer, draftsman, builder, stranger in a bar)?

  • 3 years ago

    Not loving those large double gables, with all that siding above, which makes your windows look squat.

  • 3 years ago

    The barrel vault and the curved gable nested to one side of a normal gable don’t work at all. and and, tbh, it might work better without the big gables at all.

  • 3 years ago

    Thank you for your replies… well, for the constructive ones. This is a one story. Dormers are just for looks. It is in the country on two acres. Nobody really near us. We have a simple pole barn/shop/mother in law home 50 feet to the right. It’s white with a black roof.

  • 3 years ago

    Also, the interior will have several arched doorways and a very slight Spanish feel. That’s why we were thinking the barrel and arched dormers or windows.

  • 3 years ago

    Who is designing this home? You? Are you a trained architect?

  • 3 years ago

    Two large gables without windows and two dormers with windows is a bit silly. You need to decide if you want the house to look like its a story and a half or one story.

    I would probaly put windows in the gables and skip the fake dormers.

    The rest of it needs some more sophisticated detailing but that might be difficult with the software you're using.

  • 3 years ago

    What climate and orientation is the home? The overhangs and their height above the windows will influence how much light gets into the house, how much rain hits the windows, etc.

  • 3 years ago

    We are in the Midwest and the house faces the south.

  • PRO
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    We are building a new home and are having a hard time making the front look special.

    Are you really building or still designing?

    What makes a house look special to you?

    Who is doing/did the design?

    Seeing the floor plan will help others help you. There are probably things about the plan that could be improved, and it tells us why the house is shaped the way it is, and what rooms are across the front.

  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Pushing the cross gables to the ends of the main roof creates an awkward roof rake to eave transition, lowers the cornice line and weakens the overall strength of the design.

    Try pulling the gables away from the corners and let them be the main design idea with a continuous dormer bettween them instead of the little colonial dog house dormers. The result is a Shingle Style house. These elements, fake or not, are expensive so use them for maximum effect. If you're going to copy, copy something great.

    Grey Gardens (below) sold for $15.5 million in 2017 and was then restored




    Estate sale


  • 3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    It's easier to make a point with a sketch although this one got a little sloppy..




    I think the little nested gable on the right is unnecessary but perhaps a mandatory gesture to modern building trends.

    I would frame the roof with rafters and a subfloor as an investment for retirement.

  • 3 years ago

    I like the arch at the entry in your first image much better than a filled-in space over the entry. It gives a cottage feel to it  I like the roof-pitch modifications res2architect made. Whatever roofline you consider, please follow through to carefully plan out the resulting gutters and figure out where the downspouts will be and where the walkway to the entry will be. Water will shed from the left side of the roof over the entry and will have to come down the column on the left but not the right. Don't let water pool close to the house trapped in a gap between a sidewalk and the foundation. Plan for long runs and landscaping to hide it and then absorb it. You could add a downspout to all three columns so you don't make any of them look lopsided and to reduce water flow from any of them. Make sure your columns are hefty enough that the downspouts dominate, and make them matching colors.

  • 3 years ago

    Thank you so much for these last few comments. Res2architect, thank you for the pictures! I will keep you all posted!