What would you do with this house?
We are considering buying this house, but trying to figure out how we could make it more attractive. We're thinking that we would replace the metal siding, the door and windows and add a big front porch. Originally my husband was thinking of cedar shingles, but that seems too expensive. Maybe white siding with black trim around the windows? Are we crazy? Is there a way to make this more appealing ?
Comments (29)
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What would you do to this house?
Comments (38)First, I can empathize with you, as I was in the same shocking situation in 1991, faced with caring for an entire house, when I had no idea how to do that. Fast forward 17 years later, I've never re-married, I've discovered all of the joys of home ownership, and I've discovered the absolute joy and peace that comes from gardening and puttering around in my yard. I would never have found this part of my being had I not suffered through the trauma of being left alone. I hope you, too, blossom and find a happier you....believe me, it will happen, but it will just take time. Based on my experience, here are a few observations that might be helpful to you. Giving our yards a face-lift can be quite expensive, and the desired results aren't truly visible until a few years have passed and the plants have matured. I recommend the following: 1) Invest first in your plants, as this is where you'll get the biggest bang for your dollar. Save the hardscape (brick sidewalk, pavers, fountains or ponds) until after you've taken care of the plants. 2) Invest first in perennials, so you can get these established and on their way to full growth. Also, invest in shrubbery and trees first. 3) When planting, visualize each plant at its full grown stage. Too often, home owners plant too closely together, which means that in 5 years everything is overgrown and over-crowded. You should plant so that in 5-8 years, everything will look nicely proportioned. It may seem a bit skimpy the first few years, but you can compensate by filling in the spaces with annuals. You'll know when the time has come to discontinue the annuals. 4) Avoid straight lines. For example, you might want to lay out a garden hose on the other side of the sidewalk that leads to your front door and sculpt a large, free form bed that follows the sidewalk. I'd also lay out a garden hose to the left of your front door, as you're facing the front door, to create a free-form bed there. Using a garden hose will help you adjust it until you get the right sizes and shapes for the beds. I would create very generous beds, to reduce the amount of grass. That will give you ample space to create the feel you'd like in your beds. 5) Creating large beds in the front yard will give you much more depth to your landscape. This is where I'd put specimen trees and specimen shrubs -- the truly fine, extra special plants.....for example weeping a blue atlas cedar, or some other type of tree that is truly special, truly beautiful. 6) Think about these beds and how they'll look in spring, summer and autumn, so there will always be something going in each season of the year. This will ensure you plant a variety of plants to take advantage of Ohio's lovely springs and falls (I used to live in Dayton and Newark many, many years ago). Be sure your trees, shrubs and perennials address these 3 seasons. 7) As others have suggested, visit the gardening forum here...you'll get lots of help. 8) Contact reputable, professional landscapers and ask for plans and projected costs so you can choose the plan that is most appealing to you. There may a fee for this, but that's to ensure the landscaper is not wasting his time. Often, the fee is deducted from the total cost when you hire the landscaper. When you hire a landscaper, he should leave you with a fully laid out plan of your yard, everything they planted, as well as how to care for it. You can then re-consult this blueprint often, as you add other plants in future years. 9) Creating your new yard is a multi-year project. You are not going to get it done all at once, even if your funds are unlimited. You need time to see how things are going to develop and look....and figure out how much time you're willing to invest in maintaining and caring for your new yard. 10) This next suggestion should come naturally to you, as you've so delighted in redecorating your home. Think of your yard as a series of outdoor rooms. Lay out your beds with this thought in mind. Select an area of your yard where you can place a park bench to relax and enjoy a particular view, or feel, or shady day, and then select plants to place there to amplify that feeling; select another area of your yard where you'd like to entertain, sit with friends, have outdoor meals with your family, and determine how you'd like to decorate that with hardscape, plants, lighting, etc; select another "room" where you'd like to have a water feature, and select the planting decorations you'd place there.... 11) Finally, remember outdoor lighting. As you're working with a landscaper, be sure to ask about high quality, low-maintenance outdoor lighting. It can vary from up-lighting of specimen trees, to down-lighting from trees around your outdoor rooms that create the impression of moonlight (I have that throughout my back yard and just LOVE it!!). Lighting will bring your yard to life, and it can all be set on a timer, so you can control when it turns on and off each day. Enjoy your chance to create outdoor rooms that everyone passing by your house will be able to visit and enjoy. Good luck!...See MoreWhat would you do? Beach house needs new paint, landscape, etc...
