1320 SF ranch makeover help
rufflina (zone 9 SF Bay Area)
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
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Meris
8 years agoeld6161
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Rollcall: Where are you (and your kitchen)
Comments (150)Haddonfield, NJ, a small Revolutionary War bedroom community about twenty minutes from Philly. We live in a very sweet, smaller 1890 late Victorian smack in the middle of the historic district. We've been in the house six years. Last year we put a new roof on and had a complete historical restoration paint job on the exterior. They removed every bit of paint from the house. It was a long six month extravaganza and thank heaven we liked the guys because they were in very nook and cranny of this place! They did a fabulous, loving job and our long neglected house is now the showpiece of the street. Well worth the time and money We also added a beautiful slate patio which looks lovely in our shady yard. Now we are embarking on a kitchen renovation and planning to add a powder room and renovate a full bathroom as well. We love our home and spend lots of time entertaining friends and family. Everyone is at home here - and that makes us happy!...See MoreCurb Appeal: Help me lose the 1960 look
Comments (28)The SF Bay area means you are in Zone 10 in a micro climate. From the way the shadows are in the photos it looks like your home has a southern exposure (Correct?) which will affect the plants you choose. Keep in mind that just as there are decorating *trends* in interior decorating there are also trends in garden and landscaping design. You want your planting to match your home's style AND not look "dated" or out of place. For instance, Bridal Wreath, Roses, and Peonies look great in front of a Victorian but just do not 'go' with a ranch. You want to stick with the trends that were popular at the time the home was built, like Hosta, Evergreens, Ferns and other plants with insignificant flowering. The trend put more emphasis on leaf shape, texture and color tone. Those Evergreens in front of the house that are so huge were probably planted when the home was built and surrounded with such plants. Nor do you want your new plantings to look "dated" by doing an '80s trend of Stella d'Oro and the like. It would be like putting 'geese with bonnets' teal and dusty rose, wallpaper in your new kitchen. It looks dated, and does not go with a vintage ranch home either. I hope I am explaining this right. With the southern exposure your home has and the fact that is is in zone ten you want to be sure you have the right plantings. Nothing is worse than seeing Hosta suffering under the sun gasping for life with their crispy edges. It makes a house look dreary. I would embrace your ranch home styling and not try to make it into a cottage or try to give it 'Southern Charm' or anything. It's the 'silk purse/sows ear, thing'. They still build ranches today. Just update the look with simple things like removing the diamond grill from the windows on the right, changing the shutters, ect. A new single door will help the place lose the 'hacienda' look the double doors give it. If you have the budget for it, a new garage door with horizontal windows would break up the big flat look it has, and help with the smooth horizontal flow the lines the look of the home has. Ripping out the overgrown Evergreen on the left will make the place seem more welcoming. I think the ones on the right can stay if they are manicured and then bring the bed out further with low plantings....See Morelaminate instead of granite - budget cut
Comments (56)That's exactly what my line of thinking is, caryscott. I have to laugh (weep?) when I read here about low-end kitchen makeovers well nigh into five figures. Design on a dime? Sheesh. I'm designing on a peso. Thanks for the good news about the backsplash, though! Might mean I can pop for a different finish. I have a 60-year-old kitchen with a layout that offers no hope of real renovation unless the entire house gets gutted and enlarged at the same time. Not happening. Two exterior brick-and-block walls with lots of windows to the front elevation, stairs and doors everywhere and only 11x10 to work with. Landlocked. As if that weren't enough, it's a major pathway through my 976 sf (many kitchens here are that big) raised ranch, so it takes a wear-and-tear beating courtesy of my three teenagers. I've just begun stripping the yellowed finish from my cabinets, plan to stain them cherry chocolate (can't paint -- it'd be chipped in a matter of hours) and put in a high def laminate counter. Will wait until something really strikes me for the backsplash; I like bamaspice's split face tile and I'm pleased to see her report that its sealant is wearing well. (Redi-whip and spaghetti sauce? My kitchen precisely.) One benefit to having a small kitchen is I can pick up leftovers from those 1,000 sf kitchen makeovers; gotta love Craig's List! I regularly see granite remnants but in the end I think I'm just not a fan of it. Dyed concrete, well, I've seen some absolutely beauteous displays of that but no tengo pesos....See MoreStay in footprint or do an addition?
Comments (4)We've owned the house for one year now. We want to stay here forever, hopefully! We love our location, and it seems like most people are saying not to bother with a remodel, so new construction it is, as we do have room to expand and there are other people tearing down houses and building new in the neighborhood. Now we'll have to save some more money, and carefully consider the question of how much house. With our cash we can build about 2166 square feet including the garage, but that seems a bit small for new construction. About the same size as my childhood home though :)...See Morerufflina (zone 9 SF Bay Area)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agomama goose_gw zn6OH
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agorufflina (zone 9 SF Bay Area) thanked mama goose_gw zn6OHrufflina (zone 9 SF Bay Area)
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agomama goose_gw zn6OH
8 years agorufflina (zone 9 SF Bay Area)
8 years agorufflina (zone 9 SF Bay Area)
8 years agojakkom
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
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