Ideas to improve colonial exterior wanted
Heidi-DIYer
10 years ago
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Ideas for improving exterior of this house???
Comments (9)I guess I'm less ambitious than some of the others - I don't think it's all that bad as is, other than the "blueness" of it. How about a beige color for the bricks to contrast with the blue siding. Not too light (to keep it from looking top-heavy) but not brown either. Red seems like too much "in your face" for this demure style of house. Neither do I have problem with the octagon window, though I would put some kind of high shrubbery or other landscaping under it to give it some punctuation as a point of interest. I think I agree with mightyanvil about the upper windows - they could use some more heft on the trim. Maybe a relatively inexpensive upgrade would be to lose the shutters and re-trim those windows with a width more similar to the lower windows. You could include a wider lower sill trim board, or under-sill panel to achieve the lowering effect mightyanvil mentions. I also agree with the others to check into the icicle issue. In addition to the comments others have made, check into air leakage into the attic, such as around plumbing chases, bathroom vents, wires and other small openings. These can result in a large amount of warm air getting in there and melting the snow....See MoreHow would you improve the exterior of this Garrison Colonial?
Comments (9)Yikes! Removing four large trees? Hope you have some budget left. :-( I think you can achieve your inspiration pic. Love how the paint on your brick has weathered off. Re the azaleas, once you cut down the trees, you should have more light. Cut the azaleas practically to the ground and they will come back in a few years to full bushes again. If not, then start over. Spraying them for azalea scale once they are back will help them thrive. Lots of fun projects ahead for you....See Morehome exterior improvement ideas?
Comments (21)Lovely house and "Ital mover" has great ideas. Yes, move those front door pots out from the porch. Also love the idea of the person who suggested adding a window box to the window between the garage and front porch. My only other observation is that the house seems unbalanced with the tall roof over the garage and shorter on the right. Maybe a good sized specimen tree over there on the right would help balance it out!? Also, I wouldn't add lots of colorful landscape, but more variations on foliage and maybe pick one color for flowers (white? or whatever color you paint the front door). Your house is elegant now, don't ruin that making it busy....See MoreLooking for Exterior Ideas for Late 70's Colonial
Comments (5)First thing I would do because I really dislike asymmetrical front doors with a single sidelight: Replace the front door with only a door & no sidelight. If that door is less than 36" then absolutely a wider door. Center the door in the opening and then trim it out with wider/ beefier trim to hide any needed infill. I would leave brick as is and replace the wood and horizontal siding to match. A sagey green would work nicely with the brick. Or pick an earthy, darker color from the brick for the siding. Can't see enough detail on the chimneys. Either paint them or, if made of brick that matches the front brick, get them blasted/ restored to original. Remove the shutters on the first floor and replace the louvered 2nd floor shutters with raised panel ones....See MoreHeidi-DIYer
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