Seems like a compromise is in order. He doesn't want any of it, you firmly want to fix the rainwater problem. Maybe you give up the bedroom size increase and he gives the roof line changes. Not sure why he gets complete veto power, but it makes me happy I am single! Good luck.

LOL olychick, if only it were that easy. It basically boils down to cost vs return on both the room addition and the roof addition. Adding the shed roof wouldn't add anything to the value of the house, and he thinks it will still look homely. And I don't know, he could be right.

If there were a way, I would add a front-facing porch gable, but with that stupid, strange roof, I don't know if it would work.

Has your DH explained why he does not wish to make the changes you want? Perhaps that will help us understand the constraints of any new suggestions.

If you cannot expand your house, why not expand your closet space within the bedroom itself? Either add a second closet just for you or expand the current one to take up more space. Personally, I would opt for the former or make certain there is a clear separation of "yours" and "mine" within a larger closet. If expanding closet space is not an option at all, then how about adding some additional furniture for clothing storage? An armoire could easily provide good hanging space for your clothes and help identify it as your own rather than a shared space.

If you cannot move the front door, why not redirect the path that visitors take? Instead of routing the sidewalk directly to the door, how about routing it to the porch to the left of the door or perhaps to the end of the porch such that visitors walk down the porch to the front door. In my opinion, your landscaping could benefit from some plants with elevation: maybe shrubs or small trees. You could either use plants or even a railing along the porch to help direct visitors to enter onto the porch away from the drenching water danger zone.

Assuming you are keeping the shutters, can you add matching shutters to the windows under the porch to add some more architectural interest in that area and to unify it with the brick section?

Okay,since you are unwilling to replace the guy...:-) what about a decorative downspout in the corner of the gutter that flows directly into a water feature? You can dig out a hole, add a pump and cover with hardware wire and decorative rocks. Place a large ceramic fountain/planter and run the downspout into it. The tiered downspouts slow the flow of the water and reduce splashing at the ground. It would also work without a pump if you can direct the overflow away from the house. You could even do a row of them along the edge of the roof and just make sure the gutter is sloped so they work, then all the water won't back up into one downspout like it does now - it will flow out of all of them.

{{gwi:1787874}}

Here is a link that might be useful: rainchains...

My first inclination would be to address the drainage issue. I agree with Pricklypear that creating a new entrance path would be a good idea. Turn the old sidewalk into a planting bed and at the same time devise a drainage system to pull the water away from the house. A conductor head with a downspout might be a possibility. We had to do that for one of the valleys on our house.

I don't think your house is homely at all. I actually like the 'now' much better than the photoshop you did. I love the current color of the brick and I think the porch could be quite pretty with the addition of shutters on the windows and larger hanging baskets. If you hate the brick, I would paint it and the siding the grey or taupe you mentioned in the other post (sorry can't remember). I would redirect the walk as prickly suggested, curving it out and back to the door. Also, larger gutters and downspouts will solve the problem of water pouring over in all except the most violent downpours-I know , we had the same issues since our house is laid out sort of like yours.

I like the roofline as it is now and think changing it makes the house look a little odd-like so many now that have no real style and are trying to look like something they are not. I think you should consider curving the path out away from the house and create a bed with shrubs and perennials on the right that tapers back to the house along with the walkway as it turns back toward the door. It is hard to tell, but is the walkway coming from the driveway? It looks as though it just starts in the middle of the lawn. which is unusual. If that is the case, I would probably get rid of it altogether and bring people in from the other end of the porch and create a garden in that entire area with grass paths through it (perennials in front of porch as well). Then, I would add a flowering tree out in the yard in a line with the pillar near your bench. You should definitely beef up those columns! Easy to do by just building a box around the existing posts and will make the porch much prettier. You will be surprised how much better houses look when the yard is landscaped. The garden design forum folks might be able to give you even better ideas.

I think that you really can create a charming place with minimal investment if you concentrate on plants and small touches like the walkway, posts and shutters.

Oh and I love Olychick's idea of rain chains-I want to do that in the backyard here since our mongrel horde keeps tearing off the downspouts to get to the chipmunks they chase into them. The mother of this crazy tag team actually chews holes in the metal. Jeez!

