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Exterior Design Dilemma Home Decorating

Help with exterior makeover!

Heather Jackson

5 years ago

Just bought this house. It’s my husband and I’s first home. Any ideas to make the exterior have more of a ‘wow’ factor?!

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User

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

There is nothing at all wrong with an inoffensive home. It beats the zillions of actively ugly McMansions trying for too much Wow. Wow is way overrated.

A great color on the entry door, and painting the garage doors so they aren’t so blinding would be a good start. Plan to replace them maybe with wood doors down the line.

And save your money for hiring a landscape designer.

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BeverlyFLADeziner
5 years ago
Heather Jackson thanked BeverlyFLADeziner
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I'd remove the shutters for sure and paint the brick dark gray like this house. Note that their siding is white and they have dark stained wood shutters that represent your railing color. A dark gray/white/dark wood scheme. However, I love a coral front door--my font door is coral--but can't say I particularly like it here.
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let me show you a bunch of pictures, of similar style homes, and see what look you like. You mentioned farmhouse. more of a modern farmhouse, i'm guessing. I'd lose the shutters completely since you're getting new windows/siding. Let the windows be there own star, maybe do some nice trim work around them. I know this home is slightly different than your colonial style, but just look at the board and batten, the windows, trim around the windows. for the lower portion, you could paint your brick or even lime wash it (Romabio is the best product for brick. look into it) Love the wood posts and the metal roof on the lower roof. absolutely something you could do w/yours same style home as yours, complete transformation. The porch and pathway are the main feature here. you could do something similar, on a smaller basis. again, no shutters. board/batten, metal roof, black framed grid windows, small white trim around them. one story, but you could match what they've done w/the 2nd story. you'd paint your brick w/Romabio masonry paint in white. (or a dark gray or blue) lastly for the farmhouse look, a more vintage style. you get to keep your shutters. any way your could do larger windows on your 2nd story instead of the two smaller ones side by side? It's looks crowded w/the shutters. This home (Joanna Gaines did this one) she painted the brick to match the siding. wrapped posts in white, new porch/landscaping. these before/afters speak for themselves I wanted to show you this one too because it's more of a french country makeover. notice how they enlarged their porch and really lighted up the home. they have dormers, you don't, so you'd have to do the board and batten or siding up on the 2nd story. They did paint their brick white , and have metal on the lower roof. one more w/a darker brick, regular siding and no shutters. I have more photos, but they're a bit more modern looking. i'll post those in my next comment
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The concrete planter around your tree is an interesting (and assumedly original?) feature, but nothing else in your landscape “talks” to it so to speak. With midcentury homes I think ‘poured-in-place’ concrete always looks good— it’s not that different from your paver idea, just at a more appropriate scale & function. Here’s a really bad rendering done with a fat thumb on my phone, but the gist would be to have larger rectangular concrete sections (could be gravel or grass in between) that abut your concrete planter, and having those surrounded by some nice native grasses with a another planted section in the middle, and then echo those same plants in your raised concrete planter around tree). Neat house!
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I only have this additional photo of the exterior showing the driveway. I'm posting some pictures we like of similar looking houses-mostly sheds to cabins, although this home was stick built to intentionally look like a box i guess! We got a good deal so im not complaining, plus its difficult to find high ceilings in our price range and the builder did a great job with really beautiful tray ceilings. We would plan on putting in a walking path with pavers and flowers. I like the idea of adding a copper-colored metal roof and maybe painting the house a pale green. It sounds bad but there is a home 20 minutes away with that combo and the curb appeal from the roof and the green is surprisingly great. Thanks for all the help! It's small but its ours and we can't wait to fix it up.
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chloebud
5 years ago
Love the pergola and windows for the garage door. Painting the garage door the siding color would help make it less of a focal point.
Heather Jackson
Original Author
5 years ago
Love this idea!
Heather Jackson
Original Author
5 years ago
I never thought to paint the garage door. If we were able to find the exact color, it would be perfect! Maybe add a white pergola above too.
Denita
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Agree, paint the garage door a color to blend with your siding and paint the front door a bright accent color. What color do you like that works with the siding color? Landscaping is the best thing to add curb appeal. It is especially nice if you can tie your front door in with the landscaping.

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Bette P
5 years ago
Congrats! I would consider painting the garage door a darker shade of your siding colour. Shutters should appear to close and cover the glass, remove them from the two large windows. Adding the proper hardware would be a nice touch, maybe change them out to a panel style. Add some colourful annuals. Garage Pergola would be lovely.
chloebud
5 years ago
I agree with Bette on the shutters. They're especially out of place on the largest window.
Heather Jackson
Original Author
5 years ago
I love the idea of having a front door that is a major “pop” of color. Should the window shutters match?

Also- we plan on doing a lot of landscaping that way I’ll definitely help the curb appeal!

What do you all think of window planter boxes?
Denita
5 years ago
No to window planter boxes.

Please use a landscape designer and local plant nursery's. In fact, post to the landscaping sub-forum here to get great ideas for your home.

The window shutters should not match the front door. The front door should be an accent color to draw the attention away from the garage and to the front door :)
User
5 years ago
The garage trellis is directly opposite in function to painting the garage door the house body color. One draws attention away from the house and to the garage, and the other minimizes the garage and allows the house to be the focal point.

If you have the necessary evil of a front facing garage, it should not be emphasized.
katinparadise
5 years ago
While you're working on landscaping, add a large, tall pot filled with colorful annuals under the window of the entrance. It will instantly brighten the spot.
housegal200
5 years ago
Agree with Denita, Sophie, and others to develop a professionally designed landscaping plan. You can find designers who can do this it smaller garden centers rather than big box stores. You can get the plans and do the work yourself. It's smart to get the gardening going right away so you have the pleasure of it right away.

I also agree that you do not need shutters. They don't belong on those windows. A bright door, darker garage door paint, and landscaping are all you need.

Look, no shutters:

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housegal200
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
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Notice in this photo that the designer created deep curved beds close to the house to balance the tall straight lines and more curves at the driveway entrance. You also have a lot of tall angles, so deep curved beds would really set off your house.
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chloebud
5 years ago
I was thinking the same thing as kat...tall pot under the window by the door. Perfect spot.
Heather Jackson
Original Author
5 years ago
I like the idea of removing the shutters, but the house is so bland and flat that I feel like the shutters help the aesthetic. I LOVE the idea of a big pot with flowers underneath the little front porch window. I think that will be beautiful!
Denita
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Heather, the shutters can stay on the single windows. The shutters on the double windows are just too small as Bette P mentions above. Yes, the builder put the shutters on the wrong windows, it isn't unusual for builders to add too small shutters for color. It is faulty thinking by the builders but an entrenched mindset for decades now. So much so that some builders have no idea of what a shutter is supposed to do and have no idea of the right size. This link gives you more background: http://www.oldhouseguy.com/shutters/

Read this brief article to see why the small shutters don't work in your design: https://www.lifeofanarchitect.com/residential-architecture-101-shutters/

The way to make a house not bland is to do the suggestions mentioned above by the posters here. Your home will not be bland, it will be outstanding :)
groveraxle
5 years ago
You could beef up the window casings, add larger lanterns, a real walkway, and flowers or something more interesting than the bushes the builder installed.

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