Exterior Update on a Budget
We bought the house my husband grew up in a year ago. Old house was a charming bungalow. I love the large bay window and copper top of this new house but I’m struggling to update the curb appeal. We added larger columns on the front porch and eventually would like to expand the portico roof and maybe add more copper. I’d love to paint the house to eliminate the mix of materials but my husband loves the salvaged brick. Thinking of taking out the old holly’s to the left of the entry, adding a patio material and creating a curved seating area with corner flowerbeds (maybe a boxwood, smaller hydrangea and a hosta or two on either side of seating area) and sleek black seating....possibly with an arbor of some sort (although husband doesn’t want it looking like a back yard). I really don’t like the mixed materials and the flat boring trilevel look on the left side of the house. Would love suggestions for updates and adding a little charm.
Comments (17)
rrbot
5 years agoRelated Discussions
budget friendly update to split foyer exterior-ideas?
Comments (14)Lisaam, i haven’t seen many examples of siding being painted lighter than the lower brick. I’ll have to look up some examples. Thanks for the suggestion. If i were to paint the siding light blue gray, then i could do navy for the brick. That could be interesting. Is there a particular reason you say don’t go white with the trim?...See MorePlease help me update my home exterior on a budget!
Comments (26)Best use of 2K would be replacing those arched windows with rectangular ones. Maybe tall ones, the height to the top of the arch. But would it sketch out to scale first to make sure taller windows 'work'. The front portion around the windows is on the concrete, That trim is probably some kind of synthetic stucco over foam board. Not hard to get rid of. See it being installed at the link below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tow5sURpJH0 Later on, replace the front door....See MoreUpdating our small bathrooms on a budget
Comments (12)What is your budget because that is going to determine what you can achieve. While I am generally in the camp of keeping "retro" bathrooms which are true to the architectural style of a home, in my opinion there is NOTHING worth salvaging in your bathroom. Pardon me for being blunt but you have what appears to be a prefab bath/tub shower - lighting that is identical to the hideous fixture I had in my builder grade 1965 condo when I moved in - a vanity that is not particularly attractive and is basic slab door - again identical to the cheap cabinets I had in my condo :-). If you have the money for it, you could gut it and install a bathroom that is more to your taste while also respecting the architecture of the exterior. I just remodeled my bathrooms and while I opted for a more traditional bathroom inspired by Art Deco, I also admired some very modern bathrooms with walnut slab doors :-). But budget is going to determine the extent of what you can do. From a practical point of view, unless you really have a LOT of money saved, it is probably best to put any major renovations on hold until you have lived in your home for awhile. This will give you a sense of what your priorities are in terms of making your home functional and aesthetic as well as seeing exactly how much it costs each month as home ownership has some economic surprises. There is nothing wrong with your bathroom at the moment - it is clean and looks in good condition and you could jazz it up inexpensively if you have other priorities....See MoreKitchen from early '00s, time for an update. What's the budget?
Comments (21)I did a gut remodel relatively recently of my condo which included a kitchen. You are in a high cost of living area so prices will be high for quality workers. That is the true variable since the cost of the actual materials are going to be the same for the most part in Podunkville versus your area. You should start taking the time to visit as many kitchen and bath stores as possible - a few hours every weekend so that you get a real sense of what the actual cabinets look like and an approximate cost. When I was first researching my remodel I had a very preliminary sketch and I was able to get pricing from various lines. It might not have been the most accurate but I think it enabled me to get some sense of the comparable price of each line The advantage of a relatively small space (like mine was) is that the cost of materials is not going to be the significant factor - the cost of labor is and for better or worse there is not that much difference in remodeling a small kitchen versus a medium size kitchen. This is even more true for bathrooms. Do not even think of doing this without a good kitchen designer and a really good GC. When you do your rounds of kitchen stores, you will also be talking with actual designers and can get a sense of who might be a good fit - both in terms of the lines they sell and your compatibility - compatability is important because the best kitchens are a true collaboration between the designer, the GC and the homeowner And ignore anyone who advises you to save money by not hiring the best GC you can. Whatever you think you will save you will lose on wasted money; wasted time; less than optimum results and horrible aggravation. When things go wrong - which they inevitably well - your GC and your designer will solve them instead of your having to deal with multple finger pointing and attempts to pass the buck. And if you are reasonable with your GC, they will go the extra mile and do stuff above and beyond what they are "legally" required to do. People will advise you to hire an independent kitchen designer. My experience is that this is almost impossible because for the most part the job is too small to make it worth their while to do. However there are very good designers at kitchen stores - much more likely than at HD or Loewes because a good kitchen designer with experience is going to leave HD for greener pastures. Because of the scope of my project, remodel plus redecorating I was able to hire an independent designer. My personal experience with a relatively small space is that IKEA wouldn't work because I wanted to get exactly what I wanted. I went with a local cabinet maker so everything was exactly as I wanted with no compromises or fillers. And of course the style of doors and cabinet finish was fully custom. The cost was actually less than a good quality semi-custom would have been when all of the "upgrades" would have been added....See Morerrbot
5 years ago
apple_pie_order
5 years agoThis house would look great with new landscaping. A professional landscaping plan is worth the money. If you do replant, use a lot of compost to renew the soil that's been depleted by decades of shrubs.
North Arlington Residence · More Inforrbot
5 years agorrbot
5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
Ok, what if we do landscaping to the left and change the cover/roof on front porch? we Don’t have much to spend at this point but maybe that is where we need to start. I’d l be ideas for updating the porch using the same brick stoop (definitely no money to rip out the brick right now) I’d like an updated feel but simple and inexpensive. I’d also love ve to encorporate more copper somewhere as I love the copper roof over the bay window. I’m thinking maybe something open front, taller and wider??? My husband will lose his mind if we can’t use the new million dollar posts, so....
rrbot
5 years agoI’ve been looking around and these are attractive....would need to go stand in the yard and see them against the house.... any thoughts?
houssaon
5 years agoI don't mind the shutters, but it might look better without them. Try it and see which you like more.
I think your best bet is to focus on the landscape.
If you don't pull out the row of yews (?) then make sure that you hand prune them. They need to get shorter by about four inches. Hand prune them so that they stay full, although right after you cut them they will look a bit bare. The goal is to keep them below the windows.
I would extend the planting be with some shade loving plants, like these:
Informal Garden, Winnetka Illinois · More InfoSome of these plants would work:
Traditional Perennial · More InfoAccording to the designer, the green ground cover is baby's tears. The front of the border is planted with golden oxalis. The grass on the left is Hakonechloa macro 'Allgold' and on the right is an evergreen Carex. One of the hostas is called 'Sunpower. A small rhododendron is behind the baby's tears. A fern called Onoclea sensibilis is behind the Hakonechloa 'Allgold'. The far right is Cornus alba 'Elegantissima'.
rrbot
5 years ago
PROrrbot
5 years ago
Brown Dog
5 years agohoussaon
5 years ago- PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
5 years agoLeave the house
and just fix the walk and landscaping. That will bring ou the best in the house.
rrbot
5 years ago
Patricia Colwell Consulting