Seems that you will need to add a couple of downspouts to help control the flow of rainwater off the roof.

a)Consider adding a downspout at the corner of the roof area to the right of the doorway -- where the siding meets the brick wall.

b)Check the angle of the gutter along the brick wall -- it may need to slope down a tiny bit more towards that front corner of the house (where the two shuttered windows are located). Also -- you MAY need to tack it into the edge of the roofline with an additional nail or two -- during heavy rains it may bend a bit and allow the rainwater to spill over. THEN do add a downspout at that end (or corner) of the gutter.

The additional downspouts will make a huge difference to help control the flow of the rainwater.

Curb Appeal:

a)Build up the posts along the porchline.

b)Add shutters to the rest of the windows.

c)Add a much larger downward-facing lantern in a cottage-style in white.

d)Add a much longer white bench to the porch -- one that would stretch the length of the space from one window to the other one. This long bench would provide a better visual balance to the porch area. Then add bright cushions!

e)Add large rocks and a fountain to the front gardens. Then add herbs and grasses around the rocks.

f)Paint the front door in a bright color! Add a large doormat.

g)Paint the urns by the front door in white -- add a couple of taller but small bushes.

Just some thoughts! Hope you don't mind!

Without psychoanalyzing him, the short answer is that I keep harping (his words) on moving when we retire, and he doesn't want to sink any more into this house that we won't get back.

However, he just came back from a trip to Colorado where the high was 85 to our 105, and he's been the one harping the last few days.

By December when it is finally tolerable to walk outside, I'll forget how desperately I want to move from here every August because of the weather, but my kids will still be 600 miles away.

The reasons he doesn't want to expand the bedrooms onto the porch: (not in order of importance)
1) It will look odd
2) While the porch was poured with the foundation and has footings under it to support the roof, it is not level with the rest of the house and there would have to be concrete work done to level it.
3) Moving walls also means moving light fixtures in each room and basically gutting those two bedrooms.
4) We just added the siding & windows a few years ago and the siding, if still made, probably wouldn't match up right.
5) Why add space to rooms that are used once or twice a year, especially when it would raise our taxes and utilities.

The reasons he doesn't want to add a shed roof over the sidewalk:
1) It will look weird to have shed roof on two sides of the house. (I have a photo of another house like that though and it doesn't look weird to me.)
2) The Hardi siding was installed under the roofline and brick on the rest of the house and it will look weird to have the same porch roof with two different sidings.
3) We would have to tear out the sidewalk and pour porch there with beams to support roof & posts, and then tear off part of the roof over the den, and we're probably looking at $4-$5K just for that.
4) It would be cheaper to replace the gutters and sidewalk every 10 years.

Or, his standard answer when I say I am unhappy with something in the house: Gotta match?

pricklypearcactus, I'm not sure which bedroom you meant to expand the closet into, but I have thought of expanding it into the master bedroom. Considering the small sizes of the other two bedrooms and the master bath, the master bedroom is a good sized room, and there is room to bring out the closet at least two feet. I can just hear dh now... "you want to tear out walls just to gain 2 feet?!!!"

Actually, if I could lose weight and stay the same size, I could live with the tiny closet, but having 3 sets of clothes uses a lot of closet space.

It's not an option to take out any space from the other two bedrooms. They're already too small and this house would never sell if it was listed as a 2 bedroom.

I have thought of moving the sidewalk so it came straight into the porch more to the left of the door (like centered on the porch), but I wondered how odd that would look too. I've seen that in magazines (and now I know why they moved the sidewalk) and thought it looked like something was off. I hadn't considered curving it though, and that's a thought I need to play with. The driveway is to the right of the house, so entering the porch from the far left would be a pain, even though it might look better.

I had to go back to see which picture I posted. We used to have some tall shrubs between the side walk and house, and medium height on the other side of the sidewalk. I ripped them out this spring and haven't replaced them yet. Probably a good thing too since this drought would probably have killed them. Now I'm waiting to see where I should put the sidewalk before I decide what to put and where.

Originally, the house had railings between the porch posts, but they were warped and twisted, and I took them down. Again, I wanted to see what we were going to do to add some appeal to the house before I put anything back up. I think the columns should be beefed up, and I'd like to brick them, but dh thinks that wouldn't work with the style of the house - whatever that is. I can also see some Gingerbread detail and dh hates Gingerbread - or rather hates the maintenance that comes with that type trim. He thinks rustic braces on the posts would look better.

