Exterior Renovation Ideas, 1950s Ranch with Two Entrances
Hello everyone. We are embarking on our first renovation ever and we are so excited and also very unsure of what we want. We love our ranch house but would love to add something to the rectangle look. I am sorry this is going to be long and I appreciate you reading through it.
We have a 1950s brick ranch with two front entrances. The one farthest to the left, which looks like the main door, is actually one we don’t use at all. We can’t get rid of this entrance because of building codes so that is not an option. Our main entrance is to the right, right next to the driveway. Currently that entrance area is like a cave. It is 11 feet back from the front of the rest of the house so we are bringing it out (not sure how far yet, hoping for some suggestions) and somehow build it so it will clearly state that this is the entry into the house not the other door.
We are not adding a second story but will be putting an addition on the back, but that will be in another post. We also will not be painting the brick nor covering it (board and batten, siding), but we are looking into staining the brick and would love to hear anyone’s experience with that. All of the eaves troughs, downspouts etc. will be painted, we just don’t know what color. Also we will be reshingling (no metal) the roof as well so need suggestions.
The big 5 pane picture window is being replaced with a lovely 3 pane transom window and the others windows are new. We will be replacing both doors but need suggestions on colors and styles. Should we also add shutters and if so, what type/color? I will be talking the hubby into window flower boxes.
We have been thinking about porches and porticos and gables but just not sure what would not destroy the appearance of the house. We will be doing some nice landscaping and such to clean up the vegetation and the lilac tree so we are looking more for suggestions for the structure of the house etc.
I apologize for the small picture, but it is just to give an idea of the garage side of the house (where the entrance we use is) and I have added a close up of the brick so you can see the color. It is what I call yoreige (mix of yellow, orange and beige).
Any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Comments (7)
cat_ky
5 years agoNancy
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Need ideas for exterior modifications to our 1950s ranch!
Comments (11)Great! If the roof is brown, you have a world of colors to choose from. In that case, I would chose a color for the trim and then paint the garage door that same color. The house door can then be another color to bring attention and help it stand out. Do you want to paint your trim every several years, or are you wanting to cover the trim with vinyl and aluminum? That is the first question you have to decide. The second choice greatly narrows your color choices. If you decide on paint, Chose a color family (like dark taupes or bronzes or ivory or hunter greens or turquoise...) and get paint samples at the local paint stores and paint some poster boards. You just live with them next to the house and roof on non-rainy days and see what you like. I once painted stripes of color on the wood of a house we were going to side. Neighbors walking by were asked to vote! Are you gardeners? Are you interested in taking care of annual flowers (water once or twice a day, fertilize occasionally, keep weed-free), or learning about perennials or bulbs? If you want to learn, you can actually make a garden bed that always has either a bulb or perennial in bloom. Or, you could go low-maintenance with shrubs and mulch. Again, your zone and your house's orientation (NSEW) is needed for anyone to give you advice on plants. I am with those who think that your bushes are way too old and overgrown. Maybe you can keep one or two that are green all the way to the bottom and don't look all shaved down. Use those as a backdrop and go from there. Are you interested in putting in any hardscape? If the window next to the door does not come down too low, it might look nice to have a bench there. Is there a concrete slab area behind the bushes there? if yes, you can use containers to add colorful annuals. If you want to garden, you can make garden beds in front of the front door area. Little fences or a raised bed made with landscaping stone are all options. Over where the room comes out further than the porch, there is a nice bush near the corner that may be in good enough shape to keep. Not the one by the downspout, the one in the front. (I would remove all of the bushes to the left of that one.) If there is a matching bush in good condition on the other side of that room, I might leave them both, but remove the ones in the middle, so the other two have room. You might be able to put a trellis under the window and train a flowering vine to spread side-to-side and fill some of that space on the wall. A few low plants around the tall bushes and in front of the vine, and you are done in that area. With a taupe roof and creamy brick, you have a pallatte limited only by your wallet, skills, and imagination!...See More1950s CA ranch - major remodel and addition
Comments (5)Thanks for the responses. I agree with the comment about "pooping in the kitchen". Notice in this latest plan we added a breakfast noon in the kitchen. This seems like a good idea with 3 small kids (good for snacks, homework etc). Now the issue is where should the fridge go and other appliances/cabinets. Not sure how to rework the laundry/mudroom space so that we can squeeze in a laundry and half bath somewhere in the house. As for the main hall bath, that is the current location of this bath. I agree it feels too close to the entrance so in this latest plan we've tried to create some separation. It would probably be too expensive to move the bathroom down the hall. Our budget is not that big so we have to just live with a few things....See MoreImproving Layout in a 1950's Ranch
Comments (23)It seems to me that if you're moving your table every time you have company, the bathroom is a problem. Maybe getting rid of it isn't the answer, but it does need to be addressed in some way. The two dining rooms are separated by 2 things. The ceiling header and partial walls (I can never remember what those are called.) But they're also separated by the path from the mud room to the kitchen. It seems to me that if you moved the entry door from the mud room over toward the back wall (to the left from the perspective of the floor plan) you would open up the perceived area of the smaller dining room to include what is currently the walkway. The end of the dining room with the bathroom could be used either as an entry hall with a table in the middle or as a sort of sunroom, with a couple of chairs and a small table, suitable for coffee and toast type breakfasts. You could disguise the separation between the rooms on the exterior wall with a gas fireplace something like this centered on the table....See MoreLooking to renovate and update our 1950s kitchen. Looking for ideas
Comments (12)@ Belaria Seriously? Keep the brick? Nah! I'm old enough to remember when this sort of edifice was new and the latest au courant thing in all the home decorating mags. It was a terrible idea then, and is more so now. Think about it. As a cooking area how does it rate? It does not have any "countertop" on either side of the cooktop. Where do you put hot pans? Across the room? How about storage? Where are the pots, pans, condiments, sauces, hot pads, etc -- all the stuff you use in cooking? Since this bomb-shelter was built kitchen design has moved on to arrange kitchens in task groups in which everything needed for a task such as cooking is located in the area where the cooking is done. It would be impossible to do that with the bunker still in place. There is no storage in this "cooking area" to speak of. It violates at least a half dozen of the NKBA's kitchen planning guidelines. I could go on, but I'm getting a headache. Sorry, but the brick really has to go. As to the rest of the kitchen, I agree with herbflavor. Hire a cleaning service to give everything a good scrub. Update the technologies (add electrical, new faucet, sink, range, refrigerator, etc.). Leave the cabinets alone except to load them with the latest pull-outs, swing-outs, drop-outs, fall-outs and organizers of all kinds, maybe replace the tile floor, save scads of money by not re-doing a kitchen that does not need re-doing, take a nice vacation to Miranmar with the money you saved....See More
colbran
5 years agoHopefully these will give you an idea. Note the wonky garage placement in the picture with just the plywood on the space. Those roof lines prevented us going any wider.
Nancy thanked colbranNancy
5 years agoNJ Mom
5 years ago
chloebud