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Exterior Design Dilemma

Help with boring, flat exterior

5 years ago

This is our first home and the exterior of the house is lacking. Overall the house looks a bit like a mobile home, flat on all sides, just one big rectangle with a small porch. The siding is a strange vertical Hardie board siding that comes in large sheets almost like plywood, with the exception of the gable.

What can we do to help add some character and deminsion to the front of our house, and maybe have it look more like a house and less like a mobile home? Any suggestions are welcomed.

Featured Answer

Sammie J

5 years ago

Add nicer steps leading to the porch - as well as a front sidewalk (maybe pavers?) leading to the steps. Landscaping will really help the front of the house (including revamping that circle area that has roses now). Plus, add some nice porch furniture, and large pots with flowers. Paint the shutters and door a nice color that coordinates with the siding. See the picture below. While the shape is a bit different, you could do similar details to make your house look great!

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Comments (8)

Justin Pucket
Original Author
5 years ago
we definitely plan on having a sidewalk poured in the next year or so. the porch is pretty narrow so it makes having chairs and stuff on the porch a little challenging. I know it's hard to tell but it probably comes out only 4 feet. I would like to do see sort.of railing but because of how shallow the porch is now I don't know if it would make much sense.
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I agree that you need to paint the garage door so that it doesn't take center stage. Same color as the siding preferably. Front door could garner attention if it is a color-it is hard to tell what color the siding really is, so hard to give you options for the door. Get some paint chips in soft aqua, light green, gold, and reds and see what you like. Black and charcoal might look great too. Landscaping needs some help too. I would post these two pictures plus one that shows the house, but panned to the right and post them on the landscaping forum.
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Congratulations! That is one awesome house. With a few special touches to make it yours, it will be the special place for all of you to call HOME. Can't wait to see what decisions you make going forward. And sorry, I thought you all had been living in it for a while. Makes this really exciting to see going forward! Congratulations again! :D
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Hi EC, love your color schemes (both of them!). I'm not necessarily averse to brick, and as Ken says it will be more maintenance-free if you don't paint it, but I feel like there's TOO much of it here. It's a shame when they built the house they didn't make those windows bigger... Is that yellow clapboard that you will be painting? Or vinyl siding you will be replacing? If replacing the siding, I wonder if it's possible to bring the siding down lower over the brick, to soften the house a bit? As far as landscaping, it's usually best to wait some time to get an idea of your sun situation, as well as using this time to really look for ideas and then research if your ideas will work in your area. Maybe wait till your carport is done before you do any major planting to see how it will work into the design. BTW, congratulations!!!! :) Dee
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Comments (1)
Paint it white and change the deck railings to either plexiglass or cable
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spraguec
5 years ago
If it’s in the budget, extend the narrow porch and have it fully across the entire front of the house. Add pergolas on each side to create a nice ambiance on the porch without limiting light into the house. Your house overall will live larger and be more inviting with outdoor living space. Add much larger/wider steps. Add low, soft foundation shrubs, perhaps a tree at corner of house. Remove the “circle” around the roses, either add more flowering shrubs to it or remove the roses completely.
Justin Pucket
Original Author
5 years ago
I really love the teal colored shutters on that house too, and adding potted plants. The area with the rose bushes has been another issue for me. I found out there used to be a pine tree there and then it was cut down. this photo is a little older, I have sense done a little landscape work in front of the house, bushes just take a loong time to grow. I'm not sure how to put nicer steps, these are brick. maybe if I just paint them so it matches the rest of the footing.
Justin Pucket
Original Author
5 years ago
I have considered just completely removing the circle. it just feels strange especially since it was only there originally because of a tree and now the tree is gone.
Justin Pucket
Original Author
5 years ago
snapped an updated photo this morning. pinestraw up front is in the worka. I painted the shutters not long after moving in, because they were red....:-\, in the spring we are going to repaint the house white though, and I think the bluish colored shutters would look great.
Justin Pucket
Original Author
5 years ago
hard to see because they are small, but I planted azaleas, a few boxwoods, and can't remember the name but the leaves are golden on the edges.
PRO
Simpeks Group
5 years ago
Simpeks Design design studio simpeksdesign.com.ua

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