I think I'd like shutters on those porch windows too. I did a mock up for them, but I guess I didn't post it. The windows in the brick walls have to have the shutters because whoever installed the current shutters damaged the brick to put them up, and now we have to have shutters to cover the damage.

Yes, I do mean taking space from the large master bedroom for additional closet space. The room seems large enough to allow either (or both) to expand the closet out and maybe grab the adjacent corner. If DH refuses to expand walls (due to cost, hassle, etc), look into additional storage furniture or perhaps there is an organizational way to store clothing you currently do not wear but may wear at some time in the future.

I agree with cyn427 that the bones of the house are lovely. And I also agree that making the walkway more organic and curving would be more appealing and perhaps help with the water issue. I think shutters, perhaps some porch railings and/or beefing up porch supports, and some landscaping will really do wonders for the appearance.

Love the rain chain idea from olychick.

I believe that the current thin porch columns would look amazing with a simple larger square or tapered white-painted wood covering.

Adding shutters to the other windows will add to the curb appeal too.

Also -- you could add slightly taller white-wood planters between the columns. The planters would be rectanglar in shape -- and would visually "fill in" the spaces between the columns.

Oly, I have always wanted rain chains and I love the one with the watering cans, but I'm not sure they would handle the torrent that comes down that valley. When the gutter was up, there was a down spout at the left end of the porch.

natal, I had to look up conductor head and that is something that would probably work well there. We're going to replace with continuous gutters so hopefully whoever we get to do it will know how to do that. I know what you mean about houses with no style trying to look like something they are not. I think that's why dh keeps shooting down all my ideas too. lol

Cyn427, the sidewalk does come from the driveway, and makes an L around that corner. I added that little piece through the flower bed, and my next step is to take it out, but mainly because they didn't do it the way I wanted. I had envisioned flower beds across the front of the house and down both sides to the street, in kind of a horse-shoe shape with grass in the center, and that walk was to get from the front door to the grassy area.
--I had a mixture of small shrubs and perennials in it, and two years ago we got 12 inches of snow that took out nearly every evergreen in my yard. We never get snow, or never more than a dusting, and we have had measurable snow the past two years. That 12 inch one was wet and heavy and everyone in the area lost trees and shrubs. So this spring, I just ripped out all the evergreen stumps and planted annuals for the time being. Now the heat has wiped out most of the annuals. I still like the idea of a garden wrapped yard, but now I'm thinking it needs to be xeriscape, and I'm not in love with that look yet.
--I lined the sidewalk with bricks earlier this summer, just to see what that looked like, and I really like it. I think a wider sidewalk looks better and it also keeps the plants from spilling over so far onto the walking space.

teacats, I had to laugh when I saw your suggestion for a water feature by the porch. Not because of the suggestion, but because we used to have a very small water garden there, with a little fountain in it. Not only did I have to run off the neighbor's dogs fairly regularly, but one day I came out to see a longhorn cow knee deep in the pond, with her big moo friends waiting patiently for their turn to cool off. When I opened the door, she lunged out of the pond and they all ran off, and our poor little trashed-out water garden was empty a few hours later with a big crack down the middle.
--No, I don't mind your suggestions at all; I welcome all I can get, and I think you are right on target with the posts, shutters, and bench, and especially your idea about the rocks and grasses. If I'm going to have a country farmhouse look, I might as well play it up, right?
--I'm making a note to ask the gutter guy about adding a spout on the right side also. I don't know why that wasn't done before unless it was because of the sidewalk. But if I move the sidewalk, that won't be an issue.

I am going to try to put a curved sidewalk in there so I can see if I have the same idea as the rest of you. I tried it once and just couldn't do it in MS Paint but maybe my luck will be better today.

Thank you everyone, and keep the ideas coming. This helps more than you will ever know. I was beginning to think it was just hopeless.

I would move the walkway, replacing it with a curvaceous one, making sure to place it away from the dripping gutters. And add a rain garden under the overflowing gutters. In my opinion, some nice and strategically placed plantings would soften the house, and add scale, color, and interest. It's not a homely house, but it could be downright charming with the softening effect of landscaping.

Hope I didn't miss if you posted this already (I read the comments very very quickly), but how does the current size and value of your house compare with your neighbors? Also how hard hit was your neighborhood during this RE decline in values? These are really important things to consider in doing any remodeling. I agree with some of the others on here that you could do major curb appeal improvements with just landscaping updating. Your home really isn't homely to me...just fairly simple in design...which isn't necessarily a bad thing at all.

