Help with a 60s side-split that looks the part

5 years ago

We are looking for some suggestions to improve the curb appeal of our place. I'm thinking that the brown roof/trim really dates the house but it's all only a few years old so it would be a pretty big waste to replace.

Any suggestions on what to do to help with the general curb appeal? Cheaper options are preferred but I'm not opposed to spending some money if needed. Open to landscaping, painting, redoing siding, etc.

https://imgur.com/a/kIe6gvY

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Yardvaark

5 years ago

The architectural tweaking recommendations that I so far disagree with is the shutter removal. There is a shutter-removal movement underway that is based solely on the idea that if shutters are neither functional (could be closed and locked over the window) or APPEAR as if they could be functional, then they have no value and need to be removed. I reject this argument entirely because shutters have an additional purpose of adding decorative trim to a house. Most of us are interested in presenting an improved face to the street, thus the concept: street/curb appeal. Shutters become part of the "stage make-up" and don't need to have any purpose beyond that. In many places in times past, so-called "shutters" have amounted to nothing more than a couple of decorative wooden pickets that still served the function of added trim which is additional interest. As remarked, I, too, find houses where shutters have been removed to be suddenly 'plain-Jane'-looking.

Moving into the realm of outdoor hardscape, your house has one period feature that I don't care for and that is the stone wall, at the left side of the entrance walk, that confines the space quite profoundly. It would have been acceptable to me if the wall were two feet farther left so as to give greater clearance to the door. Too, it is topped with a filigree "wrought iron" piece that holds up the corner of the upstairs. Even though these things were part of the period, most periods have flaws and fads that would have been better not done. The New Orleans French style column seemed out of place in the 1960s, too. In the interest of updating, I'd remove the wall and the wrought iron and replace them with a single, bold, decorative wood column or post.

In spite of the fact that you adore the rose bush, it couldn't be in a worse place. It visually blocks the primary point of interest of the house: the front entrance. I would find another place for the plant.

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Comments (6)

pricklypearcactus
5 years ago
Really love the stone on your house! You also have very nice wide siding. Your house has some great bones.

Remove the shutters from the upper windows. Paint the garage door the same ivory color as the siding. Right now it's standing out not in a good way.

Do you use the chair on the porch? Sorry, but I don't think it's adding to the porch. I'd remove the chair. If the porch looks too sparse, you could put a potted plant there. I'd remove the plant from the railing.

You need a landscape plan / design. Hopefully someone with more expertise (and photoshop capabilities) can help with suggestions there. My first thought is that the bush in front of the door is detracting from the home because it hides the lovely stone and your front door.

Assuming the red shed in the back yard is yours, can you paint that the same color as the siding on your house? I think that would make the yard more cohesive.
Dan
Original Author
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Those suggestions are a really good start thanks! The chair and potted plant are both from the realtor listing and are both gone now. I like the idea of painting the garage door to match. Whenever I see comparisons of shutters vs not the house always looks so bare without shutters. Do you suggest doing anything else in place of them or just getting rid of them all together?

The bush in front is a big rose bush which has beautiful flowers so I'd rather not get rid of that but I'll see what other suggestions I get in the landscaping department.

