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inkwitch Well, I can see the purpose for it -- light for that upper section, but you're right. What were they thinking? Building a facade that fills in that gap -- and it's hard to tell just where the wall actually exists -- so that hte line looks uniform and continuous might be your best bet. That leaves the "slot" open to the rear, which no one will see. Painted and trimmed like the existing facade, it would blend seamlessly. Consult a professional. And Good Luck!

John Dwyer Architect I might try and visually connect them with exposed rafters and a sculpted ridge beam. Look at some of the traditional scandinavian stave homes for inspiration. It also may be nice to extend the overhangs and give it a substantial fascia. You may also want to go with a new exterior color. Depending on your taste, a rusty red, a dark charcoal, or even some accents of ipe wood could go a long way.

Kris Reynolds I would put a Bahama shutter in the gap. Use a large double shutter and have it slanted down towards the roof line. We did this to our house, it really brought a lot of charm and curb appeal. You can get them at most large hardware stores and they are easy to install.

TJP Designs and Construction LLC I can’t grasp what’s going on between the garage and the gable roof beyond? There appears to be a parapet wall extending up beyond the garage roof (on the left) – is there a courtyard? Do the two gable roof sections line up to each other? Could be as simple as filling in the missing gable with a wall, shingle the top edge, and put a decorative gable vent up there – as if the roof is all there behind it! But, it’s probably not that simple!

TanCalGal I like it. Paint all white trim , garage doors etc. charcoal like the roof. Stucco lighter gray.

Click here to read about the Sawtooth roof:

Kris Reynolds that sounds great , I like the colors you suggested but to answer the question, what would you do about the gap? Looks like a diastima, a large space between the front teeth

anitajoyce How about shingle siding on the upper triangular part at the top. In honey brown or your choice of colors. It would add a nice welcoming architectual feature to the house. I would paint the garage doors in a darker shade of the blue that's on your house also.

lorethor I would have a wood panel built to fit the gap. Sort of like a fence, but consider doing horizontal wood strips that are quite close together. You could paint it to blend in with the body of your house. You could do all kind so variations on this panel. My guess is that it would be a pretty cheap and easy solution.

The Virtual Designer- Kitchens & Bathrooms Definately change the colour, either make it all white and crisp or go very bold with charcoal tones. I agree with John Dwyers suggestions above...bring out the Scandinavian look.
When I first saw your picture, my immediate reaction was 'look at that garage"... I'd suggest ripping the roof off the garage and extending the brick work up a few feet and creating a concealed, flatter roof. Consult with a builder to see if thats possible. With the facade of the garage bigger,bolder and very modern, it would also go a good way to covering the gap of the peaks.
It appears that one side of the twin peaks is closer to the front than the other? That is, they are not level? Once again you could use colour to highlight this fact by choosing a different tone and featuring it. Take a look at the Behr Paint (modern houses) website for more inspiration. Another suggestion would be to cladd one side in cedar cladding, trim the bits that are curently white, also in cedar and go to a wide cedar single door for your garage.
PS Us Aussies spell color with a u between the l and the r.
Good luck. I think you'll make it look stunning.
Ann4- The Virtual Designer

Defined Design Like the idea of a ridge beam - make it look like pergola, sort of. Center ridge beam, with slats going down to existing points. Continue the slats on the front gap, so it makes it seem like there is a terrace in between the roof sections, Put one continuous arbor over garage doors (look at Walpole Woodworkers for these) so it connects all of it together and downplays garage roof - it looks like it would be too large an undertaking to change that. Certainly paint - the blue is pretty awful for that style home - like the ideas of the charcoal colors, and the new wood accents could remain in a warm natural wood tone as an accent. Rip out that bubble of a shrub on the left, widen walk out with pavers or concrete, and curve it more gently further down the drive, so you feel where entry is and it doesn;t just look like a garage with a house attached. Also limb up the tree in front to further open up the entry. Paint garage doors same color as body of the house for the same reason.

Dar Eckert I agree with Jon Dwyer, continue the roof line up to a central peak with rafters exposed. Maybe trim out the opening so that it would have an appearance similar to a window.

benny_terry I've always discovered that with a much darker colored body (Charcoal) and black trim, these style of houses actually look both modern and interesting. I think that the color of the house makes the style look dated, but with a sleek, modern, dark color and either stainless or brushed-nickel fixtures, the house would look amazing. Could you drag your picture into a paint program and change the color to give you an idea of the different looks that could be achieved with just paint?

stevebluestein The problem is not the roofline...it's the materials on the garage... and the color... reroof with a metal roof and put on modern, streamline garage doors...maybe stainless steel panels. Then paint with a more modern color... charcoal grey, yellow and red... don't fight the style embrace it and made it work.

ljrock Thanks everyone for your input- such good ideas!

Natalee I would have a contractor add a "fake front" to it. Have him add a piece of ply wood that is shaped like a normal roof line to go over that space and just use it for aesthetics. It's just the look that is bad not the functionality so leave the back and top open.. You could even add a fake window if need be. I say just piece it in but make it look like it belongs. A little "curb appeal" is all you need. Good luck.

Christine Fake front. Make it out of the same materials as what is existing and then invest in painting the whole exterior.

Stonecoat Stonecoat it................. old world back to the future.....

Studio S Squared Architecture, Inc. Very interesting roofline! Looks like there is a flat roof well behind the garage mansard roof as well? Wonder what the purpose of that was/is. Lots of good suggestions above, please post a before and after when you are done with the fix!

Dar Eckert Can you take a photo of the roof from a couple of angles so we can see what it looks like from a couple of angles?