Marti, seriously ask the gutter guy about larger gutters. Our house has that same L-shape in the front and we had the same problem. When we got a new roof, the roofer said the larger gutters might help the problem. We have always had downspouts at either end of the L (if you don't have one at the far end of the porch, it is a good idea to add one), but it is the larger gutters that have done the trick. I recongigured a walkway and made a garden below the roof valley (doesn't get any direct sun, but the hosta and impatients are doing great there) for those times when a huge cloudburst still drives the rain over the metal guard. Here is the only picture I have that sort of shows our house. Can you see why I think yours is pretty??? ;)

Good question sujafr. Our house is on the smaller size for the neighborhood, and we are in a good area with growth from a bigger town coming this way. We've been in the house for 15 years, so even though the area housing is down, we're still ok.

Oh my gosh Cyn, your house is great! Thank you for posting the picture. Did you expand that room on the right end of the porch or was it already that way? I love the look and now I really want to expand at least that far bedroom.

Do you have any other pictures?

How much work IS your husband willing to do?

Find that our first, and go from there.

If I had a tiny budget and/or an unwilling husband, I would do the following... which are admittedly surface treatments, but would improve your curb appeal.

Shutters on the two windows to the left.

Door shutters on either side of the front door. Paint the door and the door shutters red.

Fatter columns.

Install a railing for your porch. You're never going to use it for anything -- it's too narrow -- so you might as well make it look good. You want a simple railing like this:

This kind of railing is purely cosmetic -- but it will make the facade of your house much more appealing.

Good question mclarke, since he shoots down everything I suggest. The only thing he has gone for so far has been tearing out the sidewalk and adding the brick to it, and beefing up the posts.

Those are exactly like the rails that were here before, and probably what they looked like when they were new and still straight.

Oh, you are so nice. I actually see the post that needs to be beefed up, the curved porch boards that I would like to make straight and linear, etc., etc. You see, you are not alone.

Anyway, when you say to the right, do you mean the area with the french doors? That is the garage. I decided to put those doors (they open like regular garage doors) on because our garage is right there in front. It completely changed the look and does make it look like there is a room there. The house is a ranch, but we actually have two levels since we have a walkout basement. We bought it because we wanted to be in a place where we could eventually live on one floor. The house was built in 1960 and the area on the right of the picture (is that what you were asking about?) is an addition the the PO did. They bumped out the kitchen (so there is a sitting room area or it could be used as a dining area-about 9x15) and the master bedroom adding a small MB bath and a very small dressing area with a second sink and second MB closet (not a walk-in unfortunately).

I just ran out and took a few more pictures for you. Ignore the weeds and mess of a garden-sometimes it looks much better. There is an island garden between the two oaks. Then, last fall, I put in a wood chip path that runs parallel to the front of the house and expanded the foundation bed and the island bed. I haven't finished redoing either bed yet. The hollies are goping to come out when I decide what to put in their place. I did a very bad job of pruning them the last time and don't like them anymore. May try to move them, but chances are they won't survive that since they are at least 20 years old. Oh well. The river birch doesn't like the drought and is already turning yellow. Not good. Anyway, here are the pics-also hate the stupid short light-there is always so much to do and so little in the budget for it, isn't there?

Hope that isn't too many, but I think having some plants around will make you like your place a lot more! Also, now that there are only the two of us, I use the guest room closet upstairs and the part of one in the downstairs bedroom, too. DH uses both in the master plus a small one in the third bedroom upstairs which he uses as an office. He has way more clothes than I do!

Does this give you more hope? We moved in 14 years ago. The house was painted yellow and had narrow baby blue shutters. The walk was concrete and came straight to the doors from the end of the drive near the garage with an ugly evergreen hedge along the side facing the street. Although there is lots more I would like to do-won't even get into the mess the galloping gardeners have made of the back yard in the four years since we adopted them-I do like what we have done. Well, actually, what I have done-DH is not responsible for much of any of this, but he does like the finished (?) product.

cyn427: Really pretty house! Very charming!

Yep -- my poor pitiful yard and garden is literally frying to a brown crisp here due to the drought!

Landscaping and thicker columns are what is needed aethetically. The house is pretty and needs no work to itself.

Of course, the water issue needs to be handled, so get a few professional opinions for that..... That is a functional issue and not an aesthetic problem.

