I would like some Curb appeal ideas

15 years ago

Hello everyone! I am new here and I believe this is going to become very addicting! I am sooo happy to have found this forum.

We just sold our house and take possesion of our new home in exactly 52 days...LOL...can you tell i'm excited?

I love this home but feels it needs some WOW in the front of the house and was wondering what everyone thinks...I'm thinking i definately need to paint the garage doors...but what colour?? HELP!

Thank you ahead of time and i look forward to getting to know you all over a cup of tea. I will be having alot of questions so don't say i didn't warn you! :-)

Laurie

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1600056&id=650341256&ref=mf

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Comments (9)

creekylis
15 years ago
Hi, Laurie... I'm not the best at curb appeal, but I know you will get some great advice here. I just wanted to say I really love the unique style of your home, especially the entry and that fantastic staircase! Such potential!
rebelblossom
Original Author
15 years ago
Here is a link i hope works
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\My Pictures\260 Littleford
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Put a groundcover under that tree, not hardscape. Pachysandra is the classic choice, there's a native one. Vinca will take over. Epimediums bloom in the spring and do well in dry shade. Asarum is a shady groundcover that might work. Asarum Canadensis is native to NE US (and possibly other parts, too, but I know more about what's native to the NE.). Hostas are also classic under trees. Mine do well (too well) everywhere. They are indestructible. Solomon Seal is another shady spreader. It's more likely to be native. It's possible that your lawn was seeded with grass seed that does better in sun and shady seed will work better. My experience is that you can dig up and move shrubs (and lots of other plants) and most will do fine. If you like the red shrubs, but want them elsewhere, move them. I dug up a Winterberry last year and butchered its wildly spreading roots. It looks like it's going to take. From the angle of the picture, the red shrubs are blocking the entrance. It's not clear to me that they would be a problem from a different angle. If you like them, keep them.
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Add some color to the entry of your home. Maybe even something under the windows to the left that are colorful, warm, inviting. The potted plants (the pots and the plants) on either side of the entry could bring some color and make things seem more inviting. Colorful pots near the garage entrance??? I agree with not changing the garage door. Does it need some more hardware to add some character (I can’t remember the details of the garage door at the moment)?
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Here's what I would do... 1. Stucco the house all the way to the bottom and add smooth, clear cedar (no knots) shiplap siding in a strip starting at the left hand corner butting the bottom of the front eave and continue it all the way to the right side corner. This dresses up the blank space between the upper and lower windows and takes away from the feeling that the windows are too small. For full effect, wrap the cedar siding past the corners and run it down the sides of the house. You could also use Ipe for the wood, but it would be more costly (and it dulls saw blades:). 2. Paint all of the stucco a grayish taupe. 3. Replace the windows with black aluminum windows. 4. Paint the eaves and fascia black and add squared industrial gutters in black. 5. Add an (upside-down) L-shaped modern metal portico to give shelter to the entry. Paint it black to match the trim. Extend the step to the left in front of the door and make it deeper. Continue your sidewalk to the left from there. Attach Neutra address numbers to the portico. Add a MCM light beside the door, and a fun, designy plant on your front step. With the new portico, you've just given your house some depth, instead of all being on one plane. 6. Install a new Mid-Century Modern door, and give it a punch of color. Trim it with black metal. 7. Cut your front walkway (with a cement saw) into squares, leaving space for sod in between. 8. Landscape with low-lying plantings throughout, keeping in mind the growth to keep your basement windows clear. Punctuate your landscape with taller grasses and slow-growing evergreens near the corners of the house to frame the house and the windows. Add manicured bushes into the mix for height and contrast with the more unmanicured grasses and shrubs. Boxwoods are good options for this...they are slow growing, you can shape them and they are a broadleaf evergreen. It could look like this...
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Improving Curb Appeal - What would you do to improve curb appeal?
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Comments (15)
Shutters should appear to be operable, so they would need to be as wide as the window... so if closed, they would cover the window. So no shutters on your house. I agree with taking out the boxwood that have been butchered. If you take the bed all the way to the sidewalk, you need a pocket bed on the left side. Yes to learn more about pruning the Crepe Myrtle. Ever heard of Crepe Murder? It's a thing. LOL Honestly you don't even have to prune them. We had several over 30ft tall at our last house, but you don't want one too tall right next to the house. Having lived in the South all my life, I don't have a problem with the grass since we get rain. No idea where you live, but the grass looks healthy. Unless you want to spend every weekend gardening, or hire a gardener, I would not go to the extreme of removing the grass. If there room for a wooden bench on the front porch?
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bri29
15 years ago
Laurie~
I won't say I'm an expert at anything, but I would love to see pictures of your new home. Unfortunately, I don't have a facebook account so I couldn't get to the link you posted. Is there any way you could post pictures to one of the hosting sites (picasa, flickr, image shack, photobucket etc)? That way you can insert a link into your post and have the pictures show up here for everyone to see.

