i envy your side yard! i love your enclosed porch. will it weather gray to match the roof?

this is a LOT of work for a DIY project--you've made a lot of progress!

it took me a while to see why before/after were so different, but i finally figured out you moved the front door!

post a pic of the inside of the porch---it looks like quite a space from what i can see on the outside (chandelier, comfy seating, swing? wall decor,etc.--bring me the iced tea!). i think the outside of the porch would look better if you put trimwork on the lattice, to cover each post and frame the bottom as well as the top.

i really like all the flagstone. it says country but cared for.

love the arbor. what will grow on it?

i would have like a white picket fence here, but i know chain link is very functional and you probably had good reason for chosing it.

i find the planting enjoyable to see even at this early stage....won't really comment there except the font porch and bed could use a touch of color--hanging baskets or deck windowboxes might be enough.

i'm interested to see what the more experienced here say about plant placement.

Very Nice!

Callousedknees (what a great name), very inspirational. I don't recognize all the plants, but I bet it's going to be lush when it matures. I'd love to know how you rearranged the floorplan when you moved the door, and Huge Kudos to you for not wrapping the front porch in screen!

Calloused there is so much to love about your yard and garden. Shows how a mix of hardscape and plant can really create something from nothing. I hope you have time to get off your knees and relax on the porch! I adore gardens and yards like yours, something to delight at every turn! Not too much though, so you can really enjoy the individual montages. What are your thoughts about painting the new porch additions white? Or do you think the wood look is a good contrast. I have no definite thoughts either way, just wondering.

I love the use of flagstone mixed with rock. I love the buried pot. I love the decoration on the chain link. If I was staying at my place I'd take a page out of your book on that one!

More than anything I love the idea of "porch time" at your house!

Thanks for continuing to post!

Thank you. I know the look is kind of untamed, but it fits with my home and yard.

Yes, the screen room will fade to gray, unless I decide to go with tan/brown siding and I treat it soon. It doesn't really need to match that roof because we really need a new one along with siding, etc. I haven't decided on a color scheme for the house. I'm trying to stay generic for cost consideration. Probably a darker gray w/white trim and dark gray roof or tan w/white trim and a dark brown roof. The garages will probably go the same color as the house. I did a mock up in photoshop and gray looked really good. I'm still at odds though.

The house is on a 1/2 lot and the side yard is a full lot. Right now the vegetable garden back there has gone crazy... corn over 10 feet tall and tomatoes over 6 feet. You can see pics on another post titled 'is this normal?'

Yes spunky, we moved the front door. I planted Arctic Beauty Kiwi on the arbor. It has variegated pink, white and green leaves when mature and fruit for the kids. I also have two 'Snow Queen' Clematis I was thinking of planting with it. Does anyone know if that will be too much? I despise the chain link... that's why I've been working so hard to make it disappear. I know these shrubs will do the job eventually. It's a waiting game, but if they grow like everything else in my yard, it won't be long! There are hanging baskets on the porch... they are kind of lost in the windows. I have been so busy in the yard and everywhere else that all the porch got was some very real looking fake... yes fake, vines. I'm having a hard time getting anything to grow in that front bed. Even hostas are struggling. There are two large maples out front suck the life out of everything. I want to take out the funky looking one in the picture some day. It looks like someone chopped half of it off.

I too, hope I hear from the more experienced!

I don't want to get into floorplans here, but maybe someday on another forum.

lpinkmtn thanks so much... I think the color of the porches will depend on what I decide for the house. We are at a financial impasse and cannot move forward at this time. I can't decide what colors anyway. Any opinions?

Wish I could invite you all over for some porch time!

I received and utilized help from so many... gottagarden's advice to make the bed straight (and more), accordian's no nonsense very helpful comments, frankie_in_zone_7... still my hero(ine?), karinl's tips to more info and so many more. Thank you all. I'm hoping to continue my education!

Chainlink does have some advantages and I think you're doing what will eventually help minimize their disadvantages. I decided to keep mine because they are open and airy albeit ugly, so better sturdy chainlink than rotted, skewed ugly old wood fences which I have seen around my neighborhood. So without money to really invest in a super snazzy alternative I chose to keep the chainlink until my ship comes in.

I went round and round with kiwi. At one point I thought about it for growing along my chainlink. A gardener friend of mine had hers planted on a small arbor, she said it ate it up. That caused me to think twice about it. If I ever did get a pergola, kiwi might be one of my options. That same friend said she really enjoyed the kiwi fruit.

lpinkmtn was your friend's kiwi and Arctic Beauty? What zone does she live in? I'm not sure how it's going to do here. So far it's growing really slow. I've read that it does not try to take over in my area. I hope it's true.

When I grew Arctic Beauty at my last house, it took about three years before it got even knee-high. Each spring, I was out at the lattice fence praying for it to come back. ;-)

But then... boom! Each subsequent year it got a little taller and filled in more. When we sold, I had a solid mass of foliage fence about 10' tall by 8' wide from three kiwi plants. It never fruited for me, but the vines were beautiful.

beautiful...you should be proud...will you come do my yard???

