SFGate

Sandi Another photo

Sandi Another step will be added and widened

Sandi Also, since I need to keep the siding, what color stone would go best?

chikachika What about a porch railing? I would paint the chairs your favorite, get some fluffy cushions, add a round wicker table painted the same color and pots of colorful plants! I just used Lowes spray paint and it was the first time my arms were not a new color!

Trish Some tallish evergreen to the left of the windows that are on the right side of the house Like sky pencil. I agree with the railing. Bulking up the door trim would be nice but I think the door itself is OK, can you remove the kickplate,? Craftsman style screen door is a lower budget alternative to new front door, and packs a punch. I'd skip the stone. Good Luck.

Sandi It's winter here in Ohio , that empty space does actually have plants that get pretty large in the spring. I finally talked my husband into a new door so I'm getting one;) what colors would you put with the light grey / blue siding? Not sure about a railing, we had one when we first moved in and it seemed to block the view from inside and make the tiny porch feel even smaller.

Sandi What about bigger trim around the windows?

rosecottagehome Your home has some lovely landscaping on the walk up.....the White Birch, shaped globe Boxwood ( I think). You may want to consider covering the cement on the front porch with natural slate tiles. We did that to ours and it was not difficult and made a huge difference to the impact of the entrance way. I would also add a large pedestal urn to the left of your doorway that you can change what goes in it to match the season. You may want to add some foundation planting on that wall out to the right side of the door way, possibly a trellis with a flowering vine such a Clematis, or Climbing Rose ( if enough sun),to add some interest to that large expanse of wall, as well as some Boxwood shrubs. Before you spring for a new door, try painting the one you have, possibly black. A black door looks nice with slate tiles. if you like the door, the money saved could go for a larger, light on the wall to the left of your door, something that adds some Wow. Lastly a new decorative iron bench with a few cushions to give a bit of colour. Have fun, Your home is lovely.

Sandi Great ideas thanks
You have my wheels spinning. That door is a mess! I have painted it 4 times! Our three little boys have beat it up pretty bad ;) now that they are a little older I think it's safe to invest in a new one... I think . Do you have any pictures of the slate you used?

Jayme Hobbs Brick or stone on the bottom would look good, but prob. can get by cheaper with another material...your roof line is different than many Craftman style homes, but u can still add in Craftsman details like u are planning...make sure contractor keeps it in scale with your home. Some examples of brick with grey siding/and other types of columns.

Sandi Yes! That's exactly what I have in my head.

rosecottagehome I do but on a CD back home and we are away. We bought the slate tiles at Home Depot and used a dark grey mortar to set them in. They had to be sealed after they set. I can't tell you how they held up over a few winters, because we sold our house. The new owners loved the porch. It looked great with our black front door and iron bench. Go for that new front door!

Jayme Hobbs I am wondering about your roofline and the close proximity of the front door to the garage and making the new portico roof line like the one in the pic...I know it can be done/but if u do not want to spend the money to mess with that soffit/roof line I think Crftman detailing could be added with working with the roofline u have and changing out your columns...so hope u get it done the way u like and want!!

Sandi I hope so jayme;) thanks for your help :)

Sandi What do you think about adding a arbor over the garage and maybe the windows on the right ? Would that look weird? I wish I could find a computer program (free) that you could play around with all this.

Sandi Don't you think that post by the door needs to be moved over?

Jayme Hobbs i think that column does need to move over a little or at the very least, not go any further towards the door if they wrap the ones that are there. You are thinking of a pergola over the garage door? LOVE those. Whoops the wood one cut off in the pic sorry...

Jayme Hobbs A matching pergola over your right window may very well look nice and tie that side of the house in with a garage pergola! I would say they should match for sure...

Sandi I just pinned the same pictures on Pinterest;) I think that would add a lot , don't you?

Sandi Now I need to find a good deal on them .

Jayme Hobbs some Craftman like pergola ideas

Sandi The contracted suggested using shakes on the top half of peaks on each side of the house. He said that alone would cost me 5,000!! Yikes!!

Sandi Love

jjhen You might like this idea - from this website http://www.utahrealestateprofessionals.com/homes/2040-E-400-N/Spanish-Fork/UT/84660/18475398/?index=14

Sandi Also thinking about adding some faux hardware and windows to the garage door to give it the craftsman look.

Jayme Hobbs Just a thought...i have seen ready made pergola-type/arbor type pre-made units...Prob. possible to find one to fit over that window. If it stick out to far, maybe could cut some of it off the back to get closer to house. I would make it the same color as a garage one and of similar style. Check out lumber yards like Lowe's, Menards, etc or whatever is in your area...maybe even Walmart. May have to be in season.

Sandi I think Walmart did have something like it on line.
Thank you jjhen I will check it out .

kathleen MK I like those brick/stone bottomed columns. I'd do two either side of the windows to keep the view open and to create 3 opening that could have that slightly arched trim. Slate tile and a larger step would balance the heftier columns.

Jayme Hobbs $5000 is an insane price for that! I would get estimates because that sounds like an awful lot! We r planning on doing that in our peak and husband is going to do it..he is a carpenter...that bid is really high I believe.

Sandi It sounded high to me as we'll.

Sandi I found some window pergolas on line. They are aluminum. I wonder how well they'd will hold up. The price I'd definitely right. I'll see if I can figure out how to post the link .

