Budget way to modernize 1950's ranch?
I'm in a 1950's neighborhood that's going through flips and teardown/rebuilds. The value of the homes are going up, fast. We've already done a major kitchen reno to remove the galley kitchen in favor of an open floor plan. We are now turning our attention to the outside of the home and the curb appeal.
I'm a little at a loss when it comes to visualizing and prioritizing what to spend effort on for the most bang for our buck - we think it needs new windows and siding (in fresh colors). I've always dreamed of having a functional porch for sitting (perhaps on the right side). And I would love the large window to open since there's no way to get air flow in the house otherwise. The roof is fairly new so we probably can't change the color. I thought perhaps white trim and light blue siding would complement the roof color.
I'm not much for modern aesthetic, typically I favor traditional windows and a cottage feel. We added the blue shutters and the swirly/Victorian brown wood detail along the top of the porch (might be hard to see). We also added the rail maybe years ago, when my daughter was a toddler - there was nothing but posts before. There were no plants when we moved in - we've slowly enhanced the plantings over the years.
I realize all these ideas aren't cheap - and are perhaps not realistic. Any ideas or insight would be much appreciated.
Comments (10)
rmm105119
5 years agoSasha Martin
5 years agoRelated Discussions
1950's ranch kitchen renovation - layout help
Comments (12)I usually like banquettes when they are tucked into a corner, not free-floating. I think in this case I would flip the kitchen layout significantly. Here's one idea: I tried to draw squares of roughly 24"/side for each seat at the banquette & put a good size table in the open space. The door(s) into your office/ex-DR could be a pair of french doors, maybe 4' wide in total, set on a diagonal to clip the corner between the end of the long banquette seating & the wall between the DR & LR. I think this would give you good counter space & plenty of lower cabinets in the kitchen, but you would be short on upper cabinet space b/c you'd only have from the door to the laundry to the window (over the sink, which doesn't have to move). The stove would need to move, as would the fridge. For the peninsula between the kitchen & den, you may want to have it extra wide (I tried to draw it wider than the other base cabinets). If you used a 24" base & backed it with 12" or 18" cabinets that faced the den, you'd have storage for video games, books, board games, etc. This is just one idea, hopefully it sparks other (better) ones....See MoreExterior Paint for 1950s Ranch!
Comments (7)Not sure about colors or shutters - depends on the look you are going for, but definitely paint the brick the same color as you are painting the house. Properly primed, painting brick is fine. The brick causes a strong line that makes the house look too low and horizontal, despite the peaked roof on that section. There is just way too much going on there on the right side of the house with the brick, horizontal clapboard and shutters, and vertical siding on the top. Painting the brick will make a big difference. Garage door does look pretty dated. I would change that out, or at the least, not use contrasting colors on the “trim” and make all the door all one color....See MoreNeeding Ideas for updating 1950's orange brick ranch on a budget
Comments (1)Please don't paint your brick. It's a great color. What your home needs is landscaping and a few minor improvements like painting the front door an accent color and paint the garage doors a color to blend in with the brick. If you paint the front door with a good accent color, it will come out of the shadows and be more welcoming. Your pics aren't expanding so I can't see if you have a coach light by the front door or see your address at all. These small things are inexpensive but important....See More1950s Brick Ranch - Landscaping Help
Comments (22)Loving the suggestions and brainstorming. The thing that gets me is that concrete slab. I have considered extending the roof and making the concrete slab level to create a covered front porch, but there are some cons with that, one mostly being that the roof isn't even 2 years old yet and I hadn't considered that idea before I had it put on. Another con is that it will limit a lot of light to the bay window. Yet, I'm torn on other options. If I keep the concrete slab, I will either have it tiled or look into stamped concrete. There is a company in a nearby city that refinishes concrete in that manner. I realize though, what nickel_kg said, that unless I remove the concrete between the driveway and the landing or put an additional, curved walkway to the landing, that my home looks a bit unwelcoming. I definitely want to make the correct decisions now rather than spend more money later fixing what I should've done initially. 😣 Obviously I need to have a plan before committing to the beds....See MoreSasha Martin
5 years agoI'm playing with these ideas (very roughly) in photoshop. Here's what they look like (didn't swap the garage color but that's a great tip) Since this is old vinyl (more than ten years), am I better off getting new siding or painting the existing siding?
I love the idea of extending my garden bed - I'm guessing with (mostly) low-growing plants? I've thought it could be nice to put a little 2-person bistro table in that area (if we didn't put a porch in).
housegal200
5 years agoSasha Martin
5 years agoI tried adding some landscaping type touches... and the seating. I know the plants would likely be less vivid in that shady spot - though perhaps some chocolate chip ajuga would provide seasonal color like the lavender shown. The yellow is a spice bush, which can tolerate shade. I know the fence is crazy looking - I just grabbed something quick online to give the impression... There are no sidewalks on my street, but a little fence adds a lot of cottage cute-factor, to me.
decoenthusiaste
5 years agoWhat about changing the large window into French doors to access a porch on that side? They would certainly look more cottage than the plate glass. A reliable nursery could probably transplant the corkscrew shrub to the far right or to the left of the garage. I think your roof line is too flat for dormers. A simple shed roof porch might be cute.
228 Pendleton Road · More InfoSasha Martin
5 years agoOk, now I'm playing with adding in a new window style... (I'm not sure what is architecturally appropriate... but these seem to add the right cottage charm:
I had a question about the butter yellow - the original house color is almost yellow - it's a creamy yellow (see the original photos at the top of the page). I wonder if I could get away with only painting the trim and obtain a similar effect for much less cost.
Sasha Martin
5 years agoI like the idea of the porch, but what do I do with the existing roofline, over the door... where it juts up? Does that stay (like in your photo) or get removed?
The sage is pretty in that photo, too ... couldn't quite get my sliders to match the lightness...
jstropic (10a)
5 years ago
housegal200