Exterior Design Dilemma
KeyC
5 years ago
HELP! We just got new siding on the house. It’s a sage green color. We are unsure what to do with the brick. I’m not really a fan of the color. Any ideas???
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (20)
PROCAGE Design Build
5 years ago
Hayley Conrad
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Exterior Design Dilemma 80' contemporary
Comments (4)If moisture is getting in, you need to replace the siding. Wrapping the house with a material such as Tyvec under the new siding will allow moisture vapor out of the structure without letting rain in. The siding you choose will be a balance of aesthetics and cost. Are you planning to be here a while? If so, aesthetics may be more heavily weighted and cost return on siding choice isn't really a consideration since it will be many years out and who knows what the housing market will be like. Overall expense may still be a factor, depending on budget, however. If you plan to sell in a very few years, then getting something that will do the job but cost less may be important for your ROI. It sounds like vinyl will fit in the neighborhood. We installed some hardiboard siding 20 years ago and I have been impressed. It has not needed any maintenance whatsoever, even on the south and west sides of the house. The wood clapboards have needed painting three times during that time. The one place it has been an issue is where the furnace exhaust leaves the house, and it needed replacement there, most likely due to the acidity from the vapor. if you are getting a new roof this month, you might check out how expensive it would be to increase the roof overhang as part of the process. Both Mariah Weyland's images have deeper roof overhangs, and I like the aesthetics of that better....See MoreExterior Design Dilemma - Boring House
Comments (17)Where do the doors go - into which rooms? Was perhaps the side facing the driveway meant to be the "front," entering into your front room/living room? Sometimes they placed houses in a way that might have made sense at the time, but don't anymore - or rural areas the house sometimes faces driveway instead since no one would be approaching from the front. I would not be spending money on adding on dormers and other stuff not original to the era of the house. Sorry, like it or not, its not a colonial or cape house.... but it does in fact have a charm or character of its own. Sometimes with an old house, less is more. Be careful you don't ADD to the visual clutter already there, and instead, you want to strip OFF the extraneous gack that is creating visual clutter - like the 2 extra porches on the driveway side! LOL - its like you have the orginal sunporch, then another porch was added on to that, then the third porch (with stairs) onto that! Do any pics exist of your house in the past? I wonder if there wasn't a porch on the side facing the street, with the roof attaching to the wall in that blank space above the door/windows and below the eaves. Rather than dormers, spend your money an open porch - need not span the whole length of the house, in fact it might look best just putting it on the right side over door + 2 windows to the right. Duplicate exactly the pitch and style of the other porch roof. I would make it an open porch, then your landscaping- flowering shrubs and ornamentsals in front of porch with inviting walkway from the street....See MoreExterior Beams Design Dilemma
Comments (27)If they have no purpose are they just there for show? Is that your idea of good architecture ... giant fake brackets? The cantilevered rafters appear to be I-Joists with no lateral bracing of the bottom chords so they are going to deflect and that will load the brackets and the brackets will load the wall horizontally. If there is nothing inside to resist this load, the wall may eventually bow. Any change should be reviewed by the structural engineer of record. If the original design was not done by an engineer, you should have that corrected immediately. This is not a design for an amateur....See MoreQuick Design Dilemma: Windows/Exterior Materials - Proportions
Comments (19)Thanks for the very helpful feedback! I’ll post TWO separate responses below – one specific to the WINDOW issue - and then a second specific to the COLOR issue – accompanied a few other helpful images. Windows: Re TEMPERED GLASS mention by Patricia Colwell Consulting. Good point. We’ll check local codes on that front and also get an updated quote from window supplier. Re: WINDOW UNITS - comment by HALLETT & Co. that windows should be being ganged or mulled. I just want to clarify if you are saying that the three windows should be joined together to form a single window unit? If so, my husband prefers to avoid that approach given weight and resulting deeper header requirements (which will make the increased window height issue an even greater challenge...). Or are you saying that we should visually connect the three windows by using something other than the selected stone/stucco (or other) in between? Re: UPPER WINDOW vs LOWER MATERIAL - per HALLETT & Co. comment to move front material UP to the bottom of the (upper) windows. We did try that in original V1 image – but then lowered somewhat to improve proportions. I understand what you are saying about the traditional application of such (ie stone/stucco) materials – but in the V2 version, we did lower that material to avoid that awkward, narrow strip. Do you think the lower material need to be raised right up to the lower edge of upper windows – more similar to INSPIRATION image below ? Related to this topic - comparing the v1 and v2 images – I do agree with raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio who thought that additional space helped to create a more graceful transition. But I’d appreciate any/all feedback. Inspiration Image - HGTV Dreamhouse picture below (which inspired some of our design decisions) - and below that - our current house AS-IS :)...See More
nicolediane
5 years ago
Contemporary Rustic - Home · More InfoI would not paint the brick because once you paint it you have to keep painting it. I would paint the garage door and trim tan. Add some landscaping.