Sandi http://www.wayfair.com/popups/media_viewer_images.php?sku=XDC1105

Jayme Hobbs My husband said putting those shakes in the peak would be pretty easy...we have vinyl lap siding/looks actually very similar to yours. I am going to use maintenance free, wood-look shakes/shingles. We live in Northern ND so the weather is rough on things. He said he is going to remove the siding in the peak and install the shakes and I don't think he will need to do much prep work. If there is any way to do it yourselfs, u could prob. get it done for a few hundred dollars.

summilux I did pre-stained and sealed cedar shakes for $500 in materials and my own labor ( I'm not in the bldg trades). It helps a lot if you have a helper to cut the angles and hand you shakes (or vice-versa). I very much recomm the individual cedar shingles over the alternatives.

Jayme Hobbs Whatever works is the main thing...on one of my homes my husband put real cedar shakes in the peak of our house...looks beautiful, but it was a bit more labor intensive and for an amateur it "could" get frustrating. Many of the new homes buit by the co. my husband works for are using the siding-type shakes and they do look quite nice, and r easier to work with, from my understanding. It will take more time to do the real shakes if u hire it done/prob. will add costs...but they do look great. Whichever u choose will look great, I am sure!

Jayme Hobbs Just talked with my husband about the maintenance free shingle-look shakes...which is actually siding. So as before mentioned, often means just removal of the siding/and reapplication of the shingle-siding...he says should take a lot less time and much easier than applying actual "shakes" individually. Another thought, I would change out the posts in front and make the larger Craftsman like posts and place those on each side of the window/ as not block the window or door. Messing with your existing roofline is going to cost more for sure as before mentioned, so I wouldn't do it if wanting to be economical.

summilux In addition to the cedar shingles on the peaks (or siding) Painting the trim and roof edging and adding a more substantial window molding would be inexpensive interventions

Sandi Hmmmm so maybe we can do the shakes by ourselves. I like the idea of maintenance free and since we already have vinyl I'm fine with it . I agree a chunky molding would make it look much nicer too. Moving the posts on each side of the windows is wat I want to don. I always hated the placement of them.
Can you paint vinyl siding? I ever even thought of that .

Jayme Hobbs You can paint over vinyl siding, but it scares the daylights out of me...peeling, repainting, etc...in the long run, if it's the trim u are thinking of repainting- I would replace it first. Your home color is so nice and neutral and looks great with white and wood-colored..brownish tones...see pic

Sandi That s my dream house;). I think if I get a wood front door I can achieve that look.... Sort of ;) I'm going to go to lowes tomorrow and price some of the things I want. I would love to see pictures of your home , Jayme

Jayme Hobbs Ha!! My house sucks right now!! lol! I am also on a "Craftman Quest" Our siding and trim r just similar yours. Our roofline runs the other direction and has a deep overhang like a Craftman. But our peak currently doesn't have the shakes yet & to cover the gap I hung a half-moon metal hanging sculpture. I designed some cedar shutters which my hubby built and installed/took off black plastic ones.
One of my other homes did have cedar ones. My plans r very similar to yours. This is my 4th home, and on each, have made changes, some big, some small. I learned how to do things economically and without tearing off the roof, etc....Smaller changes can make big impact! Maybe when I get it all done, I will post it:)..

Sandi Haha mine sucks too! I finally have most of the inside the way I want it so now it's focus on the outside! Keep me posted on your progress and any tips you find along the way since you're the pro at this ;)

Sandi Did you post a picture and then take it off? My email said one thing but I can't find that post? You big tease!! Lol

Jayme Hobbs I posted my house, then got cold feet...I am better at giving advice than following it!! ha ha! Just thought my yard could have looked better...there was a hose in the pic, etc..I am just an RN, not a pro. in this field, but have found ways to make impact without spending a ton...People have stopped and asked me about my yard, etc and a front porch I designed on an old 4 square I used to live in/own...Kinda have an eye for symmetry, etc.

Jayme Hobbs Ok, here it is..we bought home with the current siding, etc..added a few touches and have more to do...so PLEASE Houzzer's...I don't need any advice! lol!! Plan is to add shakes in the peak, possibly change out garage door to match and/or paint to match as it's a good one...I would like a portico with Craftsman columns and am still working on designing one as to fit without tearing up our roofline. I am looking to find a globe for the antique light pole at the base of sidewalk..it is a solid metal pole ..with scalloping on it...came off an old bridge.

Jayme Hobbs Planning to incorporate something similar.. under eaves

Sandi That will look great . I wish I had windows in my garage door;( your yard looks fine! It's had to look good this time of year. Mine is a muddy mess and so are my boys! Lol
Do you think the redoing the posts on my porch is something we can do ourselves? I found some kits on line. Of course I want them moved so I'm thinking not. That will probably cost a small fortune too:(. I need some money!!! Lol.

Jayme Hobbs I think it can be done...As long as the supporting ones r left until the new load bearing ones u back up..It looks like the placement of the new posts on each side of window would not be any further apart than the current ones, just placed in a diff. spot. However, not being an engineer or architect, I would get some advise...my husband looked and thinks it can be done without a big fuss, said put new ones up b4 taking old ones down...We can only see so much for a pic, so I think best bet is to ask a carpenter...do u have any friends whose brains u can pick?