Looking good! It seems that you have picked up a very important skill that is critical for landscape design yet not often mentioned in books: confidence. Sometimes you just need to get out there and trust your instincts (and learn from your mistakes).

Below is a link to your original thread from April. Some of the images are no longer available, but it is an interesting thread anyway.

- Brent

Here is a link that might be useful: design or disaster?

deeje - thank you. I just moved my kiwi this morning. I don't want to have to fight with them so I put the four vines down in the lower yard on each side of where I want to put a pergola some day. It will have the fence and some sunflowers to grow on for now. I put 'Snow Queen' clematis on the arbor.

cut1cow - thank you so much... I don't make it down to Texas too often (never:) and I don't know if I'm going to have the energy to help anyone for a while.

brent - I remember your encouragement and advice from before. Thanks for the vote of 'confidence' ha! Thanks for the link.

I kept trying to put those magnolias in my border and it just didn't work. As soon as I removed them, I got rolling and everything fell into place. They ended up out closer to the street as specimen plants and I think they'll work much better out there. My plants are small, but for the price I can wait... 4' hetzi columnar junipers for $5, hakuro nishiki willow for $3.50, knockout roses for $5, onondaga viburnum for $6, etc. At those prices, I can afford to wait. I'll post again next year when everything is taller than the fence... ha! How's that for confidence... or craziness? Actually, it may not be so crazy... the 12" grasses in one gallon pots that I got for $3 last spring are well over 5' tall and 18" inches around and I got those barberries (1 gal. pots) in 2004 (almost dead) for $1. Something is in the dirt. I'm excited and I really like the look of certain parts of the yard now.

deeje

Did you know that kiwi requires a male and female plant? The female doesn't have the variegated leaves like the male. Maybe you had only males.

It is nice that you've come back to the forum with a follow-up, ck. For anyone who hasn't read callousedknees' earlier thread, it bears mentioning that most of the transformation, including the porches, rockwork, arch, and basic layout, was done before she posted here, that is to say, ck, that it is mostly to your own credit.

I'm not sure of the variety, but it was growing in zone 6. She did mention the male/female thing for fruit.

Yes, karinl... ever vigilant. Maybe it's not that clear... I had asked for critique on my overall plan and specific help with plant placement along the front 50' section of chainlink fence (as mentioned above in the second photo). That is where I applied much of what I have learned, although I do believe that this forum is having some influence on all I do.

Our home renovations began in the Fall of 2003 after our youngest son was born (July 4 03) and my husband got out of the hospital (July 14 03) after a four month long illness that nearly killed him. Our baby went into the hospital for another two weeks in July and August after all of that. That fall we moved the front door, tore out all plaster and lath, took out a wall and began drywall. In the Spring of 2004 we built the porch rails, removed the sidewalk, built the front and side beds and landscaped in front of the 50' fence. Flagstone steps and path were started in Spring of 2005 and I'm still working on them. That's when I decided something was wrong with that 50' section of landscaping and I came here. I joined GW 10-3-05 and lurked until my posting in April of this year. After that, I changed the whole 50' section except for a couple of plants. I also nixed the pond with help from some confirming comments in that post and financial roadblocks. The arch was actually just put in about a month ago.

What I'd really like to know is this... are you abdicating all credit to me because what I've done is so bad you wouldn't want people to think that LD had anything to do with it OR is it okay and you are giving me credit for a job well done? Come on... I can take it... and I truly want to learn... especially from educated professionals.

At the risk of sounding condescending which truly is not my intention  I think it is important to point out some design issues that I find troublesome. It is obvious that you love gardening and that your skills are to be envied by many. However, good gardening does not automatically equal good design.

Initial impressions from your photos yield a fair amount of confusion that could  and should  be designed into oblivion. Where exactly do you want guests to enter? Looking from the curb as a first time guest, I see a sidewalk that curiously and abruptly ends at a tee intersection which aligns with nothing and gives nary a hint of how to best proceed. Yes, by reading your posting, I realize that you actually moved your front door. However, you only removed and then moved half of the sidewalk. Awkward and confusing at best In addition, especially from the curb, the now continuous railing across the entire front porch is foreboding.

Once I figure out that I have to jag to the right to find an entry walk, I am further confounded with the conundrum of guessing which of the two entries you wish me to use. Should I go to the front door or is it the screened porch that you have gone to great lengths highlighting the preferred entrance? After all, the new walkway is aligned with the door to the screened porch and not the front door. Quite frankly, from the curb, your landscape says, "Look at my garden." Personally, I much prefer front landscapes to say, "Welcome to my home." and give clear indication of how I should best enter.

In general, the work that you have done is good. However, it fails to develop into a cohesive design. Rather than expanding your home out into the garden, you have thus far created an assortment of flashy additions. Each project stands out as a separate individual which relates poorly to each other. You have far too many disparate materials which share no similarities with the original home.

