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Porches & Decks

Front of house spruce up

7 years ago

Any suggestions on what I should do? White chairs? Black chairs? Shutter front door colors?

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Comments (6)

Bluebell66
7 years ago
I think I like the white chairs better than the black. The white stands out more and looks very fresh against the dark parts of the house. Is the siding a cream or yellow? I can't really tell. What colors do you like? If I were you, I'd put a seat cushion or pillow in the chairs. I would also add a wreath on the door, a pretty door mat, house numbers and a TALL pot of colorful flowers next to door. I would also change the door color to something else, but I'm not sure what.
abbyzx
7 years ago
Just came across your project. Not much space under roof. Had a crazy idea for you.Tie in some of the lost garden area. This means rip up all the sod in the semi circle. Make a smaller semicircle attached to the cement of the porch, using such things as paver blocks set in small pebbles.Bring out your chairs with a thrifter table conversation height.Like a red wagon planted with annuals. Now landscape between entry walk and new patio. Maybe. Box woods,azaelia.

paint the posts a light color,plant a clematis on the post furthest from new patio to balance. Paint shutters and front door a new color that is not dark brown...too much brown due to roof mass. Go to paint store ,get many colors on one strip to get ideas or use their idea books..collect from HD,L,SW, Pratt&Lambert. Hope this helps.
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I was hoping that you all would tell me to rip them out, but to make hubby happy I was entertaining the idea of salvaging some of them. We are in zone 6, Cincinnati. I appreciate the compliments...it is a cute house. It's actually a tri-level sears roebuck-you don't see too many of this style. The proportion of the windows etc keep throwing me off but I just don't have the money to throw at structure right now. I would love to add a small pergola (like this https://www.houzz.com/photos/over-window-pergolajpg-phvw-vp~743169-Window-Pergola-jpg---) over the window to try to balance everything out. I'm a hydrangea, hosta smoke bush kind of girl. I love a relaxed cottage style garden and I feel like it will compliment the house well. Any specific holly suggestions?...I noticed so many beautiful hollies over the winter. I'm so looking forward to getting my hands dirty with this project....I'm still petrified of the bald house look though!
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Just some random thoughts for you. In your first pic, there is way too much roof and it is overwhelming the house. The 2nd pic looks so much better with the lower roof. Is there anyway to compromise and put the 2 car garage to the front and the one car garage on the side? I can relate as we chose to do just that. Mainly because having the garage in the front shortens the driveway which is great for winter and it makes the front door used by guests as they know where to go. Most houses with side garage doors do end up with guests entering the garage...many houses around here don't even bother putting a sidewalk to the front door. The exception is where there is a circular drive that people can park in and then they use the front door. But the risk with that is that people leave cars there and it ends up looking like a car ad. We made a prominent gable and stoned it and then bumped out the entry porch even more to make sure the front door was outstanding and then blended the garage in with the rest of the style of the house with the dark doors receding. The 3rd garage we were able to build under the house and hid it with a garage door that looks like french doors. (we've since painted the french porte garage door out to match the rest of the trim....)
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Comments (4)
These are exterior, but no reason you couldn't do on the inside - depends on what kind of door you have and how close to the wall it comes when opened: [Traditional Entry design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-entryway-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_741~s_2107) For winter: [src="http://st.houzz.com/simgs/76411d5e0cd314b4_8-1000/traditional-entry.jpg" border="0" height="376" width="500">[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/holiday-decor-traditional-entry-new-york-phvw-vp~81807) [Traditional Entry design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-entryway-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_741~s_2107) by New York Furniture And Accessories Hydrangea Home A star? [Contemporary Exterior design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/contemporary-exterior-home-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_736~s_2103) Not shown on a front door, but a painting? [Eclectic Bathroom design[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/eclectic-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2104) by New York Architect Rodriguez Studio Architecture PC Source: etsy.com via Deb on Pinterest Source: dictoot.com via Deb on Pinterest edited to remove link to Thrifty Decor Chick for more ideas because OP claims it had a virus. This post was edited by olychick on Mon, Dec 31, 12 at 0:46
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Hmmm......I'm not sure about your assessment that this landscape needs more color or character :-) While not necessarily unique - and few development landscapes are - it does offer a decent selection of tough, low maintenance PNW landscape choices with a reasonable amount of foliage color, if not flowers. There are some gaps you could fill in but I'd be cautious about adding many "new" plants - that often creates a very busy, confusing and messy look. Maybe selecting just one or two new plants to accomplish this is best. Or if you are unhappy with what you have, get rid of these and try something new altogether. Some shrubs that work especially well together and are ideal for a PNW garden are Nandina domestica 'Gulf Stream', Abelia x grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope', Spiraea 'Magic Carpet' and Berberis thunbergii 'Concorde' or Bagatelle'. These can be accented with a purple leafed heuchera ('Frosted Violet', 'Blackberry Ice') and an evergreen grass like Carex testacea or Carex oshimensis 'Evergold'. But there are lots of other possibilities that are available that a visit to your better local independent garden center (NOT box store!) will reveal. You can also certainly add a couple more heathers of different colors to fill in where the first is and perhaps another 1 or 2 to accent the bed on the other side of the walkway. btw, I'd get rid of or move the struggling rhody to the far left - it is acting as a distraction in its current state. If you want to get a lot more "unique", might be best to contract with a landscape designer for at least a consultation but a more unique, distinctive garden will involve more removal of the commonplace stuff and replacement with other, less common choices that could prove to be a more expensive option than you prefer.
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abbyzx
7 years ago
Add window box under two fron Windows painted same light color as posts
abbyzx
7 years ago
Plant a small tree in the new garden that is inline with the edge of the extended right side of house.Have tree at least 3 ' from edge.Keep it trimmed or find a bush that can be trimmed like a tree.
abbyzx
7 years ago
Once you have colors you like, get back to forum so we can give input. Color is personal we need more information on your likes. Spray paint furniture according to what you select for shutters/door. What ever color is chosen for posts needs to continue across porch facia.
powermuffin
7 years ago
Landscaping Forum!!!

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