There are a number of threads about how to post photos, the first one I found is by Sharon (canarybird) and shows how to insert clickable thumbnails. I'm sure there are lots of other threads with additional info, this is just the first one I found.

Good luck! I look forward to seeing your home!
Bri

Here is a link that might be useful: Sharon's clickable thumbnails
rebelblossom
Original Author
15 years ago
Hope this works!

http://i456.photobucket.com/albums/qq287/rebelblossom/260LittlefordPickering001.jpg
rmkitchen
15 years ago
Oh my god what a
!

I think the plants just need time to mature -- I think bigger, established plants will feel better.

I also love the idea of adding an undulating flower bed along the (lawn side) walkway, as well as making the bed underneath the window deeper. Those will go a long way to adding the "WOW" you want.

I happen to be a fan of beds all around (inc. facing the sidewalk), but that's not for everyone. I find an abundance of plants really welcoming and friendly-looking.

I don't know where you are, but a small tree (red leaf Japanese maple is what first pops to mind, but I happen to have a thing for them) could also do a lot. I'm not thinking of a large tree because it appears you have large trees on the hell strip. I think the small tree could go near the left corner of the house (to hide the junction boxes), and / or where that big rock is on the lawn. (well, maybe a bit to the left of it, closer to the corner of your property line)

I like the dark brown trim paint color, but maybe when it's time to repaint you might consider a dark sage green or a mid-forest green.

Your house is wonderful -- congratulations!
patricianat
15 years ago
I don't know where you live or what you have planted, because the pictures are quite small. Zones make a lot of difference in what you should/should not plant and sometimes landscapers are more interested in the look they are trying to achieve and do not consult master gardeners or horticulture/agriculture people when planting, so I think you would be well served by asking a master gardener in your area (they do freebie community work to complete their certification) to help with your landscaping for you have such a pretty home, it would be a shame to get it wrong.
patricianat
15 years ago
I would like to add to mkitchen's post that I certainly agree with that style of planting. However, in today's world it is not always possible to get that look secondary to underground utilities. Always CALL BEFORE YOU DIG and let them mark off the parts that cannot be dug. It is a heavy fine, the state can fine you for each company in our area up to $10,000 per dig into a line and then you pay for all the replacements and are libel for any outage of power, etc., to your neighbors. So it is important to consult CALL BEFORE YOU DIG.
teacats
15 years ago
I would paint the garage doors AND the round vent AND the two keystone bricks (now in a light color) above each one in a dark chocolate brown to make them blend into the face of the house.

BUT then I would remove the storm doors -- and paint the front door in a brighter color that would create the true focal point of the house and bring them "out" from under the darker archway ....... maybe an antique white?

Expand the gardens in curving lines under the windows -- and along the whole walkway. Add decorative medium to larger rocks with small shrubs, herbs and clumps of seasonal flowers around them.
rebelblossom
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks so much for all your ideas!

teacats- Hubby refuses to let me paint the double front doors as they are a beautiful wood. Ditto for painting the keystones...he loves that they stand out! Arrrrghh!
I definately need to paint the garage doors out though...any ideas for colours?

patricia43- I am in Ontario Canada I'm not sure yet what my planting zone is. I have no idea what the plantings are either as i have not yet taken possesion of the home. They do look miniscule though...I will be planting! Thanks for the digging advice! Good to know!

rmkitchen- Thanks for the compliment! I love the house. We are moving from a semi detached home with only 1000 sqft to a home with 2750 sqft. I have to buy alot more furniture! :) The undulating garden bed is a great idea as well as the japanese maple. Thanks so much for your input!

bri29- Thank you for your reply and i hope you were able to see the pics afterall.

creekylis- Thanks for the compliment! I will be picking your brain often after i move in and start decorating.

Thank you all for taking the time to read and post a reply!

Cheers!
Laurie

I would like some Curb appeal ideas

Comments (9)

creekylis

rebelblossom
Original Author

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bri29

rebelblossom
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rmkitchen

patricianat

patricianat

teacats

rebelblossom
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I would like some Curb appeal ideas

Comments (9)

creekylis

rebelblossomOriginal Author

Related Discussions

bri29

rebelblossomOriginal Author

rmkitchen

patricianat

patricianat

teacats

rebelblossomOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

rebelblossom
Original Author

rebelblossom
Original Author

rebelblossom
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