I am sure that you and many others truly enjoy the fruits of your labors  as you should. You have certainly added elements of beauty to your home. However, you asked about design and that is the topic that I am addressing.

IronBelly

All right ironbelly! Now we�re getting somewhere. I so appreciate your comments and in no way find them condescending. I look at my home and feel good about some of what I�ve done, but that something is wrong and you have so aptly put together an outline of some of the problems I have (or have created). Thank you. We intended to remove that confusing sidewalk and put in a new one from the very beginning but haven�t been able to yet, so we just left it. It�s nice not to have to wade to the front door when it�s raining. We have also considered removing the stairs to the front of the screen room, especially after the addition of the stairway leading to the other side. Your comments make sense and will definitely influence those decisions.

Here is how we came to what has been done (aside from the whole story of why we couldn't just sell it and move - ha!).

The house was what I call a round about house� four rooms on the ground floor, each with a door into the other. As you are looking at the house, the bedroom was in the front right, the living room on the front left, the kitchen in the left rear with and the dining room (with a bar and window into the kitchen) in the right rear. It was awkward and we decided to remove the wall between the two rooms on the right creating a roomier living/dining area and to move the bedroom to the left side. The layout really does make more sense now. It is by no means perfect, but we have been very resourceful in making this tiny 3 bedroom 1 bath home function for a family of nine.

When we took out the wall, we had to move the front door to the right side to enter what is now the living/dining /kitchen area instead of the bedroom. We also have a bay window to build and install in the wall in front of the screen room. The front porch was a concrete block with three columns. We wanted it enclosed, and in the interest of stability, went with the easiest option of running the rails all the way across from post to post. I always thought it looked weird before, with the sidewalk and front door offset to one side of that center column. What change for improvement would you propose? Would you take out the steps to the screen room and work out a new entrance sidewalk? Or would you change the front railing so that the entrance walk could go straight to the door?

As for disparate materials� I am guessing that one of the things you are talking about may be the look of the treated lumber and the stark white of the house. The house needs to be roofed and sided. The plan is to choose colors that will make everything more cohesive� I would love to have opinions on that, but don�t want to upset the forum. Colors considered (opting for leaving the windows, soffit, and ceiling of porch that are white vinyl - can that be painted?): gray siding, black roof, dark gray stain on screen room, white railings and columns OR light brown siding, dark brown roof, dark brown stain on screen room, dark brown columns and railings? Would another be the chain link fence I am trying to make disappear? I am getting what you mean, but specific information would be so helpful. Will any of this help?

Our home is a work in progress. We would never be able to afford professional consultation and I so appreciate EVERYTHING I learn here. Thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read and comment. Thank you ironbelly for your honest and what seems to be very astute assessment.

Why are my apostrophes coming in as upside down question marks and fractions? They did not show up in the preview. Hmmmm.

CK, I'm definitely giving credit to you for a job well done; sorry to have not made that clear. The forum doesn't function or take credit as a team anyway so I have no need to worry about the forum's reputation. Upon reflection, however, I might also have been motivated to avoid generating the hope in others that they could post a before picture of a blank slate and receive all the coaching that would be required to achieve what you have done! But I could have let the title of your post do the talking on that.

But having said all that, I also have to give credit to IronBelly, who it is nice to see back in these parts, for having described design issues with your garden that I could barely formulate, let alone articulate, and he really manages to convey the same feeling I have of acknowledging your work and yet for some reason feeling there is something not quite right.

BUT I think to some extent the problems he describes are inherent in having a side yard, especially if one wishes to garden, especially with perennials and deciduous plants, and especially without a view-blocking fence.

The problems are also a result of a perpetual conundrum in design for home yards, which is, do you design for what it is like to be inside the yard or looking FROM the home, or for what it is like to look AT the home from outside the yard? I think as homeowners we make tradeoffs on the latter for the former; I know I do. As a gardener I like to be IN my front yard, slightly shielded from view, and to have plantings to look at FROM the porch. That means my plantings enhance my house less, but my life more.

Similarly, I seem to remember you wanted an open feel from inside the yard, and so weren't interested in fencing other than the chainlink. Ergo, it is a given that the garden will be a dominant feature when looking from the outside. The garden could, however, be a much more cohesive planting, even to the extent of a low hedge, if looks were what you were after.

I suppose the LD forum functions as a survey of visitors to your home, and so we overwhelmingly provide the outsider perspective. Only you can know what feeling you want to have when you stand on the property (or sit in that inviting screened porch!).

And of course, unlike a professional design job which has a distinct start and end point, when you're a homeowner, it's just never quite DONE.

Well... It certainly is refreshing to be met with an open mind. My work schedule has been torrid so I am just giving you a smattering of impressions. I have not and will not have time to develop a substantive plan of action.