Comments (5)http://www.spray-onvinyl.com/ We have an old farm house that was built in 1897 that we considered using a spray on vinyl for. Our elements are not as harsh as a beach enviromant, with wind, sand and salt. We ended up having to replace all the siding with hardie plank and painted it, rather than pre-finished color. There are other companies besides this one, but it is something to look into to protect all that siding. Good Luck...See MoreSanta Fe Lovers - what would you do with this house/
Comments (17)Santa Fe, the Capitol city of our beautiful "Land of Enchantment", has an elevation of 7,198 feet above sea level. It's nestled in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) Mountains. Our area of New Mexico has your 4 distinct seasons and is considered High Mountain Desert. Very much UNLIKE places like Phoenix. Yes, there is snow in the Winter, but unlike other areas of the country, it's less frequent. The sun shines almost every day (seriously), and our humidity is very low (something like 9%) so that it doesn't ever feel as cold as it would in, say, Chicago. And, when it does snow, most of the time it melts off the roads within a couple hours, if not sooner. Today, for example, the daytime temp got up to the mid-50's . . . and sunny. If you want more snow, we have the Santa Fe Ski area just up the mountain further. Or, Taos Ski Valley, Red River, Sipapu, Enchanted Mesa, Sandia, etc. We have lots of mountains here in New Mexico! But, as my sweet DH always says, " We have the best of all worlds here: we can ski in the mornings, and head down the mountain to play a comfortable, great round of golf that very same afternoon." When you live here, you know that our state nickname, "The Land of Enchantment" , is so, so true....See MoreWhat would you do? Exterior House Remodel Ideas - Photoshop Help!
Comments (8)Is the sun on the front of the house a problem? I can see wanting a small portico or entry awning, but it's amazing how sleepy the house looked before and how awake it looks now. Regarding painted brick, I grew up in a house with white painted brick and no one ever complained about intolerable maintenance. The more unified front aspect could be a strong positive....See More
Stephanie Baldwin
5 years agoUser
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoI agree with Denita...I would keep the contemporary feel of the house...A porch and shingles wouldn't work in that case.
I do kind of like the vertical look of the existing siding and if you don't have to replace it yet, then absolutely paint it and put the money toward central air...
ETA: for future ideas...
Keep the landscaping simple but dramatic...(expensive, but start with a plan and implement it in stages.)
Dont forget a wow front door color...like the citrus green above.
Stephanie Baldwin thanked User- PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoLandscaping would be ahuge improvement, get proper air conditioning. I have no idea what the things are beside each side of the door. You need a wakway from the street to the door and a new door if what we see is your front door. I think if you go in a more contemporary direction the steel siding would work. I would do a balconey from yhe main living space something like this
Stephanie Baldwin thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting Stephanie Baldwin
5 years ago
Bev
5 years agoStephanie Baldwin
5 years agoStephanie Baldwin
5 years agoUser
5 years ago
PROBeth H. :
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agotons of ideas. depends how modern looking you want.
if possible, enlarge the front door opening.
This one is a nice mix of the two. I'd do something along this line, using the natural wood siding. you could do vertical or horizontal on the top or the bottom.
Stephanie Baldwin thanked Beth H. :Stephanie Baldwin
5 years agoUser
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoWell, have an inspection to get the lowdown, first. Then, if it's a go, make an offer if there's not any glaring problems (take into account how long it's been on the market...)
Then put the money into making it efficient and livable. In the mean time, collect pictures of houses that appeal to you and you'll start to see a pattern in what you love. You won't be able to duplicate most likely, but you can aim for a similar feel to what you like.
Landscaping is important, but in my opinion, that would be last. Don't forget exterior lighting.....it can make a contemporary/modern house.
Stephanie Baldwin thanked User
Saypoint zone 6 CT
5 years agoStephanie Baldwin
5 years ago
PROYardvaark
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoI don't think the problem is siding. I think it's edges & details. I wouldn't make the porch long in front of the house as that makes nice landscaping more difficult. Consider a squarish porch.
Stephanie Baldwin thanked Yardvaark
PROBeverlyFLADeziner
5 years ago
The house needs a 'face' maybe something like this.
It needs AC. If the house has radiant baseboard heat that makes things way more complicated because you need a SpacePak unit to provide AC $10 15k
Stephanie Baldwin thanked BeverlyFLADezinerStephanie Baldwin
5 years ago
PROLion Windows and Doors
5 years ago
Denita