gracie01 zone5 SW of Chicago
5 years ago
Olychick
5 years agoI think you would be really happy if that brick was the same color as the siding or a shade or two darker to ground it a bit.
before:
After:
KeyC
5 years ago
PROBeverlyFLADeziner
5 years agoYou NEVER seal the brick. Brick must breathe.
This product recommended above was the right product.
Perhaps money should have been spent on updatting the windows
housegal200
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoRemove your shutters. As an experiment, paint the garage door the same shade as the brick. See if that makes a difference since it matches your large chimney. Here are some garage doors painted to blend in with yellow brick like yours. Note the cedar accents. You could do a cedar pergola. If you get around to replacing windows at some point as Beverly suggests, bronze windows would look wonderful.
Brickwork/Veneer · More Info
Greenish house, yellow brick, brown and cedar accents:
Eldorado Stone 2017 · More InfoKeyC
5 years agoThis is what the house looked like before we updated the siding. The siding was dented and needed to be replaced. I agree that the windows should be updated. We just don’t have the money right at this time to update them.
PROCelery. Visualization, Rendering images
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoPaint brick in the same color as siding.
- PRO
Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
5 years agoHere is my rendering with two colors just to show how it would look.
housegal200
5 years ago
acm
5 years ago- PRO
Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
5 years agolast modified: 5 years agoThere is still opportunity to paint garage door in cedar color.
Here is darker color and no shutters.
KeyC
5 years ago- PRO
Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
5 years ago 
groveraxle
5 years ago- PRO
Celery. Visualization, Rendering images
5 years ago Kathleen K
5 years ago
Related Stories
COLOR3 Exterior Paint Dilemmas, 7 Palette Solutions
Houzzers ready to repaint their home exteriors get custom color advice from a design pro
Full Story
REMODELING GUIDESHouzzers to the Rescue: Users Solve Design Dilemmas
The proof is in the painting — and the pond. As Houzz users hit 100,000 discussions, see some of the results of their advice and ideas
Full Story
Design Dilemmas: 5 Questions for Houzzers!
Post Ideas for Landscaping for a Modern Home, Updating a Rental and More
Full Story
Design Dilemma: Creating Cape Cod Curb Appeal
Help a Houzz User Update His Northeast-Style Cottage
Full Story
COLORDesign Dilemma: Color for a Mediterranean Home
What Colors Would You Use Inside This Open, Bright Home on Cyprus?
Full Story
SMALL SPACESDesign Dilemma: Decorating a Dorm Room
How to Create a Stylish Collegiate Abode
Full Story
Design Dilemmas: 5 Questions for Design Stars
Share Your Design Know-How on the Houzz Questions Board
Full Story
REMODELING GUIDESHave a Design Dilemma? Talk Amongst Yourselves
Solve challenges by getting feedback from Houzz’s community of design lovers and professionals. Here’s how
Full Story
HOME TECHDesign Dilemma: Where to Put the Flat-Screen TV?
TV Placement: How to Get the Focus Off Your Technology and Back On Design
Full Story
Anglophilia