The ubiquitous cement landscaping stones that ring the front porch create a very harsh, unwelcoming edge. This adds to the individual look of every individual project -- and adds yet another disparate material. There is nothing wrong with a house that is "nestled" into the earth. "Nestling" lends a sense of protection, warmth and security. In addition to the harsh line created by the cement landscaping stones, they give the impression that your building has been perched upon this spot rather than nestled into the land. I would rather the beds just expand into the yard with mulch and not be confined with a hard, unforgiving edge.

Certainly with the carpentry skills displayed by the screened porch and deck, you have the ability to address the front porch. It sounds as if you gave a lot of forethought and made wise decisions modifying the interior layout of your house. Apply some of this same approach to your front entry. It should be wide and welcoming not pinched off and constricted as it now appears. I am sure that as it now stands, it is unused, dead space used for nothing other than a quick entry into the front door. I would lean towards a broad, angled modification at the corner which would lead directly to your front door. Perhaps even a nice porch swing and little table would enhance the porch experience. Thus far, you have treated perhaps the greatest asset of your original home (the front porch) with utter neglect. I know that it is small and will not accommodate many people. However, nothing is quite as welcoming as a great-looking front porch. Particularly since this porch is so close to the ground, it is a natural!

Oh, yeah Your arbor is installed backwards. The face of the arbor should be in line with the fence and the rest of the arbor should protrude into the garden with the gates on the garden side.

IronBelly

It's pretty obvious that the path to the front door takes a turn and goes up to the side of the front porch. I wouldn't take out the stairs to the enclosed porch, why limit yourself. But I do agree that the large concrete blocks around the front border are not needed and add a sense of a "double barrier" to entering the front. I'm sure close up and from a maintenance point of view they look good, they define the front bed.

Perhaps just take out the plants in front of the walk to the front door, on the side facing the street. As you go down the steps of the front porch those would be the plants on the right. Then the path to the front door would be visible from the road coming both ways.

Thanks karinl, I agree with you that the side yard creates part of the problem... the vegetable garden out there right now has 10' sweet corn and 6' tomatoes. I am hoping the mixed shrub border will someday be what you see instead of the yard.

I try to consider the look from the street. I go and stand at various points on the sidewalk and street, but usually not at the angle that the first two photos were taken because it is rare that anyone approaches our home from directly across the street or from any point past the maple trees. I usually stand looking from where the home would be approached from street parking like this:

{{gwi:9376}}

Even so, I still think the observations are valid and would like to work on them.

ironbelly, thank you so much for taking time for this. As stated in prior posts, I have come to hate the cement blocks. Someday I will be removing that ring around the house. My husband is not very happy... he did most of the leveling work for it and it cost quite a bit. It is one of the very first things we did without any prior research. Oh well, I'm learning.

The porch is actually one of our favorite spots and is used a lot. The shade of the maples and an almost constant breeze make it the coolest spot in the heat of the summer. We usually move the swing (that's now in the screen room) out there once it gets hot. This has been an unusually cool year. "A broad, angled modification at the corner which would lead directly to your front door" sounds great, but I'm not sure how we could do that because the porch is solid concrete covered in a horrible indoor/outdoor carpet that we'd like to replace with tile. Any ideas?

Here are shots of the porch. It is 7'x21':

{{gwi:40703}}

{{gwi:40704}}

{{gwi:40705}}

Thanks for the info on the arbor... I didn't know it mattered, but what you say makes total sense. I put it that way so the latch would be on the inside. I'm turning it around today. Will it be okay if it still juts out toward the camera? Making it flush will require building up the ground on the other side.

It looks like you have a nice start, and when your plantings start to fill in, they'll look nice. Right now, you have the perennials planted singly, more or less, one here, another of the same one there...They would have more impact if you planted 3 or more of each one together, but I realize that you're just starting out, so you may need to wait until you can divide them to have enough to plant in groups. In the meantime, you have an awful lot of empty space between the perennials that might be difficult to keep free of weeds, even with the mulch. I'd propagate them rather aggressively, dividing and replanting as soon as they reach a reasonable size, and plant closer together.

I agree that the entrance path creates some confusion. I also am not a fan of the blocks around the garden in front of the porch. I'd remove the blocks, or sink them flush with the lawn if you need a mower strip, and remove the section that extends out to the right, where the path turns to the front porch. Widen the path from the public sidewalk and curve it toward the porch, removing the plantings that obscure it. This is considered the "primary" walkway, and should be made of the best materials you can manage. It should be free of tripping hazards, easy to clear of snow or debris. Right now it looks like gravel or mulch. I'd either use some of the stone you have around to make a carefully laid walk, or get some more like it.

If I had my druthers, I'd plant a hedge to hide the chain link fence completely. I've never seen one that looked attractive, but if they're necessary, they can be concealed with dense plantings. If you don't want a solid hedge, at least plan your mixed shrub planting to cover the fence.