Dar Eckert It looks like the top of a pediment. So just add a flame to the center..ha ha

Monique Jacqueline Design Would love to see a photo that shows the rest of the home's front. I love the grey with lighter white trim. As for your direct question, dependant upon the rest of the homes features, I love the idea of the shutter detail!
Cheers!
m.

mzparker I agree with the update ideas. Get rid of the wood shingles, repaint and
...and then trim the tree on the left!!
Landscape! Brighten up the front door to bring the eye to the front of the house, lead people in not over the top.

lionscale Have you considered getting something custom made out of wrought iron. It could be attached in the opening. You could be creative or simple in design but it would give an architectural interest. You have two options to secure it....A frame made to blend in with existing trim or leave the iron sides exposed and simply attach it to the sides/bottom. You may be able to find some that already exists and repurpose it to fit in that space. I think that could be such an interesting touch. Be sure to post the after shots when you have made your decision.

mcbriec If you would like the outside of the house to look traditional, I 200% agree with the decorative "fence" idea which would fill in that big gap in the front. Perhaps a false dormer window could fill that gap and give the facade some dimensionality.

designboy I say, embrace it! Change the garage doors to something more modern, like frosted glass panels. Paint the house a gray color, and go more modern. It will all come together. Xo

Paradise Restored Landscaping & Exterior Design Your landscape and trees frame the gap beautifully - I ditto mzparker - change your sight-line from curb by re-directing focus -

chaski I can't figure out what's going on in this picture. What's with the shingled "roof" over the garage doors? Is it an overhang? THAT is the eyesore in my opinion. The garage seems to be 3' deep! Is that an open courtyard beyond the shingled area? It looks like the architect wanted to let light into the house....hence the odd solution for the house's roof that you object to...and the open courtyard?/garage.
Right now it's a hodge-podge look.Want to go for a cleaner, more contemporary look? I would suggest ripping out the shingled overhang--if that's what it is--and finishing that front garage-doors-wall like the side walls of the "courtyard"--with a straight horizontal trim across the front over the g. doors.
The next problem is the house color...it's a mismatch with the "modern" roof line. Like others have suggested, go darker to give the house a more contemporary look--a darker-than-barn-red red, say, w/ charcoal or dark gray trim.Paint the garage doors the same color as the house.The white trim emphasizes the roof and wall angles--i'd keep that emphasis, but change the trim color...paint the roof line trim and the newly finished garage-doors-wall trim a darker hue than the newly painted red house. I think you'll end up with an interesting, contemporary-looking house.
One more thing....get rid of those rounds stepping stones.Serve no purpose other than cluttering up the stone edging.

swi2522 see architect by Pursley Dixon Architecture contemporary house
add long cupala to joint the two roofs with windows

loulou64 I think that you should embrace it. I'm with j222b, I actually like it. Highlight its uniqueness with something bold as suggested by j222b.

J.T. Design Might just want to have fun with it. This was an interesting architectural element that might make more sense visually

cyn222 How about slat wood to make it look like it blends, but leave the light in upper window.

cyn222 How about slat wood to make it look like it blends, but leave the light in upper window.

pjtime I'm with John Dwyer or J. T. Design on this one. The slat or Bahama Blinds look too flat on top. An extension of the fascia to join both sides would unify the roof line and the little window it would make would add interest. Some of the Scandinavian houses I've seen online have fretwork in those windows and it would add visual appeal to the front, but even that wouldn't really be necessary. They also overlay the facia like you would add crown molding inside to add architectural interest and grace so adding additional fascia could offer the same look. The design would lend itself to this home. It doesn't seem like that would be such a difficult fix either.

I also liked J. T.'s idea of rounding out the opening with another fascia. It looks pretty good and doesn't look like it would be a complicated process. Lionscale's idea with the wrought iron could be pretty cool if you have access to a welder.

www.etsy.com/shop/NewJerseyAccents I have a friend who just purchased a home that they are renovating before they move in. She posted this picture today. Her house is very much like yours.

victorianbungalowranch JT Design is offering a PostModern look aka Miichael Graves, Phillip Johnson and Robert Venturi. Big about 20-30 years ago, about the time your house was might have been built. Could be fun IF that look is continued with the rest of the house--oversized pillars, pediments, stucco geometric ornament and so forth used in unexpected ways. Sort of mid-century meets Cyclops' neo-colonial. It can be fun, but it is hard to get right without looking like something out of Miami Vice--lots of pink and turqoise shopping malls rotting away were built in thisstyle.

You have a shed style house, which was popular from the mid 60s to the mid 80s. Blue is not the right color for it--earth tones suit it better, such as charcoal grey, various shades of brown or tan. Yours is unusual to be in stucco. If that is a flat roof or cut out roof on the garage, I can see putting a door in the half gable and putting a cable or panel type railing there to make a nice deck. That could help balance the facade as well.

If you look at http://www.houzz.com/discussions/236908 for another shed house, you will find links and other details to get ideas and learn more about it.

Wikipedia had an article about shed style houses and you will see a famous Robert Venturi house--your house almost looks like a mini-version with facing clerestories.It was originally painted green and then it was painted blue, and apparently it is green again. It is considered the ancestor of both PostModern and Shed style homes. It has been painted various shades of green during the past 50 years, but looks blue in some light. Perhaps the architect of your house was inspired by his example.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanna_Venturi_House
http://archpaper.com/news/articles.asp?id=5377

greenthumb2 A facade would be a relatively simple fix. Many buildings are "faced" with something interesting. Depending on where you live and snow, wind conditions -- these should be considered. If your climate is rather moderate, you'll have more options. If your budget is really tight, go earthy (avoid the blue/white look in your picture, or something super modern/utilitarian.

greenthumb2 a pretty good article. http://www.studiom.com.au/home-ideas/home-exteriors/materials-and-facades
enjoy that project. I think you could embellish what you have or cover it with a new look. Nice to have options....