Any ideas to make my exterior more charming?

10 years ago

Hi there, we are planning a renovation to the exterior of our house. We would like to bring out (or create) some of the charm that has been removed in the previous 70 years of renovations the house has undergone. Our plan is to push out the area that currently has an overhang (so that the living room can be bigger and more square) and we need to replace all the windows on that side of the house but other than that, we are open to ideas.

We are hoping to keep as much light as possible and also would like to better define the front door (as this is the front of our house and nobody can ever figure out what door they are supposed to knock on). We are thinking about moving the door to the centre of the house and putting in larger windows with transoms across the front, on either side of the door. We could also replace the bay windows upstairs, making them bigger or better defined somehow.

We have been to a designer and paid for a design, but they did not listen to what we wanted and instead produced a very modern look with faux stone cladding and glass railings - exactly what we are not looking for.

Any ideas?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

scpalmetto
10 years ago
What a lovely garden you have.

I think when you bring out the front wall the face of your home will be too flat. Could you also bring the new door forward a bit, making a small entrance porch with a roof, perhaps a mansard roof like over the bay windows upstairs.
BTW, I like the bays.
mtnrdredux_gw
10 years ago
Part of signalling the front door is the path and lighting, and another aspect is the door color (usually the front door is not the same as the other trim).

When you bring the LR forward, I would then create a new patio in front of it and give it a roof. The entrance also needs a roof or at least trellis.

To me, the bays look too far apart. can you add a window between them? Maybe one of the bay components?
Related Discussions
Want my home to look more charming
Q
Comments (33)
For my taste it's not the right direction, but it's your house, so inherently you win :-) For me the sense of enclosure needs to be around the property, not around the house. The house's problem at the moment is that it is not sufficiently exposed due to the eyebrows, and that isn't mitigated by hiding it instead at ground level. Well, there's no question anything that removes those eyebrows will be an improvement, but in terms of landscaping, bulking up the foundation plantings is pretty knee-jerk to me and doesn't change up the game much. You could just take all those plants and make a bed where a fence or wall might go. Make it a living fence, so to speak. To me the house needs freedom from encroachment, not a different form of it. You've got .5 of an acre?? Use it! The pergola at the entrance is like adding a new eyebrow; it closes things in. Now, we all get bees in our bonnets and I remember that was your opening idea. When I get ideas like that I often need to try them before I can let them go, or sometimes, I have reasons for going with them even if they seem wrong to others. Your personal choices will not always be, nor do they need to be, the best design choice. Nandina above asked for a definition of charming. That is an interesting question. I often find charm in things that are not necessarily fabulous design when they express personality and caring within the context of the style of the home. Also, creative thinking. So if it's a "I want it to look like the rest of the neighbourhood," that to me never qualifies - with the rare exception where the norm is the perfect design solution for a house and is done very well. Since you have no foundation, a foundation planting is not the perfect design solution here. Your garden at the moment does not express any personality beyond that of the previous owners or whoever planted those badly placed photinias many years ago. As such, your home looks kind of submissive to the old owners' vision, not like an expression of yours. That, to me, is why it has no charm. If the pergola is something you really want to do, I would suggest a bit of a "go big or go home" approach. Why just do a little thing by the door where neither the door nor the pergola can benefit? Check out the thread linked below, and think about something like a pergola of v1rtu0s1ty's scale, done on the property away from the house. Recrafting the front sidewalk should be, I think, a cornerstone of your design, and with something like an alternating-rectangles approach you could put pergola sections that are offset from one another... or something. Not to design for you, but to get you out of what to me, as I watch you sketch out your ideas, feels like a rut that defines "landscape design" and "charming" in very limited and limiting ways. Not that there's anything wrong with that - it's what the majority of American homeowners do. But they don't come here for input. If you come to a landscape design forum for feedback, rut-busting is part of the program :-) KarinL Here is a link that might be useful: Virtuosity's pergola and yard
...See More
any ideas to make this exterior more cottage-like?
Q
Comments (10)
Adding railing to the porch and changing out the wrought iron railing on the left to all white would make a major difference. I would also see about boxing in the posts so that they have a little more substance to them, and become a part of the decorative element of the railing. Right now they just look like they are there to hold up the overhang. Maybe add the support pieces on either side at the top of each post (I think they call it a 'birdfoot' style) for more interest. I like what Chicagoans did bringing down the stairs to the front, but I am guessing that is perhaps not practical given the way your lawn sits in relation to your driveway and parking. I think the shutters are okay in black, but I would change out the door to either a bright golden yellow or a red, or perhaps a bright turquoise. Plantings: flower boxes at the windows; certainly a tree on the right side out in front just a bit, with plantings around the base and a pretty white bench. Create a planting bed in front of the porch with a mixture of elements, rather than the little bushes marching in a row. That bed could curve out and back toward the railing going down on the right. I would consider cutting back or taking out the bushes by the mailbox, and instead creating a planting bed that curves a bit and incorporates both the mailbox and the post light. Edging the driveway with plantings would help the feeling, too. If you don't have them already, i would also consider adding can-type lights (outdoor, of course) in the ceiling of the porch in several places. It will add light to the porch at night and on gloomy days, and help make that the friendly focus of the front of your cottage home.
...See More
Any Ideas to perk up my exterior?
Q
Comments (44)
This is so helpful! I like both the light and the dark. One more question... getting new windows. What kind of grid? I currently have 9 on 9. I’m thinking of going bigger... also, wood clad with aluminum or wood clad with vinyl? I’m in a hot, southern climate.
...See More
How can I make my home's exterior look more mid century modern?
Q
Comments (5)
I don't like the dark paint. With your light roof and light stone it looks like someone tied a dark green ribbon around the top of your house. A lighter color would be an improvement. I dislike the planters and would remove them if possible. I would remove the rail if it is not needed for safety. It is probably original but it makes the door seem inaccessible You can buy a full view storm door and paint it and the house door the same color. I love your lamp post. Do you have a porch light? I made an amateurish image of a lighter house with no planters. Do you think the stone is original?
...See More
robo (z6a)
10 years ago
Did previous owners add on to the front of the house? Could this at one point have been a four square? Is there an example if your neighbourhood of a house you like that is similar to yours?