Thank you for making such an effort Cyn. If there are weeds there, I can't see them, but it beats dry, crunchy grass. I really like your house. Part of it is the landscaping and your great trees, but also the color. There is a brick house here in town that is painted just about that color and with green shutters and I just love it. We've talked about painting the house, and there are experts who say it's a bad idea in our climate and others who say it's no big deal. The only thing keeping us from it is that the brick we used when we enclosed the garage is a bit different in texture, but otherwise the same brick. I think it would be noticeable if the house were a solid color. But painting the whole thing would be a lot easier and probably last longer than doing a multi splotch color on each brick to match the way it is now.

Yes, it was your garage doors I thought was a room. I meant left I guess instead of on the right. I love the look those doors give your house instead of regular garage doors.

You're right, there's always more you want to do, and not enough budget or time to do it.

You all have given me so many ideas, and opened my eyes to some new possibilities. One is to take out all the sidewalk, the whole L, and have it tie into the driveway further down and curve through to the door. It has always bugged me that people walking to our front door are two feet from our windows and can just look in and see what we are doing. (Really hard to pretend we're not home too. lol)

Thank you all again. I'm going to work on the picture and then show it and Cyn's house to dh, and try to keep my mouth shut so I can't give him anything to argue against. ;) I am feeling hopeful.

Sorry, I didn't read everything here, but do you have gutter guards? I once considered getting them, but as I researched the various types, I learned that they all restrict water from entering the gutters no matter how cleverly they are designed and no matter how much the marketing hype says otherwise. If you have them, try removing the guards. Of course, that will mean DH will have to clean the gutters periodically, but at least its not a 2-story house.

As far as the overall shape/balance of the house, obviously, it is right-heavy. I think a large bed and tree is needed on the left side towards the middle would help balance things.

As far as not putting money into the house if you are thinking of moving in the next x years, the opposite is true. If you don't like your house the way it is, prospective buyers won't either. I was laid off in Jan 2009 just when I was about to start a major($10K) kitchen facelift. I was nearing retirement age too and knew I didn't want to be here much longer, so I went forward with my project anyhow!! I continued with more improvements and got hardwood floors in the living room ($4K) and did other painting and small projects ($2K). I just showed my house to a real estate agent to possibly list it, and she LOVED it and thinks for sure it will sell quickly. Otherwise, it would have had that mid-80's dated look like all the other competition out there. The house would sit forever while I keep dropping the price. It's hard to know exactly how the $16K investment will play out, but these days its about SALE-ABILITY. (now if only I could find the perfect condo, I'm outta here.)

... he shoots down everything I suggest....

Well, that's the answer then. Keep the house, get a new husband.

Just kidding... sort of.... : )

I'd like to shoot him right now! But I don't have enough insurance on him. lol

I know he is having a tough time at work right now and he doesn't want or need stress at home, but I could seriously throttle him right now, like that saying "A hug is just a strangle you haven't finished yet."

So last night I tried to draw a sidewalk on the photo of the house using Paint, and failed miserably. So I pulled out all our garden hoses and put them in the yard where I thought a walk would look good, and showed it to him.

He didn't like tearing out the sidewalk and moving it in a curve, and really didn't like the idea of tearing out the part of the L parallel to the front of the house. I asked what's the difference in tearing it out and replacing where it is or tearing out and making it more attractive? And he DID say it was cheaper to replace the sidewalk than put a porch over it.

He didn't like being reminded of that and agreed to at least curve it from the front porch around to the bottom leg of the L. I'm not happy about that, he's not happy about anything, and it's going to be a long weekend.

Do you happen to know why he doesn't like the potential curve in a new sidewalk?

The only reason I ask is that I used to be against curves in sidewalks too. I'm a straight-and-orderly, OCD kind-of gal. :) However, I'm married to a landscape architect, who has all sorts of creative ideas. So we cut a deal. I do whatever I want on the inside of the house, he runs the show outside.

He tore up our sitck-straight, L-shaped sidewalk (similar to yours), and put in a curvy thing that in theory I thought I would hate. Turns out it is spectacular. He made it out of pavers (which are, in my opinion, more beautiful that regular concrete), and the curvy bits made all sorts of sweet locations for new landscaping.

I'm sure everyone's "mileage may vary" (as they say)- but I'm voting for a new, curvy walk for your house. I think with that, and some new landscaping around the front, that your home will be beautiful!

