I like the house very much. The only McMansion feature I can see is the various roof lines. I guess the silo is a bit McMansion too but it looks fine and I presume this is the back of the house.

The only change I would make is in paint color and if the paint is still good I would wait until it needs repainting.

I made a very sloppy image of the house in green.

I would pull the landscaping out in the front of the house and put in a patio or something that better grounds/balances the house (height and footprint)- the huge trees in the back help make the large house look right size -but the small evergreen right by the lower area look "new and small" , just looks plopped in -

is the area on the right a walk out or can you create a walk out? reason i ask its allot of stairs and entry at the base level could be nice for kids, older guests etc.

You may find painting a house that large would be $$$ and the same monies could be used in structural design improvements

Please don't plant ivy. It is invasive. It will ruin your siding and grow up every tree it can. Almost impossible to get rid of.

I like emmarene9 's painting rendition. I would do the windows and trim dark, though.

Gorgeous setting and I bet the house is full of light. Too bad the architect didn't have a better vision for design and scale. Paint is an easy fix.

Painting the lower section of the house dark is the way to go for sure. And if you are gutsy, a dark blue grey is what I would do and concentrate on the plantings. Whatever color you decide, paint out all the window frames darker then the house color. This will help blend in all the different window shapes.

You might want to consider focusing on the center element and treating or painting it different, if you paint the home all one dark color. For instance, if the house is all dark grey with black trim, the center could be treated with a color or clad in cedar.

The only real disturbing element is the turret. I would ignore it and not bring attention to it.

Good advice here, as always.

BTW where is the front entrance?

If you concentrate on one element, balance out the plantings. Note the added two trees to the left of the cedar element. It gives a focus to the house. Would love to see a steel blue grey color. If the stairs to the left is to the entrance, treat it with the same finish as the center element.

You can't go wrong with this lovely site!

More ideas to save in your "wish list" file. Don't know what your entrance landing looks like, but I thought this would tie into a front cedar clad element.

Of course there is only one way to get down!

Please don't forget to post what you finally decide! We love to see it.

If you like gardening and plants, having a variety of plantings on those balconies will help break up the the more solid looking blocks of the house. Railing planters can have long trailers in them. Use small trees that do well in containers to bring some height. I think consulting a local garden designer who specializes in using native plants that are easy to care for could be a great investment so you become familiar with what plants will do well for you there.

Beautiful home. My folks live in the Portland area. Welcome to the PNW!

I was also wondering if the balconies are large enough for some furniture... patio dining with an umbrella if you get a lot of sun... at least you wouldn’t have to water that! ;-)

Go to a good local nursery and give them a photo or two of your balconies and ask what would be the heartiest, easiest to take care of plants. Get proper containers. That is half your battle and make sure they drain properly. There are even some that actually water your plants! So it has gotten easier to take care of plants outside. But it still takes care and monitoring. Artificial won't work well outside. Perhaps you could add some interesting outside drapery hanging at the pillars. That could add some interest and not require much additional care. Add color and black and white. Great combination.

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We had our inspection done and it turns out the paint was not done well at all. SO, we need to paint the house! After all these helpful comments I was thinking of using other cheaper methods to change the look a bit, but now it seems the huge paint job will be done.

I would love any advice on painting suggestions to perhaps modernize the house and of course make it look better. I am keeping track of all the paint suggestions so far. Maybe we should hire a pro to tell us what to do? I don't think the painting company who does the actual painting would be a source of artistic advice would they?

Anyway, thanks for any input!! I'm adding some more exterior pics I found online!

Painter can give technical advice, if they are quality painter, but not design advice. Last person I would ask for design help. You need a good color consultant/designer to help you. A lot can be achieved through paint. So sorry you have this huge expense. If the paint job wasn't good, I would worry about how well the stucco was applied and maintained?? Make sure you have a good set of inputs on what repairs need to be done too. Best of luck. Complicated but such an opportunity to improve the look of this property.

Thanks Flo! for such a big job, seems like it is worth it to hire a color consultant. Will post the 'after' :)

Definitely. I thought Denise gave you some great ideas and some could be done with paint instead of wood. You could always add wood elements later if desired. Just don't have too many colors, that would make things too much. I will look for some inspiration photos for you.

Is there a driveway to the front entrance or a parking pad there? I like the red door.

Wow. No room to add a driveway? I hope there is an elevator or lift inside in case someone later can't do the stairs.

Sorry I think I'm not understanding your question. You can drive up to the house and there are a couple of ground-floor entrances. But yes, once inside, if you want to go upstairs or downstairs, there is no elevator. Denise posted a slide pic on here, but that only helps going down lol.

Yes, Tina, I was asking about ground floor entrances. We have faced some mobility issues wth family recently, so I always wonder about accessibility, especially if there are changes in the works. I bet the view is wonderful off the back. Congratulations on your house!

That's a good point. So many houses have stairs and no way around them. I saw a remodel on here where the whole home was updated for mobility issues. It was gorgeous but the cost was like buying a whole house!! Here's the link if you want to see. I think I'm a fan of this designer! https://www.houzz.com/projects/131643/simonyi-residence Anyway, thanks for your comments. I am equal parts excited and overwhelmed and anxious and happy! haha

WOW, that is some remodel in your link. It looks like they added three houses to it. LOL.

If you haven't closed and your inspection was a "contingency" the painting of the house should be a point of negotiation on the pricing. Have you explored that with your agent?

That is good news! Hope you got a better deal because paint alone for that house is going to be $$$$ as I'm sure you know, to say nothing of the labor, scaffolding, caulking, etc., etc. Huge job. I figure it will take a crew at least 2 weeks and possibly longer to do that job, depending on how many people they put on the job. I would ask for a "plan" because if they separate it into "sections" and they have more than one painter, it will more likely ensure an even application/look at the end. Each painter has his/her own "touch" on amount of paint applied and overlapping to ensure coverage, etc. Good luck. Make sure you get test panels made so you can move them around in the various light conditions during morning, afternoon and evening. Also you a flat finish with very good quality paint. It will last a lot longer.

I think stone veneer on the bottom half where people have suggested other treatments would look killer and would help the house blend into the nature a little more.

I love the stacked stone, if the budget allows, however, if the product has weight and that wasn't a part of the foundation plan with appropriate "shelf" for the stone to be stacked upon, it can look pretty fake and at the same time be quite cost prohibitive. I would get a qualified mason to come take a look if you consider this an option.

I like Emmarine's dark color on the bottom. What about painting that middle tall section the same dark color? It would draw the eye away from the two turret things on the left. Or maybe that's crazy...

We are having a color consultant (designer) come help us. Never thought I’d be so fancy lol but this is a big cost so it seems smart to get in-person expert advice. I appreciate all the feedback on here!! Will post before/after

You are so smart to get a color consultant! Please post your meetings. We would love to hear what they have to say, and it will tremendously help this community. Love your home and site and looking forward to the results.

My only comment is that I love all of the windows, especially nice in Portland where houses need the light ( I have relatives in the area ). I really don’t think the exterior appearance is an issue, focus on the positives, the light & site.