My husband recently bought this house, it was not my 1st choice. I need help, it has NO street appeal
The original owners of this house built it with the idea of an old school house in mind. It has some good qualities like being all brick. I struggle with the curb appeal. Would window boxes and shutters be enough to help this?
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These sconces come in some great colors and are made with long lasting porcelain enamel so you don't have to worry that they will ever rust.
http://www.barnlightelectric.com/porcelain-lights-goosenecks-pendants/wheeler-wall-sconces/
Perhaps addintg to the truss to the porch gable, or close it completely with some tradional molding to edge it, fill in the space a bit. Or maybe just a large hanging lantern light fixture. If you can, thicker square corner and newel posts for the stairs would help a great deal. You could also paint the front door gray or another color. Scalloped window shades on the inside or possibly awnings on the outside would help scale down the big windows. Anyway, you would end up with something more Colonial Revival ( a style that emphasizes oversized details and sort of a mixed cottage look) if you did.
This will be expensive, but adding a porch on both sides across the front , maybe with chunky square balasters or Chippendale type railings, or even an open deck and pergola, would do quite a lot to unify the facade and make it feel a bit more inviting. Flattening the slope of the gable and doubling the pillars might help as well. Not school house like, but this house is not very schoolhousish anyway.
Some more trees and landscaping, especially by the sides would help cut down the bulk too, and merge those shapes in better..
I would ;andscape. add the shutters (and the bigger windows on the side of the main house too), and beef up the stair posts a lot to tie in better with the pillars, maybe add window boxes, and see how that works before doing anything else.
If you decide to add a porch or a raised pergola, I would seek the help of an architect to get it right.
http://www.flowerwindowboxes.com/Window-Boxes-Gallery.html
If you are in an area heading into a cold winter, try a fall wreath on the door. This is probably not the door you yourself enter most often (no garage visible). IME, the door you enter is also needs an appearance you like very much. Buy another wreath and big welcome mat for the door you use.
If you post pics and a floorplan here, folks will give you feedback on where to begin.
Perhaps you want to concentrate on function first and then style and give yourself time to plan--the result will be more successful. Meantime, a few inexpensive cosmetic touches will lift the spirits a bit.
As you notice on most of these photos paint and formal urns or pots with flowers or toparies are commonly used next to the door. That alone will make the front more inviting (if it is warm enough to paint--at least 50 degrees or higher), plus maybe a wreath on the door or over the door on the wall in the open gable. Keep the scale very large to fit the oversized scale of the house. Perhaps a pot of branches with leaves and then twinkle lights would do for now.
It might be a good idea to start by consulting a good landscape architect or even a floral designer. You just need something to add some detail and scale to the house. And although the open gable is a bit of a challenge, it maybe can be worked with to give a contemporary spin on Colonial Style, at least for now.
The Churchill Company
Beef up the entry and add a wrap around porch.
If you would like further assistance email. thomascavan@gmail.com or check out my website: Calipre Designs.com
1 - Add a couple of small trees (pick ONE species and varieties that will have a mature size 15-20 feet) that do well in your climate, preferable flowering or fall foliage. Crepe myrtle? Fruit tree? Magnolia? Place them like this: one in line with the front corner of the porch about 10 feet away from that corner, and one in line with the corner of the house, halfway between the first tree and the sidewalk (as long as this doesn't make it within 5 feet of the walk)
Add a third, if you have room, about halfway between the corner of the house and the right front conrer of the yard.
They will NOT be lined up. They will soften the view of the house from the street and give you something pretty to look at out of the windows.
NOTE: that small tree to the right is going to cause you problems unless it's a species that remains tiny ... it's far too close to the house. Remove it now, while it's easy and cheap, and plant some trees The closest planting distance is 1/2 or more the expected mature spread. If the tree is expected to be 20 feet wide at maturity, plant it 10 or more feet from the house. Yes, it looks wimpy for a while, but trees will grow.
2 - Widen the plantings along the walkway by adding perennials and annuals and perennial ornamental grasses. Replace those meatballs with softer-looking shrubs that won't need much pruning. A good proportion for a sidewalk lining bed is 1/2 to 1 times the width of the walk.
3 - Extend the foundation plantings towards the street - on the left, merge them with the walkway plantings. And wrap them around the corners, too.
before you spend a dime, what do you like? Craftsman look or colonial look or more modern look. Once you can answer this together (hopefully) then move into ideas that work for you financially.
An architect to address the pitch of the front porch if you need a total redesign. However, a great contractor can address the pitch, which btw does not match your roofline. very distracting from the basic style of your roof.
this alone may have made you queasy when you first saw it, and every time you drive up.
don't pull up all your boxwoods unless you do not intend to have gardening time. They make a pretty good delineation between areas of your landscape. If you do not like that much lawn, hire a landscape designer. do agree a landing pad at the curb is fine. no boxwoods there unless you are ok with tending to them too.
In the meantime, just get through the front door and start living. Cold weather flowers on a table in the entry will help you breathe a sigh of relief after a long day. don't rush around if you aren't on a strict timeline. by the time better weather arrives -- you will know 1) priority and 2) secondary items.
I'd say shutters and a new door would go a long way. I'd even consider painting the trim around the windows too. I think most people like the idea of black shutters, I'd have to agree. Either a red, dark blue or wood door would be my suggestion.
A nice hanging light fixture on the front entryway would do a lot too.
Good luck!
The meatball bushes have to go. Replace them with plants in a variety of texture and size, but keep the color palette monochromatic. Also agree you need to fill the gable on the front porch. It looks off and hollow. The house has great symmetrical bones, and with a little work, it can look amazing.
But on a different note, "curb appeal" is not today's problem, unless you're planning to flip it. Live with it for a while. See what you think come spring. (The porch isn't right; time won't help that. I'm guessing a previous owner fell in love with a picture and copied it without thinking, or it was her son's HS carpentry project?) But still... you have other things to keep you busy, and it's november.
I know plenty of families where one person had to pick a house in a hurry, often without being able to consult. Phones make showing pictures easier, but even that doesn't solve all of it. No reflection on the health of your marriage at all; more about the stresses of having to move when you don't have time to shop or make a lot of visits to the new town.
My father picked a bunch of the places we live in, the Marine Corps picked more, and my mother probably only had a choice in 3. They're still married, 54 years later. You'll do fine.
If you like the convenience of having shelter on the front door area build up the proportions. The columns are way too thin.
Fill in the gable, add moldings, beef up the pillars and widen the sidewalk.
Most importantly, hire an architect whose work includes classic homes you like. These design challenges are best resolved in collaboration with home owner (s) preferences.
Before you plant anything on the planting strip by the road, check to see if the city plumbing lines run through this area. Also call the gas and electric companies re: buried power lines, they'll send someone out to mark the areas affected with flags.
I hope you just enjoy your beautiful, new house and making personal a little project at a time.
hlk226 - you have a lovely home. As you can see, just needs a few changes.
Lyvonne
www.essentialsinside.com