I'd like to shoot him right now! But I don't have enough insurance on him. lol

Ha ha hahahahaha!

...like that saying "A hug is just a strangle you haven't finished yet."

It sounds like you're having a tough time. I know the feeling.

Sometimes I can convince my DH of the validity of a new project by telling him how much it will increase the "future value" of the house.

Would that work?

patriceny, I really think he just doesn't want the stress of doing it (even though we would have it done), paying for it, and just living through it. He doesn't mind the curve from door to the bend, but he doesn't see the point of taking that part out since it's not currently a problem. Telling him just because it would look nice doesn't seem to work with him. He's just waaaay too practical, and has NO imagination, so he can't envision how nice it could look. And no, he is not romantic either. I've gotten flowers once since we've been married. But, before I make him sound like an ogre, he is a great guy, everyone likes him (including me), and he goes out of his way to help people. It's just this annoying practicality that drives me nuts.

mclarke, I don't think that would work. It needs to benefit him now to make any difference.

I think it's going to be like the first time I painted the walls a color (oh horrors!) while he was gone. We had talked about it before, and he didn't see the point. All houses should be white inside. It's easy, it's practical, and it was done. So he left town for a few days, I borrowed a scaffold, and just did it. When he came back, he loved it. So I think this is something I may just do while he's gone next time so he doesn't have to deal with any of it.

I've been playing around with the photo, and I'll show you what I've come up with in a bit. I wish I had photoshop, but I think I can make something good enough to show dh what it might look like.

Marti, your home is quite nice and has potential to look great with just a few minor tweaks. I like your existing color scheme and the bricks, and would not waste money changing things too much, especially since you hope to relocate in a few years.

Don't shoot me, but I can empathize with both you and your husband as like him I am unwilling to put a lot more $$ into a rapidly declining RE market with no foreseeable uptick in the next few years, but OTH I really value esthetics and would want continue with some changes to feel good in our home.

So, in your case, I'd appease my DH by agreeing with him that major structural changes might not be prudent. Sometimes just acknowledging the other person has a valid point goes a long way. But I would figure out a way to show him a good mock-up so he can see what he'd get once you change the porch, sidewalk and landscaping to "enhance resale value" as mclark suggests. Just doing those few areas will increase your comfort level and not put undue pressure on your husband.

If you genuinely need more storage that can't be found in the garage, attic or basement, would you consider reducing the patio to the right of the FP in the LR and building a storage area there? In theory not having seen what you're dealing with other than your drawing, you could expand the existing adjacent closet or simply enter a build-out unit from the patio if that would be less costly. A simpler option, if you have a wee bit of room in the garage, would be to add closets against a wall and switch out your wardrobe seasonally (or by size). I've added closets in the garage in a couple of previous homes and just made sure to protect my clothes by storing them in garment bags.
Since it's too hot to relandscape right now anyway, you can take your time and allow your DH to relax into the idea of minor improvements in the fall or next spring to allow the new plants to get established. Just the idea of doing any type of work in this heat makes me grumpy too, so now's not the best time to talk about exterior modifications. And I don't even want to think about the costs associated with any improvements right now when the economy is currently so brutal. Just sayin' now may not the be best time to approach him IYKWIM.

Once things settle down a bit to allow for changes, then I'd meander the sidewalk, place unobtrusive rocks along the foundation to prevent mud splash, add the chains if you like, and maybe screen in the front porch if that would help you enjoy it more. If you add the screening you won't need to modify the posts, but if not then I'd add beefier square posts on top of brick bases. I'd consider also adding shutters to the other brick wall window, and could be content with just those changes.

Sounds like you're located in what was a transition landscape zone under heretofore normal circumstances, so I think it's safe to assume that your climate will remain unpredictable and may be a 7 in the winter and move towards 8B/9 in the summer. Maybe try hardier evergreens in the beds near the house and allow at least 18" between the foundation and plants to minimize potential pest and rot problems. Plant a few deciduous trees in the front like crape myrtles for summer beauty and to reduce both cooling costs and lawn watering requirements. Best of luck!

I haven't read the replies but we had the exact same problem when we installed our gutters. Water overflowed onto the porch steps.

My dh got his drill out and drilled small holes along the bottom of the gutters, and it works great. Not only that, when ice forms in the winter, it helps get rid of it faster.

abundantblessings, you are totally right, and this is a scary economy. I know I'm insulated from it more being a SAHM. It probably wouldn't be too expensive to paint and do the sidewalk, and maybe we could even recycle the concrete from the removed sidewalk. Maybe not. But it would be nice to have a plan to work toward.