I'm also not a fan of the little pyramidal-shaped shrubs/trees in front of the porch. The shape is distracting, and as they get bigger, they'll not only obscure the porch, but they'll be even more distracting. They also look like they're planted too close to the porch. I'd relocate them to a grouping in front of the chain link fence to help hide it, planted in a staggered line or triangular shaped planting. It's hard to tell from the photo how far it is from the public walk to the porch, but if you want to accomodate mature shrubs there, I'd eliminate the lawn instead of break it up into two narrow strips. A mix of low shrubs that won't block the porch too much, along with groundcover perennials, will give the area a more cohesive look, IMO, and make mowing easier.

What throws off the look for me, is the mix of unrelated materials and styles: Chain link, black metal arbor, natural stone, manufactured block, and two different railing styles. The very traditional columns and porch railing clash with the informal screen porch, and especially with the modern railings you used on it. If it's possible someday to replace the screen porch railings with a more traditional one, it would help a lot. I've never cared for brown houses, unless they're natural shingles, and the popular taupe-ish or grayed beiges that are popular now might look funny on this house. I like the white, it's classic, and I'd probably consider staining the screen porch white as well. The house is small, and breaking it up with a different color trim might be too much.

It can take a long time to learn how to put different elements together in a way that works. I've made many mistakes over the years, and will make plenty more in the future, I'm sure. Because we've moved a lot, I get to make them perhaps more than others do, and learn something with every project.

You've accomplished a lot in a short time, and I'm sure it will all come together for you in time. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Sorry, I forgot to respond to you lpinkmtn. We have been thinking about pros and cons of removing the stairs to the front of the screen room.

Pros: more "wall" space inside, not as accessible as a throughway for kids making it even cozier, creates an entire corner to landscape, put together with screws and wood could be reused elsewhere.

Cons: money and time to build, what do I do with that corner, slightly less accessible.

Pros seem to outweigh cons now that I write them down. We are still debating. I don't know if I have the energy for that project right now! Thanks so much for the input. I like your idea of clearing the plants from that area of the entrance.

saypoint, I was posting as you were! I love all of your ideas and I hear some of what others have said which is even more convincing. I have tried to plan the shrubs to completely cover the fence. In fact, I am worried that they will get too big and grow too close together. I don't want to have to prune like mad to keep things under control so I tried to leave enough space.

Fixing the railing on the screen room might be easy! Those stiles are the exact same ones that are on the front... the only thing missing is the top rail. Maybe DH could split a rail and attach it to the outside of the room at the top and bottom to create that traditional look?

I have a lot of black metal on the front porch and in the screen room. I guess that doesn't help when you get your 'first impression.' Does the arbor need to go? Would it be okay covered with vines? Would painting it a different color help? So many questions.

I also worry about changing the color of the house. It already looks small and darker looks smaller right? Staining the screen room white is an interesting idea and your comment that "the house is small, and breaking it up with a different color trim might be too much" may be one of the reasons I am having so much trouble visualizing any other colors. Thanks also for the encouragement. Sometimes it feels like it's taking a lot longer to do something with this house than to build Rome. Ha!

All's quiet... while I've been waiting I moved the swing back to the front porch, turned the arbor around and cleaned up the screen room and took photos of it for spunky.

Front porch:
{{gwi:40706}}

{{gwi:40707}}

Arbor turned around - is it okay now or do I have to back it up?
{{gwi:40708}}

Here are shots of the screen room spunky asked for - sorry about the lighting, the sun was going down. See how great that arbor looks from in here! What karinl said about designing looking from the inside out is so true:
{{gwi:40709}}

{{gwi:40710}}

{{gwi:40711}}

{{gwi:40712}}

I am starting to understand what is meant by design cohesiveness. I see how 'formal' the planting in front of the porch is vs. the rest of the yard. Now I really want to get started on removing the blocks and redoing it with shrubs to see what kind of difference it will make. I want to attempt to create some continuity from the shrub border along the fence. I won't be able to use the same plants (full sun, good ground vs. zero sun and terrible ground), but I think I can choose things that will work better.

I would love to see a sketch or example of what ironbelly was describing for a corner entrance if possible to see if I think we could accomplish it. It sounds like I'd have to change the columns and that would be cost prohibitive. If we can't, will a wide curved path to the side work?

I may never be able to fix it all, but I am learning so much that I will be able to apply if ever I get a chance to do it all again. Thanks to everyone who contributes!

Wow! Just wanted to say you've done a beautiful job so far. It's really charming and comfortable looking.

Calloused knees--

This has nothing to do with your design--it's a furniture question. The wicker-look barrel chairs--next to the little round table--are they new? I got four of those a few years ago at Slowes--wanted to buy more the following summer--and have been unable to find them since that first year. They are VERY comfortable--were reasonable in price--and have held up to teen boys and the weather for years now.

