I don't see a large front porch working on this house. About all I see is a small awning over the front door. You could lighten the trim and trim back or redo some of the landscaping.

Hi, Monica--

Clarifying question here: it looks like the masses on either side of the central turret aren't flush to each other based on the rooflines in view. Can you share a perspective that shows how the rooflines are navigated around/behind the turret? Can't recommend removing the turret without knowing more, as it's an expensive alteration to consider. It's not clear from the low angle that's been shared here.

A turret is an interesting feature, but it was definitely incorporated here without the charm of a welcoming front porch in mind. Usually they're found at either extreme end of a property where a porch is involved, but when placed centrally a porch is not part of the equation.

Not a Pro.

A beautiful Front Courtyard is all that is needed.

Fairway Style Living, you are correct, when looking at the house, the side to the left of the turret is set back a foot or two relative to the right. Unfortunately I don't have any more photos at this time but I will be sure to take some next time I am there.

Kevin Strader, I like the idea of an awning and I was also considering adding some shutters.

I was thinking that a porch might be possible if it were large enough, but I'm no expert and haven't consulted with anyone else, sounds like it's a no go.

Njmomma, what type of courtyard did you have in mind? There is a good amount of space in front of the house so that might be a possibility.

Sophie Wheeler, can you please elaborate? Why do you think it's a drawback. I don't like it personally, but would love to hear more on your opinion.

It’s just a symptom of the bad architecture as a whole. But it’s the most prominent. And it’s really poorly done and ugly.

http://mcmansionhell.com/post/148605513816/mcmansions-101-what-makes-a-mcmansion-bad#=

I had in mind something like this. No?

oh geez, thank you Sophie Wheeler. I certainly don't want to buy a poorly designed mcmansion. this house seems to break a lot of the basic design principles :-(

What is drawing you to this house?

A friend of mine had a house with a turret (they've since moved). It was a pain for her to furnish the turret on three floors - finding window benches that curve around are custom-made and expensive, or you put a single arm chair there. Where do you place the floor lamp. Vacuuming there means having to use always the vacuum's attachment for the curved edges. And then you need special window treatments to fit. And no one would sit in that space anyway since it feels separate from the rest of the living space. So you are paying for that turret square footage, paying to furnish it, and to heat and air condition it, and it doesn't really get used.

The photo of the white house you posted doesn't have a real turret like the one in your OP. The white house has a broad bay window on the ground floor, and the second floor turret is on the exterior only. You'd have to rip out your current turret to achieve that.

I like the one you like, the Dutch Colonial.

You can't get there from here. Buy another house. Turrets belong only on castles on Victorian homes. Otherwise they look foolish.

Which one is “better” to me is more about whether it works for you and your family and that goes beyond curb appeal and goes to location, interior layout, yard (if you want one)., etc. Whether that is the turret house or the Dutch Colonial only you and your family - knowing your priorities, lifestyle, community, etc, can decide.

You are going to be spending more time INSIDE the house than standing on the lawn gazing at it. I don’t *love* the turret - mostly just due to its location front & centre as if it was odd to side as a viewing/sitting area it would make more sense to me - but if the house ticked all my other boxes it would not be a dealbreaker either. I am sure a family - even if not yours - can make a lovely comfortable and happy home in it, “wart” and all.

It's nice to say that the OP should only be concerned with whether the home works for the family, and that is true. However, stats indicate that families move on average every13 years and it's important that the exterior of the home appeal to buyers.

You might find a great house that's built next to the railroad tracks, but it's not a house to purchase because you already know that you'll have no choice but to drop the price to get it to sell, if it sells at all.

I am not sure I would agree that comparing a cosmetic detail to living by railroad tracks is reasonable.

There is a reason I mentioned factors such as *location* can trump curb appeal, the latter which is subjective as the turret here is a cosmetic detail that despite the comments here I am sure many would love or take no issue with....like OPs *own husband* who prefers this house. There are two new houses going up in a high end view lot development near me ($1.5-2+ million dollar houses) that prove many people still actually like turrets - both architect designed by the way. The other has added noise, potentially higher insurance costs (because higher risk location), and actual risks due to derailment, etc. I say this as someone who DID live near railroad tracks (and yes, there was a buyer for house and no price drop necessary).

And what do you mean “no choice to drop price?” From what price? From what they wanted to list at despite the market not supporting that price? From what they paid for it “13 years prior”? Why didn’t their future realtor list it at a reasonable price accounting for location to rail road tracks in the first place? If they are near railroad tracks they are likely buying at a discounted price in first place so that is factored in down the road. It is never a guarantee that real estate will increase in value in first place, whether a turret or not, or train tracks or not. And people who sell their private homes more frequently, unless they get “lucky” in a hot sellers market, will likely never “profit” once commissions, closing costs, maintenance, repairs, interest (and PMI where applicable) etc are factored in anyway. Did the house work for the family for the “13 years” they lived in it? Then there is value to that.

And in some locations curb appeal is barely a consideration at all, where you see bidding wars for 30% over million dollar listings for what is practically a tear down shack, OPs turret house would be considered a prize.

Mimy von Schreiner - can you please stop posting those URLs, and post the actual photos? It's not hard. Here's how to do it. Copy the URL of the Houzz photo, then, in your post, click on "Houzz Photo" at the bottom, then click on the tab that says "Houzz URL", paste.

Here's one of your links. And I agree with Hummingalong2; unfortunately it is nothing like the OP's prospective home.

New House - Monkton, MD · More Info

What if you paint the home like this two tone white home and add the white awnings? Then it turns into a sculpture.

Which way does the house face? Would awnings on the windows change the appearance for the better?

Mimy von Schreiner /John R. Wood Properties

None of your posts are showing photos. Whether I am on my iPad, iPhone, or desktop. Unfortunately I am not sure why it is not working for you, but on each post the only way I can see the photo is by clicking the "More Info" link.

^^ Me too

Mimy- you might want to try rebooting your ipad. Once you do that try posting a photo again to see if that helped. When houzz did their last big up-date last Dec. it caused multiple issues on each device and sometimes what was "working" is not at the moment. Houzz is still working their way through them. There are a few of us each on a different device that are reporting to houzz any glitches or issues that we encounter along with any that we come across on threads by other users Lately, others have had the same photo issue and either rebooting or reinstalling the houzz app seems to have helped. So you might give it a try and then we can go from there.

For me it’s not just the turret, but the overall design of the front is kind of wonky and limits curb appeal.