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Exterior Landscape Design

Updating the exterior and landscape

5 years ago

I'm hoping to get some ideas on landscape and the exterior look of this Dallas home.

Quick facts
-Built in 1992 (never renovated)
-Two story
-Live Oak in the center
-Crepe Myrtles on each side of the chimney. They are older and were planted too close to the house.
-Grass is St. Augustine.

I would appreciate any suggestions.

Featured Answer

PRO

Dig Doug's Designs

5 years ago

some ideas if keeping the tree:

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Comments (10)

cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
5 years ago
Do you intend to keep the oak?

Where is the entrance to the house?
cecily 7A
5 years ago
Changing the white blinds would make an immediate impact.
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personally, i would re do the porch area and extend the porch out to make more sense of the front door placement. not my greatest work lol but you get the idea.
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Hi Jennifer, Thanks for the advice. Good point about not being able to go back, should we paint the brick and future buyers not like it. The primary reason why we are willing to spend some money on the exterior and landscaping is that it is overdue and would not show well as is. We've been meaning to do it for some time but when the pandemic hit we put our plans on hold because we were so busy and didn't need to pay a premium to get the work done quickly. Sad to be doing it for someone else to enjoy but as you stated we want the home to look well maintained. Selling as is, would not only decrease the selling price but shrink the pool of potential buyers who are willing to take on these projects. Our neighborhood has been slow to turn over. Still have a few original owners who haven't done much to their homes. In the past 5 - 6 years we've had more owner turnover and the new owners have been updating their 1970s homes. As a result, there has been a significant increase in the sale price of the renovated homes compared to ones that haven't been updated. The price difference is far greater than the investment we plan to spend or would be required to compete. We just want to make design choices that keep the pool of buyers as large as possible.
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Just a few suggestions: 1) keep roof light for solar reflectivity- dark roofs will increase heat gain in you attic and potentially increase utility bills 2a) create an illusion of symmetry at your entry with a large planter with something of interest & color in it, under the front door light. The goal is balance through overall composition of that entry area. Many of the windows and garage doors are not centered - it’s the theme of your exterior 2b) paint the stair’s rise (not the step) that lead to the front door. yes i know it’s odd but if you paint the rise and the door the same subtle color it will also help creat the balance you are striving for. i would soften the entry look with stain glass in the window above the door. The stain glass needs circular shapes verses cubical shapes, and complimentary color. Be careful not to make it the focal point because it will draw your eye to the asymmetry of your exterior even more. Needs to blend and compliment the front door and planter 3a) add landscapes lighting in the outer edge of the landscape bed to the left of the walk way (between landscaping and grass ) as you are looking at the house. This should help create a sense of balance as well 3b) at the walkway’s entry flare the landscape bed to the left 3c) the left corner of the house’s landscaping needs something with height 4) all the above suggestions are from a buget friendly approach. Making any large construction changes will create a domino effect and lead to other expensive exterior facade changes that you didn’t notice before construction. Yes your exterior is asymmetrical but its still attractive and consistent. i looks right for the build of the home.
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littlebug zone 5 Missouri
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Nice home.

The hardscape needs work. I also wonder if you are keeping the oak tree. At the very least, totally remove the planting bed around it - plants, mulch, and concrete. Remove the multi-trunk tree near the sidewalk up next to the house, and maybe the one on the left too. I can’t see your front door. Where is it? A handsome house like this deserves a much wider, more substantial sidewalk leading up to it. Can you make it at least half-again as wide, maybe with matching brick?
Jan Resuos
Original Author
5 years ago
The door is on the left of the entryway. I plan on painting the door a darker color or replacing it with one that is wood with glass inlay. I'm not opposed to removing the Live Oaks, I suspect it is the reason grass isn't growing on the right side.
Jan Resuos
Original Author
5 years ago
Picture of the front
PRO
Yardvaark
5 years ago
How close is the oak to the house? If it is less than 10' I would not let it live.

I think most of my suggestions have already been mentioned. (Remove the tree well, widen the walk, remove the other existing plantings.) The turf grass is finished at a certain proximity to the tree so you'd need to convert to groundcover there. A little farther away, you could probably get more light on the grass by removing some lower limbs of the tree. (Keep in mind that every year lower limbs, as they grow heavier, will hang even lower.)
Jan Resuos
Original Author
5 years ago
Thank you all for the feedback. Being a first time owner knowing where to start helps tremendously. Hopefully I'll have before and pictures to post soon.
NHBabs z4b-5a NH
5 years ago
I wouldn’t remove the oak which grounds your house as well as reducing your AC bills. If removed your house will look really stark, and a tree like that won’t regrow within a great many years.

I like Doug’s suggestion of smaller trees planted diagonally off the corners of the house to frame it, and as several others have suggested, remove the crapes, remove that wall and shrubbery around the live oak, and give the house an entrance walk wide enough for two people to walk abreast and a generous landing in front of the door. Notice how Yardvaark’s bright flowers framing the entry help pull attention to your somewhat hidden door.
Jan Resuos
Original Author
5 years ago
I thought the bright flowers were an excellent touch. Providing more with on the walk way will definitely set it apart from the others others on the block.

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