PLEASE tell me they are new and where you got them?

melanie

Don't get rid of the columns. They are one of the few exterior design clues from the house that you had and which you have ignored in favor of a cobbled together variety of materials without a cohesive style. Get rid of the railings - you don't have a front porch, you have a portico which looks to have been added onto the original farm house in the classical revival style popular in the mid 19th century. The portico (although rather poorly conceived by whomever added it - the number of columns should have been even and the front door symmetrically placed between the windows with added side-lights, transom windows or fan light depending on which classical revival style was being referenced) was meant to create a "grand" entryway to the home. The rusticated railings distract from the actually charming columns and entablature above. You can take your paint color cues from the traditional colors used in classical revival homes - yellow, ochre and white. Stain is not appropriate or attractive. As far as the rest of the landscape, I think your scheme overall would benefit from both stripping things away and at the same time making much larger gestures. I still can't get my head around the chain-link fence but if it has to be there I'd get rid of the arbor at the very least.

mjsee - I got the table and chairs as a set at WM two years ago. I'm glad to hear they hold up so well... that's what I was looking for. The whole set was $60 on clearance. I hope you find some. I haven't seen any lately.

accordian - Wow! A whole new set of ideas. We put up railings because the kids tromped off the porch on every side and killed everything in site including the grass. What an interesting idea though... they may be old enough now to stay on the designated path. There is no stain on my home... only wood waiting for me to decide what color to make it. Thanks for the tips about color. I am continuing to gather and glean info. Larger gestures has been mentioned before... it all sounds rather vague to me though. Specific examples would be helpful. Thanks so much for your ideas.

Thanks stylin... I like what I have done, but I am still trying to get a grip on these design concepts because I can tell something is lacking in what I've done... but I sure appreciate it when people find it appealing in spite of my design ignorance.

Regardless of the original purpose of a portico, yours is already not true to the portico style as accordian has described it. I hope you don't get distracted by historical accuracy. It gets expensive!

The railing is in and the columns are interesting. To say nothing of the nice work already done. If the rounded columns could be approximated on the screened porch, that might be nice. Regardless of mixing of styles, in my opinion. Tearing everything out gets depressing.

Take time with your paint choices, as that can go a long way toward achieving cohesiveness. ("The plan is to choose colors that will make everything more cohesive"). Some small black accents somewhere might make your arbor feel more at home. Use your photoshop to try pale grey siding (not too pale or it looks white), slightly darker columns and rails and screened room, black door, white trim, dark grey but not black roof. My thought was to not have the columns and rails stand out more as they don't quite match, and the columns have the personality to be a subtle but pleasing element even when not highlighted. Also, green foliage looks really nice with grey.

The front and entrance suggestion by ironbelly is really nice and even necessary. Perhaps an angle from the right column out into the yard and past the house corner would be a cost effective compromise? A bush out from the house corner would half obscure the porch, and plantings to lead to the entrance. A wide walk from the angle to the front sidewalk of the same material - all similar to the stones you've already used? Gravel with those flat stones in it?

Perhaps IB can say whether or not that might achieve much of what he suggested.

My overall thought is to leave as much as possible as is, and add enough to achieve a lot of what is needed, that being visual unity (right?).

Disclaimer: I am not good at design at all, but I have struggled a lot with unifying my own house and garden. I am glad to reread comments by Accordion and Frankie in your first thread, and the "Bits and Pieces" thread.

Maro

maro - thank you so much. Your ideas have confirmed the direction I was considering. I have seen a house with the darker railings and columns and I wondered if it would work here. I like the idea a lot. The color scheme you specified sounds very good to me. The plan has always been to put in the flagstone walk and I'm so glad I didn't get it done until I found out how it needed to look.

I understand why people give me the advice that they do. I also believe that many of them are right, but sometimes I wish there were a forum for the design challenged. Some of us are up against constraints that will not allow us to do 'perfect' design. We would like to work with what we have to make the most of it and still apply design principles. Your ideas seem to do exactly that.

I have been outside today scooping up all the black lava rock and tomorrow the concrete blocks are coming out. I am in the process of 'nestling my home into the earth' as ironbelly suggested. There is no way I can take every suggestion... even if I wanted to, but there are some that are very doable that will make a huge improvement.

I have learned so much. We never even considered aesthetics when we built the screen room... we wanted a screen room, so we built it. I can not tear it off, although that might be the best thing to do 'design-wise.' I hope, with color and trim, I can possibly make it not look as separate as it does.

I am thankful for each and every person who takes the time to read and contribute to this thread. I would also like to know what you all think of this type of plan. Thanks so much.

Well, I really want anyone who knows to say if my suggestions (they're not even that, just thoughts) are off-base so you won't do something regrettable. :)

Callousedknees - you have certainly taken some blunt criticism with very good grace and since grace is one of the primary foundations of taste I would not say you are lacking in that area at all.

You maybe have too many good ideas is the problem. Editing is a really hard thing to do. Rather than starting on new projects with the portico, er, porch and perhaps making things worse not better I'd focus on makng a list of things that work for you and expand on those things by repeating the materials and the style. Repetition is one of the hallmarks of good design and adds cohesion. Then you can work on contrasting elements - contrast of style, color, texture in small doses is something that adds interest to any design scheme. You've got too much contrast, too little cohesion.

