Need curb appeal on "that 70's house"!
Hi, this is my first post.
As you can see, this house is obscured from the street and the front door is near invisible. There is some OK brickwork and an kind-of-interesting double-peaked roofline, but it is all sort of washed out with this gold paint and brown vertical striped trim.
I am fixing rotted trim on the front (in progress) and have replaced the front windows and it is starting to look better, but just blah. I plan to have the largest tree in front cut down and perhaps one or two (all three?) by the driveway taken down too, but I can't decide about that.
I could use some thoughts on quick hits regarding paint color, something interesting to do over the garage door (?). Trim accents, or anything. Ideas welcome so fire away. I DO want to keep a 1970s aesthetic and play it up for all its worth, if that helps. Thank you.
Comments (11)
apple_pie_order
5 years ago
sheloveslayouts
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Need help choosing paint colors for our 70's colonial house
Comments (9)I'm not a big fan of red, but if you love that color, go for it. I don't know where you live, but Sherwin Williams will help you pick out colors if you buy (I believe) a $75 gift card. They will send a color specialist to your house. What I did was pay for an interior designer to come in and advise. She was $125 an hour, and I just needed an hour with her. She did great picking out colors and giving me advice on the rest of the house, so maybe look into that....See MoreSmall exterior makeover on 70's house
Comments (28)Shutters. Yeah, I was an early adopter of the size-appropriateness, but there's more to it. Hinges, dogs, latches, and this: if they are louvered, the louvers need to be pointing up when they are open, so that they point down when they are closed, letting water run down them. But, since very few people ever close their functioning shutters in the US, the louvers need to point down when they are open so they don't rot. Personal family story: a relative visiting from the old country told my grandfather his shutters were upside down. He flipped them accordingly, but the next year he noticed trouble with the water running behind the shutters. So back they flipped. Incorrect but not a problem. So, don't get into the math of the shutters. They are decorative. Just make for a pleasing proportion. Your house is charming. Consider putting a cement or limestone cap on the planter, put non-living seasonal decor on it, maybe something on the wall behind, and enjoy. My personal presence for metals is brass, but that's just me....See MoreImproving Curb Appeal - What would you do to improve curb appeal?
Comments (15)Shutters should appear to be operable, so they would need to be as wide as the window... so if closed, they would cover the window. So no shutters on your house. I agree with taking out the boxwood that have been butchered. If you take the bed all the way to the sidewalk, you need a pocket bed on the left side. Yes to learn more about pruning the Crepe Myrtle. Ever heard of Crepe Murder? It's a thing. LOL Honestly you don't even have to prune them. We had several over 30ft tall at our last house, but you don't want one too tall right next to the house. Having lived in the South all my life, I don't have a problem with the grass since we get rain. No idea where you live, but the grass looks healthy. Unless you want to spend every weekend gardening, or hire a gardener, I would not go to the extreme of removing the grass. If there room for a wooden bench on the front porch?...See MoreExterior update on split level 70s house
Comments (6)I think split level/split foyer houses look better if the brick and siding colors are very close, so you're already there with the siding color. If it's not quite right I can't really tell from the pictures. That's something you have to judge in person. If the siding was darker it would make the house look top heavy and emphasize the different finishes. For me this isn't desirable, but maybe others like it. As the other commenters have said, the shutters are unnecessary and need to go. The garage doors could be darker, not white, and windows in garage doors always look better. An imitation natural wood color or something leaning brown would look nice with the brick and siding....See More
Dave Bamford
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agosheloveslayouts
5 years agoDave Bamford
5 years ago
tozmo1
5 years agotozmo1
5 years ago
Sarah
5 years agoDave Bamford
5 years agohousegal200
5 years agoSprucing up:
--Call in an arborist to trim the trees if they're in good shape.
--Paint your front door and front windows the chocolate brown of other trim.
--Hide your garbage cans behind some nice fencing.
--Get some large bronze house numbers for over the peak of the garage.
--Get a small garden center to help you plan some shade-tolerant landscaping.
Amy's Owls Head · More Info--Replace your fencing with cedar fencing. That alone will make a world of difference.
Custom Mercer Island Fence · More Info
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