Exterior home update

12 years ago

last modified: 12 years ago

I am in process of updating the front of my ugly duckling house. I have finished the retaining wall and fence and started the batu deck.
Here is where I am stuck. The idea was to do a horizontal railing and pergola on the deck to hide the awful roofline. But I can't come up with a design I like.

But that isn't the worst part. The uneven off center windows drive me nuts. The window on the right can not get any wider but could be taller or shorter. the window on the left is in a bedroom. But there are no restrictions in size.

Lastly is the paint color/wood combo. The plan had been to do wood door and windows, but I am open to any combo of materials and paint that will help the overall appearance.

I have attached a before and and after so you can see what I have done so far.

help finish my project!

Ryan

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Comments (8)

jeff1185
12 years ago
Retaining wall and fence look great! Huge improvement already. You could add a tall potted plant to the right of the right window and maybe to the left of the door to fill up those spaces.
Rytr
Original Author
12 years ago
thanks Jeff. I am really happy with the fence and the deck (so far) but the actual house is so hard for me to envision.

Here are a few photos of the deck detail to give you an idea of the color and material.
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User
12 years ago
I really like what you are doing so far. There are a lot of pergolas when you search photos for modern style pergolas.

Your fence and retaining wall would be good with a grey / black / natural cedar color scheme. You could do the Hardie board and batten.

Get yourself a different front door - maybe like a 5 panel. With the right pergola you might not feel the need to change the size or location of the windows, unless you wanted to for the inside.

Nice project! Good luck!

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Rytr
Original Author
12 years ago
last modified: 12 years ago
Yeah I am building a new front door with three square lights in it. I am just not sure if I am going to paint it or make it a dark wood. I am also debating on black fiberglass windows and doing a large trim around the windows. But if do the black windows I feel the front door should be painted and not wood.

The door is just a slight off center, so having it blend in would be better than stand out.

Any thoughts on a railing. My original idea was to carry over the horizontal cedar from the fence. But I think it would be to heavy. So i am looking at doing a stainless steel tubing railing. Something that you can see through.
User
12 years ago
A couple exteriors I clipped for my own exterior color scheme.

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User
12 years ago
A top rail of the wood could tie it in with the rest of the fencing. Then cable or aluminum etc below the top rail. For my own home I decided not to do the wide black trim around the windows. It looks good on a larger home. I didn't think I had enough room around the windows on mine.

This is what I was going for.

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Rytr
Original Author
12 years ago
I love both of those. They are right up my alley. I wish i had 1/3 of those rooflines. They add so much dimension and depth. We were going to add a second story, but had our third boy and don't have the energy to take it on.
Rytr
Original Author
12 years ago
I don't think i would do black windows and black trim. to heavy, but rather, black windows and a trim color (light of some sort) I really wish I could do a stained Cedar siding, but that is beyond the scopy of my permit and it is a NIGHTMARE to get anything through our building dept.

Top Rail of wood and cable/tube is a good idea. I may run with that. Thanks,