For example, one of the reasons the view through you porch to the arbor is so pleasing is because the material, color and general curvilinear chape of the arbor is reflected in the material, color and shapes of the furniture on the porch. But view the arbor from the street and it contrasts with the chainlink, the stepping stones the style of the house, etc., etc.

Stripping away the blocky bed in front of the house as you are doing will help, unifying with various elements of the house with one paint color of your choise with a contrasting trim will help more. Deciding on a style for your garden and sticking to it will help even more. Right now you've got a sort of contemporary style going on with the stones and grasses, a classical arbor with gothic elements, a cottage type garden going on to hide the chainlink and a rather undefined bed off to the side with the japanese maple which looks like it might turn into a specimen garden of some sort. What syle do you like best? Which creates the mood you prefer? Pick one and carry elements from that style through everything you do from your paint choices to your plant materials to your hardscape. I guarantee if you pick one style the whole thing will start to gel and your choices will become easier to make, not harder.

CK--

I was afraid you were going to say something along those lines. Don't know how the table will hold up--we didn't get one of THOSE--but the chairs will be FINE--particularly in a covered situation. Mine have suffered through four or five (at least) NC winters AND summers...not to mention WAAAAY too many teeenaged BOYYZZZ...and are just starting to show signs of wear.

melanie

I can't believe you cleaned up the porch just for me and the forum! It looks like a comfortable breezy place to play cards and have a cold drink.

I had those chairs too in my old house (and the hanging swing that went with it) and they are still going strong....mine are about 6 years old, maybe 7. I can't find them anywhere either!

I agree editing is in order, not major re-construction with moving columns and such, which would be wasteful. If you want to have the step off the front door be toward the street rather than off the side, you could shorten the rail so there is an opening in front of the door. The kids path will still be directed.

I personally have no confusion about which door to use--in my area it is very common to have additions happen to homes over time (sometimes 50 or so years between additions) and rarely are they in exact keeping with the house--this is inexplainably why my area has so many "character" houses and very few sterile feeling properties (McMansionish, tract-home-ish, instant gratification neighborhoods where every home is variations of the same type of house, etc.) Older communitites evolve over time. People would like to emulate only original details, but it just isn't affordable or the best use of their money.

I think in your case a lot of paint and a bit of finishing trimwork will tie it together, maybe add black shutters to tie in to the iron work.

I wouldn't remove the stairs to the porch door either--it's a royal pain to have to go "around" a building to get into it or out of it, especially with a baby or bags of groceries or if it's raining or there is snow on the ground. I would just emphasize the front door more with color (I see red) and a new step and pathway (pots of friendly flowers) and let the back door exist in a serviceable way.

I'm not sure the swing belongs on the porch--seems like a hanging one would do better there (it would be smaller)--maybe this one should be out in the yard?

Don't forget to move your house numbers to reflect the new door placement and paint your mailbox. Also, I did see one home where they had a chain link fence that was entirely covered with ivy. It was very attractive. I don't think that would apply to your situation (your's is much bigger and sunnier) but it's a thought....some type of vine to hide it.

I can't wait to see the next picture when the wall is gone.

I was over at the small house forum on thathomesite and found a post there (linked below) that if you click on the link provided by the original poster to view her album (home photos), you will see a terrific example of small house curb appeal--it isn't too far off of yours in shape, perhaps it can be an inspiration house. I didn't feel right linking some one else's album here, but scroll through to the end...it's the last picture, a persimmon colored cottage (photo entitled cottage exterior).

Wowee! Dang, spunky, they did amazing things with their small house. I looked at the first photo, and then the last, and I find it hard to believe that it's the same home!

I'm not sure it is, actually---that part was unclear.

Thank you for the huge compliment accordian. I am fully aware of my lack of education in the area of design, so I don't consider it criticism... I consider it help. That's why I am here and it would be counter productive to become offended after asking for that help. I know that this advice is worth a lot... I should be paying for it, so no matter what opinions I get, I appreciate and respect them. Ultimately, the final decisions are mine so I don't feel threatened or intimidated in any way. I get tons of compliments on my yard all the time, but the lack of cohesiveness that I am learning about glares at me in spite of the fact that I have made improvements and that I love bits and pieces of what I've done. When all of you who post here put my problem into words and ideas that I can understand, that gives me direction which is exactly what I needed. Having it repeated helps too... duh... sometimes I just don't get it the first time... ha!

How many teen boys do you have mjsee? I lived in NC for about six months. It was beautiful. I have four teens (well one is almost) and all their friends... three are boys and I can relate to that wear and tear thing. I think the younger ones are even harder on stuff though.

I love my screen room spunky. It's my get-away. We have been debating the side entrance or coming straight off the porch. We are concerned that coming straight off (without any rails because the porch is practically on the ground) will look funny. We are leaning toward a wide flagstone path that will curve right up to the side of the porch. I would appreciate input from the forum on that.