360 days of the year, our limited storage is sufficient, and would be better if we could get rid of stuff. But both the extra bedroom closets are filled with our clothes so there is no where for guests to hang clothes. Not having anywhere to open a suitcase would bother me more than no closet space when I'm staying with someone though. And you're right again, I do need to agree with his valid arguments.

No room in the garage as it is also workshop, but there is more than enough room in the den, and it is already under roof so I'll take another look at that.

Rocks along the foundation are a good idea, and I've been rethinking the water feature idea that olychick and teacats suggested. I can put in a disappearing fountain and it would be safe from roaming dogs, cattle, and kids.

I forgot I took down the shutters on the other brick wall. I need to fill holes behind all the shutters, took one set down, and found that they are just plastic shells. No wonder the mud daubers were always crawling under them.

Oakleyoak, that's a good idea about drilling the holes, and would take the pressure off the water coming out of the drain too.

I've been playing with some paint colors. It's hard to get the saturation right, and none of them match the chip, but close enough that I can tweak it up or down now. When we bought this house, it had yellow-tan paint on the siding and faded rusty red on the door, shutters, and trim. It was awful. I painted the shutters and doors sage green then.

After we replaced the siding a few years ago, dh said he had someone coming to paint the house and asked what color. I suggested cream on the siding and trim, and brown on the doors and shutters, anything but yellow-tan. Well, the guy came while I was gone one day, and I came home to find cream trim and that blasted yellow-tan on the siding. And he didn't paint the door or shutters at all. I asked dh why he got that yellow-tan and he said it matched the brick best. *sigh* So NO yellow-tan next time.

Do any of these colors work? I also played with painting the brick, but it doesn't look good to me in any of these colors.

I took another picture this morning, straight on.

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Then Paint. There's one I really like, but I won't influence you.

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If you could center the door, it would balance the front of the house better. Plus planters & pretty lamps flanking the door would dress it up & make a nice focal point. Here are samples -- I didn't bother with finding great colors, just wanted you to see how the balance shifts:

Here's how you could eke out more storage if you centered the door:

Here's how you could eake

I don't really mind your current color scheme. I can't solve the gutter issue but to freshen the look...add shutters to the other three windows on the front of the house, replace the posts with something more substantial, plant some heartier landscaping and replace your front porch items with a couple of rocking chairs painted black.

Oops, forgot one detail. I call it a bird ledge...not sure of the proper term but this detail above the den windows would really add a nice pop where the brick and siding meet. It wouldn't have to be copper. It could be shingled like your roof. Replacing the vent with a window in this gable could be a nice improvement also.

I'm weighing to say I like your house colors and unpainted brick just fine. I think the major thing that I would change (and it's not that major) would be beefing up those posts. It's amazing how skimpy they are typically handled - and what a huge difference it makes to make them substantial and/or interesting.

Of course, I say that with the caveat that obviously, the thing that really needs attention is the water issue and damaged concrete. Which offers a perfect opportunity to soften up the walkway the way only curves can do. That plus some more substantial planting around the foundation and walkway, and I think you'd be surprised at the transformation.

awm, I had considered something similar, but it just uses too much space for the entry.

homeagain, do you know what the name of the red foundation plants are? I've heard that roof style called a Dutch gable and I think it has to be done when the house is framed, but I agree, it is pretty.

Steph2000, I've been playing with the posts and it is amazing how much better it looks with bigger one and with detail at the top.

We need to replace the roof and paint, and have been putting it off until everything else is done, so we can change colors on both. It's just too hot right now. It's waited this long, I guess it can wait another month. It seems that everything hinges on something else being done first. Can't put up gutter until the facia is painted. Can't paint that until the siding is sprayed. Can't (or shouldn't) paint the siding until all the siding is up and construction done. And so on.

I showed dh all the pictures and drawings, and he agrees that a different paint would be an improvement, but he doesn't like the greens, grays, blues, or reds on the siding, and we finally compromised on what is basically a darker shade than is on there now, but without so much yellow pigment, and dark shutters and shingles. I'm still looking for something better, but I'm ok with this. It's crude, but I finally figured out how to draw a curved sidewalk in it. Dh is still skeptical about that. I've been playing with landscaping, and I've put in trees like I've be envisioning for a long time. What do you think, too much or not enough? I can't seem to put any shrubs or flowers in that look like they would fit the space and look naturally random. I have the same problem when trying to plant real plants.

