Curb appeal for 1960's L-shaped Ranch
I am looking for ideas to give my tired L-shaped ranch an update. It has light gray steel siding, black roof and white windows that will all remain. We are going to paint the trim, fascia, screen porch and garage door this summer. Also building wood shutters to replace the ugly plastic. All of the above have always been white. I'm not opposed to sticking with white if that is the best choice but just thought I would seek ideas from you good folk to see if anyone has a twist that could create some interest in the very basic house.
We will also replace the front door that currently has a single long sidelight and try and update the front porch. Maybe with a pergola or tear out the cement step and replace with wood porch of some kind? That of course would prompt a reworking of the sidewalk and landscaping. As always...one thing leads to another, right?
So, I'm looking for trim colors, shutter ideas, front porch ideas, front door ideas and sidewalk ideas. Thanks in advance for your assistance!
Front of house
Back screen porch - live here in the summer!
Reason we purchased a nondescript ranch....for the view!
Comments (12)
6 years agoFor some reason, my front of house pics did not show up in my original post. I'm a newbie at this...can you tell?;-)
Front of house
Front of house
Front of house
PRO6 years agoYour window boxes are unquestionably too small to be really useful. They would dry out 3x/day. And they're mounted too high so that if something grey in them, it would block too much window. In most cases, it would be better to put a shrub in the ground below the window and treat it as if it were the window box plant.
I would definitely NOT replace a concrete stoop that was in good condition with a wood stoop. This would be a downgrade. If the stoop needs a better surface, there are many treatments that you can do to concrete in order to improve their appearance.
The entrance is presently tucked back and smothered by large shrubs. I'd get those out of there. The light colored one looks like it could become a small tree. You might move it over to an island next to drive, outside of the walk, and let it be a small sheltering tree, with groundcover below, marking the beginning of the entrance path. I think your walk definitely needs to be redone. Make it more spacious at the stoop (taking it all the way to the wall) and bring its path farther out from the house so that you have space for decent landscaping. I think I see a window behind the large shrub. If that's the case, THERE is where a GOOD SIZE window box would make sense (as concrete walk below it & no room for planting in ground.)
I can't say as I really like Hosta as the MAIN foundation plant. There need to be some permanent shrubs and let Hosta or other perennials fill in the gaps between those shrubs. A way of adding some interest to the picture is to place a good size, perfectly circular bed below the large tree, filled solid with groundcover. That'd be a great place for Hosta. Such a bed could be integrated with the foundation bed (which needs to be deeper.) Work out a bed layout in PLAN view in order to know how much room you really have for it and in order to get the geometry correct.
Related Discussions
L-shape ranch needs front window ideas
Comments (4)Hi Homebound, your home is similar to a relative's home in Michigan. I am no expert, just a homeowner having some time to browse this morning. A patio over the enclave would look nice especially if it can have an A-shape roof with exposed beams and extends at an angle not parallel to either side of the L shape walls. Level the entire enclave step with stones or stamped concrete with steps leading up to it. It would make an inviting entry. With flowers and landscaping on both side and a winding path leading to it, add lighting, whewww! A larger bedroom window would be nice, better proportion to the wall. Some sort of frame color (other than white) that you like or something that matches the house color would be nice. Forest green? Add a nice long flower boxes under or better yet, add a planted bed of flowers along the wall and it is curb appeal galore! May be nice to spruce up the wall with good quality black coach lamps of some sort, it makes for nice lighting at night and nice visual appeal in the day. Sorry, I am just day dreaming :-). Have fun fixing it all up!...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 MoreUpdating 1960s Texas ranch style home curb appeal
Comments (18)Oh wow Doug! Thanks for all the detail. Not gonna lie though, the reason we only have bushes is because I’m scared I’ll kill off other plants/flowers. Were on top of a hill and it seems like the sun is extra hot! Also when planting, its hard to dig up holes deep enough since theres rock underneath....See MoreDesign help needed to improve curb appeal of L-shaped ranch
Comments (17)briggs whitaker, I do commercial electrical work for a living and many of my fellow coworkers have gotten solar installed. Depending on your state, at least here in NJ, many residential solar installers are offering new roofs, new electrical services and clearing of solar obstructions like trees. My one coworker had 20 trees removed and a new 200amp service done at no charge after they quoted him the system. I'm not saying cutting down mature trees for solar panels is a smart move or the right move. I'm just saying if it was ever a possibility or you liked the idea and wanted to investigate then now would be the time before having work done. You may be surprised what could be done at no charge as many solar companies are getting subsidies to get solar on roofs at any cost. It's not for everyone, not every house or site benefits from a grid tied solar system. I also find it's better long term to invest in one more high end item vs doing several smaller cheaper or compromised projects. Say for example the front door. You might use that door daily instead of someone who parks in the garage and uses the interior door. Investing in a higher end door gives you better build quality, better finish, better feel and better air sealing and or thermal performance. Then hiring a good contractor with good references and local examples of their work, who has a great attention to detail may be better than trying to do a stock door from a box store and using one of their installation contractors. It might not be large overall sweeping change you are looking for but long term doing something like that once a year will get you there. Same goes for roofing. Try doing a little research to see what makes a good roof installation. I'm not saying you need to necessarily learn how to do it yourself but knowing that the use of higher end underlayment products (tar paper vs some of the new synthetic wrb's to a full peel and stick membrane vs a liquid applied product), basic understanding of flashing, proper valley treatments or proper roof ventilation (ridge vents and eave vents) etc or as simple as knowing basic fastening requirements (architectural asphalt shingles get nailed on the manufacturer marked nail line). We waited on a short sale years ago that we had to walk away from because during inspection our contractor friend and I got on the roof and discovered the all the shingles were nailed incorrectly and the counter flashing was installed backwards. I spoke with the neighbor and they informed us the previous owner did it themselves. The bank didn't want to move on price so we had to walk away. Long story short is, just because someone gets paid to do something doesn't necessarily mean they are good or the best. Sometimes knowing some basics of the job you are hiring for can present you red flags of a potential hire during an estimate. I always suggest to buy good materials but more importantly hire someone who installs the materials correctly. It doesn't matter how expensive something is if it's installed wrong. Ymmv....See MoreRelated Professionals
La Marque Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Firestone Landscape Contractors · Tuscaloosa Landscape Contractors · Estero Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Spokane Decks, Patios & Outdoor Enclosures · Alsip Painters · Richmond Painters · Phelan Cabinets & Cabinetry · Orland Park Siding & Exteriors · Lodi Home Builders · Eagan Painters · Kyle Painters · Saddle Brook Painters · Town 'n' Country Painters · Harvey General Contractors- 6 years ago
PRO- 6 years ago
- PRO6 years ago
- 6 years ago
- PRO
- 6 years ago
- 6 years ago
phuninthesun