We're also debating the entrance to the screen room. I have moved the furniture around in there to pretend the door doesn't exist twice now and we don't like it very much. Would it help if I shorten the platform that leads to the door - make it only steps and have a smaller path leading to it with plants along it like maro suggested?

The swing is large for the porch but with it and the table and chairs the whole family can sit out there together. I really need to make some decisions about color... we wanted to put siding on, but I don't know when we'll be able to do that so maybe I will look into painting. Thanks to all for so much help.

Thanks for the link spunky... I had my post hanging here all day and missed that when I posted.

CK--

I have two boys I birthed--"Elder Son" is almost 21--headed for his Senior year in college--and "The Boy" is almost 18--headed for his Freshman year. Then there are The Boy's "posse"--aka "The BC Crew." (BC is short for "Burlage Circle.") On any given evening we'll have anywhere from 5-20 additional kids hanging here...mostly boys, but with the occaisional brave female or three.

Someone asked why they hang out here--and I told them it was because:
1) I keep good deli in the fridge.
2) I tolerate the noise.
3) The Boy doesn't HAVE an annoying younger sibling--he IS the annoying younger sibling.

As to your siding color issues--there are a couple of sites that let you "paint" a picture and get an idea of how colors look together. Both Benjamin Moore and Cabots have on-line tools...the Cabots site is free... I think the Ben Moore site is as well. I'll attempt to find the sites and link them...

melanie

And that probably should have been "Then there is The Boy's posse..." Multiple creatures--but a singular noun? I think it's a flock of sheep IS...The sheep ARE...

ANYHOO--Have fun playing!

melanie

I have to agree that, while they are very well done, the railings attached to the round posts look out of place. Then again, I can understand not wanting to remove them; it was probably a lot of work to put them up, not to mention expensive. I can also understand why you wanted them in the first place to stop traffic, though once everyone gets used to the door on the corner, alot of that cutting across will stop. If you can, I'd seriously consider removing them.

If removing them is OOTQ, what about making them shorter, say, no taller than the bottom edge of the front windows? That way, they'd look less like the house was surrounded in baby gates. The porch is low enough you shouldn't have any trouble with building codes. In some areas, if you replace rather than repair the original railings, you have to make them taller, something like 36 or 38 inches. It's supposed to be a safety feature, I suppose to keep passing drunks and reckless children from toppling off the porch, but it usually makes it look like the house has been put in a cage.

If you do keep the front porch railings, I'd definately add a top rail to the outside of the rails on the screen porch to cover the angled tops as someone else suggested; the way it is now, the screen porch has a modular, modern look that just doesn't feel right. Someone else also suggested adding rounded posts to the corners of the screen porch, to help visually tie the two together from the road, but then again, that might not be doable on a budget; I know those rounded posts are expensive. (that might be why the person who originally added them to the portico/porch used three instead of four...)

Also, what about adding a trim to enclose the top (ceiling) edge of the screen porch to make it match the front porch, and cover the exposed beams? You'd loose some of the light inside, and possibly some breeze, but not too much, and I think it would help balance it out, and make a better match with the front of the house. I realize the screen porch is in the side yard, but from the street it's visible enough that you should think of it as being an extension of the front.

Are you going to put in a window around the corner from the new front door? It seems like that's a big blank wall, and it's a shame to completly loose that side view of the garden once you step inside until you make it back outside to the screen porch. Maybe one of those decorative stained glass windows; not in color, but in different patterns/textures of transparent and translucent glass would be nice. I know, that's "house" stuff, not landscaping, but what caught my eye about your place was the way you'd moved the off center front door over to the corner. I have an off center front door myself; it's too close to a main interior wall to add sidelights to try to balance it with the windows, so I'm always interested in seeing how other people work around one. I'd still love to see how you worked out the new floorplan. :^)

Thanks for the links mjsee. Great ideas little dog. We like to nap on the swing on on the porch and the railings provide semi privacy. I'll probably keep them at least until my shrubs grow up around the porch... by then you won't be able to see much of them anyway. I like the idea of capping the screen room stiles. We have a bay window waiting to be built and installed. Bought it two years ago, but DH isn't quite as motivated as I am and that's his project. Thanks for all your ideas. Maybe I'll post some about our interior home improvements on another forum some time. Right now I'm working on removing the blocks and trying to decide where to put the main walkway.

I wouldn't obsess about any of this. I think you've got a pretty, functional space there. I'm sure once you paint or re-side the house it will all tie together/blend much better. I think a darker color might not be a bad idea, that way there wouldn't be such a contrast between the new and old parts of your house. Honestly that is the only thing that really sticks out in my view. And even that isn't unattractive, it is obviously a work in progress.

CK,

If you want an easy way to tie the chainlink fence into your existing structure, here is what I did to make mine disappear. I just put 2x2x6 on 12" centers with a 5/4 x 4 cap. I stained it but you wouldn't have to. Just another thought :-)