Here is a link that might be useful: Four square
Annie Deighnaugh
10 years ago
Wow. When I looked at your pic, I thought it was the back of the house. I think it's because the patio looks like a patio, and the french doors look like a way to the patio, and there's no front walkway or anything that says welcome, and even the lighting by the door is not symmetrical. So those are things you can definitely fix.

Where is the street front and where is the driveway where people park? Is the front door visible from where guests park? If not, it's always more challenging to help them find their way...landscaping helps tremendously with that.

Before I'd move the front door, I'd think about what's going on on the inside as well. Do you have a foyer area? If not, this would be a great opportunity to create one. Much more gracious to separate the entry from the living room.

Second, in order to tell people where to go, the front door needs to be most prominent on the facade. Also, it is nice for guests to have some kind of shelter while they are at the door. So if you have the ability to add on, I would think about adding a porch with a hip roof to repeat the lines and color of the roof, and have it supported by posts and railing that will make it more obvious where the front door is.

Definitely change the style of the front door too so it's more like a front door. And move the downspout to a corner, not in the middle of the wall.

I agree the bays are small, but again, it depends on what's going on inside as to how much they can be changed.
TxMarti
10 years ago
Can you back off and show the house and yard from the street?
tibbrix
10 years ago
It looks like an incredibly beautiful place you're in.

Agree with Annie: Problem #1 is that the front of your house looks like the rear of a house. Where IS the front door???

I would definitely replace the bay windows. They really make the front look like a rear, IMO, as do the French doors, frankly.

I would also pullout the LR area since that will give you more sunlight.

Black or bronze windows, including grids (if windows have them). I would stay away from windows with the flimsy pop-out grids. They look awful; they break then look worse; they completely cheapen the look of windows. Better to go without any than with those, IMO.

I'd replace the siding with stained cedar shingles to give the house a more rustic look to fit in with its environs.

Totally agree with windows with transoms, as well as side panels.

Where is the front door??? Not the French doors.

Any ideas to make my exterior more charming?

Comments (6)

scpalmetto

mtnrdredux_gw

Related Discussions

robo (z6a)

Annie Deighnaugh

TxMarti

tibbrix

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US