Need better front door curb appeal
Meredith K
17 days ago
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jck910
16 days agoLorraine Leroux
16 days agoRelated Discussions
Sad split foyer needs front door help and curb appeal
Comments (43)Okay, let's see if I can catch up on all of your helpful posts! I met with a landscaper and we were pretty much on the same page but there were a few things that I didn�t agree with. Maybe I just have no clue what I'm doing and maybe his recommendations are truly better than the picture I have in my head! I'll be meeting with another designer on Monday to get his take on it. The first guy was free and we just talked about what the plan would be. The second guy charges $50, but will draw up a whole design. They also do driveways, which the first company does not do. The one thing that I really didn't like about the first guy was that I felt like I had seen all of his ideas in my neighborhood already. I don't want something crazy that doesn't fit the house or neighborhood, but I also don't want the same thing everyone else has. How do you get your house to stand out from the others but still "fit"? Just because everyone else has "x" number of garden beds and "x" amount of front yard grass doesn't mean I have to, right? I did read over our HOA docs and they simply state that no more than 20% of the yard can be raised garden beds or container gardens. I would really like to make maintaining the lawn easier and to shade the front a little more. He wasn't on board with that. As I said before our yard is quite short, only 25 ft deep from the sidewalk to the front brick. So that will definitely play a big part in the design. The front tree is a cherry tree (with fruit) and I have been told that it will grow large enough to provide cover for the front window, not too sure about the door. Every arborist and landscaper that I have talked to seem happy with that tree and tell me not to touch it. The shutters have actually done quite well with all of the sun and heat that they get exposed too. No warping or anything. Considering the roof color is a good point. I think the wrought iron color would look great. I still don�t know what I want to do with the door. I have been playing with pictures of the house for days now. I've cut and pasted so many different designs I'm stuck. I think that there are some styles and looks that definitely work, some that definitely don't work, and then there are the in-between ones. I don't mind having my house look a little different then the neighborhood. I have two tri-levels on each side of me and three true 2 story colonials across the street from me. From my mock-ups I think can get away with some different looks that neither of the other two styles could pull off. And that is why I'm stuck. Too many ideas. I think a designers eye is what I need. The other challenge I am having right now is prioritizing what to do with the house first. The inside still needs to be painted. I could use some new furniture too. If I did do painting I would want to update the lighting while the ceilings are getting a fresh coat. As far as the outside goes, we obviously need landscaping. But we could also use new gutters and soffits, possibly a new door, and new hardscaping. My husband would also like to close in the carport. There is just so much to do and I don't know where to start. The changes we have already made to the inside were easy because they were done out of necessity. Really none of these other things have to be done. I think that I would like to focus on the outside simply because I have a 4yr old and 1yr old that make it a little harder to maintain the inside versus the outside. And I can handle the inside myself. I obviously need professional help with the exterior. So, any ideas on how to prioritize my projects?...See MoreFront Door and Curb Appeal
Comments (7)I like the white in the inspiration, but our current vinyl is so cheap looking. Would you stick with clapboard look, or would shingles work too? The exposure on the inspiration picture is 6-7" I think, whereas we would only be able to do 4". Also, the back side of our house is really reflective and creates a lot of glare right now. I feel like that would be better if the house was a different color. Would it reflect less if it had the Cedar Impressions given that the surface would have a grain to it? Finally, Anglophilia, this has been a VERY long process already. We hired an architect three years ago, went through lots and lots of drawings, only to get to the end and realize the project was completely overbuilt and over budget (check my posts to see some of the previous plans). The new plan, which is just to dormer and finish the back half of the attic, is still stretching our budget once we add in residing the whole house, but I want to make sure we still end up with the curb appeal and character that I hope for. We are no longer working with an architect, as I trust my builder completely, but I do need to provide good inspiration for him to work from....See MoreNeed help with small front porch and curb appeal please?!?!
Comments (20)What about a pergola extending from the left side of the house to the second floor bump out on the right? The section above the door could have a solid roof for weather protection, while the rest is open to allow light into the window. Or you could make a gable portico over the door and extend the pergola to the left off of that. You could do one over the garage as well but that might be too much, and to me adding dimension on the left is important. Properly sized shutters would actually work quite nicely here Someday :) With the style of the new garage door that would push your house a bit toward farmhouse....See MoreIncrease curb appeal front door on side of property
Comments (3)You can do a hard prune on the rhododendron and move it to the right side on your property where you need screening. I would create an enclosure of plants to hide the yard by sliding doors, because that is where most people who don't know better will go. Get a trellis to hide the trash cans. Maybe you can install an arbor over the garage door and extend it out to the steps. Extend the walkway down the drive after you create a rock berm to raise the height. Plant something eye catching to the left of the arbor. I think the deck would look better painted white....See Moreptreckel
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