Good call on the shed. I didn't realize how much it stood out until you mentioned it.
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I am confused. Is the long side with brick facing the street, the long side with siding facing the street, or the short end with the garage doors facing the street? Well, obviously the garage side is connected somehow to the street, but you know what I mean. Anyhow, the thing I have to add is that I ran into a problem with my decorative full-view screen door when it was a few years old. The big screen frame would not stay stuck into the channels of the door any longer. It was as if all those times I opened the screen door with my body up against the screen, instead of my hand on the frame, came back and bit me in the butt. Looking at it, though, I could see that there was room for a lot more than just the spline that was supposed to be holding the screen in place in that slot with the screen. That gave me an idea. So I measured the width of the screen and went to Lowes and got a piece of plexiglass that was wide enough to fit into the screen door opening and partway into the slot on each side. I got it a couple of feet shorter than the screen panel, however. When I got it home, it snapped right in with the screen into that slot. It snugged the screen up tight again, too. I left a foot of screen open below the plexiglass and a foot of screen open above the plexiglass. That creates a chimney effect, drawing cool air into the space between the doors and up and out of the space at the top. Ta Da! No more saggy screen frame, a strong surface to lean against when I enter and exit with full arms as I did everyday for work, and an air-cooled front door. Since I put the plexiglass on the inside of the screen, you can't even see it until you are right up near it. This is the solution I found for using the Full View storm door with a nice fiberglass or steel front door. I got the strength of having the glass panel in place during the hot part of the year when I could not use the glass but had to use the screen insert in the storm door.
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Nice home and lot. With your roof color, if you keep the shutters, keep them black. I, too, like the "knitting needles" color https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW7672-knitting-needles#/7672/?s=coordinatingColors&p=PS0 however with your brick, that may be a bit light. Pewter Cast, two shades lighter, is worth considering. https://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW7672-knitting-needles#/7673/?s=coordinatingColors&p=PS0 If you're considering doing more than painting, consider removing part -- but only part -- of the brick, replacing that half wall of brick the exterior wall of the single story part of your home that is underneath the porch with vertical siding the same color as you choose to paint the rest of your siding. If you removed that part of the brick, you could reuse it to create a raised flower bed or outline a sidewalk leading to your front porch. You could also go bold with the front door(s) -- perhaps a deep burgundy with whatever gray you ultimately choose for siding. Beautiful tree in your front yard. I'm aware that very little grows well in the shade of large trees, especially if some of their roots are above ground but … stones? rendering that much space inaccessible? Have you considered a front yard patio around that tree using the stones and/or mulch only where you cannot place pavers or mow? https://www.pinterest.com/pin/449515606544563075/?lp=true What you don't want to do is place dirt against the trunk
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woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
5 years ago
That’s certainly a standard 1960s sidesplit! Our first house was one of those, but all brick. I wouldn’t remove the shutters - they were a pretty standard feature.

pricklypearcactus - the ‘stone’ on the front is angelstone - concrete made in molds to make it look like flagstone. I’d bet the fireplace surround in the living room is made of the same thing.

I’d paint the downspout pipes on the side the same color as the siding to make them ‘disappear’. The shrub in front would be best moved or removed to not block the entry area. I would paint the shed in the back, but I’d paint it green to blend into the plantings. When we built a new shed here, we first painted it a nice blue-gray with white trim. It stood out too much as a separate entity. After a year or two we painted it to blend in with the background, using three shades of green - a mid-green (BM 489Oak Grove) for the body, a lighter shade ( BM 488 Mountain Lane) for the top and side trim, and the darkest green (BM 666 Bonsai) for the door, door trim, and window trim. That works great to blend it into plantings. I have subsequently used the Bonsai color to pant outdoor structures to blend in, so if you only want to use one color, that’s a good one to choose (BM = Benjamin Moore).
Dan thanked woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
Dan
Original Author
5 years ago
Wow, that's fantastic- thanks so much for mocking that up. It's amazing the difference that makes. I really wanted to do something with the entrance but wasn't sure what. The column definitely had to go, but removing the wall is what really made the difference and I would never have thought of it!
pricklypearcactus
5 years ago
Certainly keep the shutters if you love them. I had a 1970s house with non-functional shutters and I removed them to paint the siding. I think the house looked much better without so I kept them off. To me, the windows are nicely sized for the space and I find the shutters look a bit "crowded" visually to me. That's just my opinion though. If you keep them, I would personally paint them something other than brown, but I don't have a good suggestion for a different color.

Thanks woodyoak for the great info about angelstone! Even if it's not real stone, I think it's very cool looking!
Dan thanked pricklypearcactus

Help with a 60s side-split that looks the part

Yardvaark

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Help with a 60s side-split that looks the part

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