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Well, to finish out my day of wasting time, I Painted one with one of the bedroom walls pushed out to the edge of the porch.

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I'm surprised that I don't like it as well as the full porch with rail.

Roof color can have a big impact on utility usage. While the dark roof looks dramatic, you may find it increases cooling costs over your current color. Just another piece of the puzzle to consider.

OOOH! I really like the graphic you created above... the first one better than the second.

I think the long white railing across the entire porch balances the house; the railing balances the big triangle gable beautifully. Your house looks graceful.

And the fatter posts and the gingerbread braces are great. That big roof needs the visual support of posts and braces.

Good choices!

That extended railing really does look nice. I love the columns you designed. And the sidelight gives the door much more presence.

Seems like you've come up with the best improvements and for the least amount of money too!

I really think you've got something going with the front porch/columns railing you have there. Much cheaper to do and your entry now looks defined.

To solve the water issue, check with a gutter company that your gutters slope properly and that you have the largest size available. Then I would add a down spout on the non porch side closer to the valley that your having trouble with and have it go into an underground drainage to get the water away from that area that then comes out using a pop-up emitter away from the house. I did this at my old/old house to get water away from pooling inside a sidewalk area next to the house.

That's true abundantblessings, and that color is darker than I intended. It was supposed to be Certainteed Weathered Wood, but when I painted it over the red roof, it was darker. Same with the shutters. With such a light colored house, a light colored roof just doesn't look very good, which is probably why it originally had the reddish roof and reddish trim. We'll just have to hope the trees we planted across the back get bigger soon.

Thanks mclarke and awm. There's no room to put a sidelight there (closet behind it), and one shutter would look odd, but I'm trying to think of something else.

lyfia, that's a good idea about the drain under the sidewalk. Someone else had mentioned a drain spout there, but not a pop-up emitter. That would solve a lot of problems.

Dh isn't crazy about taking out the whole sidewalk, and I can probably be happy with just a curve by the front door that ties into the straight walk to the driveway.

Thanks for all your help everyone, I think the railings are just what it needs.

Marti- Cyn's home is amazing and so much like yours. If you bump one bedroom out and keep the porch and entry the same, curve the front walk...it would be beautiful and affordable. The big gutters and larger garden area should do the trick.

For paint color, I'd pick out one of the medium tones, from the brick, but not too dark. Darker green shutters and a door that pops (maybe picks up one of your flower colors) would look very nice :)

What a pretty house! Another vote to leave the brick and color as it is. I think it looks fresh and really attractive. It I like the idea of the larger columns and railing with some landscaping on front of the porch to balance out the mass of the front part of the "L".

Lovin what is happening with the thick posts. Adding a railing is also a very doable option. I particularly love how the posts thicken up at the bottom. Very grounding!

And that's the thing with foundation planting - it really grounds the house. (I have to figure that out at my own house now that my house has new siding, doors, windows.) It's really fine that you don't know how to do that. GW has some great forums with folks who would be more than glad to help you figure out some low maintenance, substantial scrubs/plantings for around the foundation. You can also just look around your neighborhood/town at what people have done. Pay attention to their choice in shrubs and make sure you are seeing mature plants so you can figure out placement. It makes a TON of difference.

And, for the second time in 5 minutes, I'm with pfmastin. I still really prefer the current paint color and brick. I like it light. It's really just such a good, fresh look! That being said, I know you were disappointed from the beginning with it and taste is taste. Would you consider just going with a creme with an undertone that takes you from the yellow if that is what is bothering you? Be careful with tans and beiges, or you can end up with a bandaid/pinky tone. IMHO, neutral and earthy, grayed out tones are good for the bones of a house. Punches of color can be added in porch furniture, front doors, plantings, pots, shutters, etc...

I would NOT change the color of house or stone but would work with what you have, and after fixing the obvious gutter problem would beef up the posts as is the concensus, and add landscaping, BUT would absolutely look into changes as Homeagain suggests!! Beautiful mockup. Seriously, I think you are making what I believe is a common mistake of trying to fix a problem of balance with cosmetic (color) changes; you will end up with the same overall effect in another color field. You have such a lovely home!! ---Penny G.