Most Boring Brick Ranch. Needs curb appeal! It feels hopeless!
Abi Gill
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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Abi Gill
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Need Ideas for adding curb appeal to boring brick townhome.
Comments (6)Even if you could have shutters would you really want to - I wholeheartedly agree with the above posters, except my order would be: Doorway first - if the existing door is attractive and/or vintage & original to house then just get a better quality storm door that lets us see it. Or think about whole new door. That really is the very most prominent noticeable thing about your house, and your chance to make an architectural statement. I like the awning too, if it was the right style/color to coordinate w/ door and rails so your entryway feels unified/cohesive. Then re-do the garden beds - as a gardener Id be itchin to get in there and not just weed, but totally renovate the bed by digging out everything and getting good quality garden soil. Guess Im assuming that if weeds have taken over that means the soil is probably pretty crappy but that may not be the case. Id put in at least one or two SUBSTANTIAL flowering shrubs, perhaps roses. As a gardener that all sounds like FUN to me - but your mileage may vary. Also concealment of garbage can is a good idea. Whats to the left of your door/stairs, looks like some plants/ shrubberies over there too?....See MoreNeed help adding curb appeal on a 1960's ranch
Comments (14)I think that some of the suggestions wouldn't be an improvement and suggest that you think about whether those changes will enhance the home's appearance and period details. The dark stripes of the shutters add interest to the facade from a distance and I don't think I would change them unless you are going to add similar wide dark trim. The glass brick are appropriate to the architecture and were common in that time period, so unless you want that to be a window that you can look out, don't change them. Similarly, the wrought iron porch supports are typical to the time period, so unless they really bother you keep them. On the other hand, I don't like the jalousie windows and consider them to be more common on beach houses and back porches, not on windows to the main house, so I would switch them out. The low wall doesn't bother me since it is so low, but if you don't like it, I don't think removing it would be an issue as long as doing so won't damage the porch or house. I think replacing the door with one more in keeping with the house's architecture would be nice, and painting it something that contrasts with the masonry while still coordinated with the house would look good, so rich deep brown or black, or a shade like the brightest brown in the masonry, or even some shade of orange. The main issue to get an appealing entry is the plantings and walkway, both of which are currently narrow and cramped feeling. So I would move the walkway to a minimum of 5' from the garage so that you have room for a row of small shrubs underplanted with groundcover and a few bright flowers near the drive and where the walk turns toward the house. The walk should be at least 5' wide so visitors don't have to approach single file, and 6' would be better. You have a lot of different masonry surfaces going on already, so I would choose concrete to match the porch surface. I like the simple squared off shape of the walk and how it relates to the building, so I wouldn't change the shape or add curves. The current plantings seem rather random with regard to the architecture, so placement when you add plants will be important. Don't put plants that want to grow tall in front of windows, and center plantings with regard to architectural details instead of the current placement of being half in front of windows and masonry details. You don't say where you are in zone 6, and soil pH, texture, and moisture are different in Cleveland vs. New England vs. Oklahoma, so at this point it is difficult to make specific plant suggestions. You will want some evergreens for the backbone of the garden to provide year round interest. If your soil is acid and has reasonable drainage, look st some of the smaller and more densely growing members of the Heath family such as smaller Pieris or mountain laurel/Kalmia, heath/Erica, Heather/Calluna, or some of the smaller Rhododendrons. The Rhododendrons and Kalmia will tolerate a good amount of shade but the heaths and heathers like full sun. Other evergreens to consider with varying tolerance for shade include: Yew/Taxis which is your current plant, but has other shapes and sizes available and has the advantage of being very shade tolerant Junipers range from groundcovers to large trees and different cultivars have varying foliage colors, but like a good amount of sun Chamaecyparis has quite a range of foliage color and texture as well as plant size, depending on species and cultivar. Doesn't like all day shade, but tolerates a range of pH....See MoreBORING CURB APPEAL
Comments (59)I guess I should have said, 'Paint the shroud of the air conditioner the same color as the house." Don't go painting coils, fins, fan blades, etc. Not much you can do about it. Has to have air circulation around it. I would carefully inspect the roof flashing, porch construction and supports because there is a potential for a lot of problems there. Hopefully, somewhere down the road when the unit needs replacing, it can be relocated. I like Grover's little roof idea but looks kinda doubtful that there is enough room for roof and still have adequate air space around it. If you're located somewhere with four seasons, you could screen it during the cold months when you don't need AC and remove the screen when the weather heats up....See MoreCurb Appeal for Beach Town Ranch
Comments (9)I am normally against painting brick as most of it looks fine, even if one is not fond of a particular color. But brick that has wild and zany, high contrast color changes, is not appealing to me, in the way that I don't find blotchy skin attractive. Here, I'd paint the brick and open up an entire new source of design possibilities. (It would end up someone in the taupe range, though could lean toward tint.) I like the white trim, as it is cheerier looking than dark trim, which generally looks somber. For the pediment over the garage, I'd paint as trim ... white. See if you could change out the upper panel of the garage door for one with windows in it. For continuing with increasing curb appeal, expand the landing of the stoop (making it spacious) and re-do the front walk, which should be pulled at least 6' away from the house wall, if not farther. It should be at least 4' width and if you can upgrade its material, all the better. On top of that, you need NEW landscaping. The tree could stay but over time, work on lifting its canopy until it is above the height of the eaves. You probably need another tree at the right side of the yard, but that is not included in the shot, so we can't see that area....See MoreAbi Gill
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoAbi Gill
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4 years agolast modified: 4 years agofunctionthenlook
4 years agoAbi Gill
4 years agoAbi Gill
4 years agoAbi Gill
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