Curb appeal problem. We don't use our front door
Meaghan Fritz
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
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Meaghan Fritz
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Sad split foyer needs front door help and curb appeal
Comments (43)Okay, let's see if I can catch up on all of your helpful posts! I met with a landscaper and we were pretty much on the same page but there were a few things that I didn�t agree with. Maybe I just have no clue what I'm doing and maybe his recommendations are truly better than the picture I have in my head! I'll be meeting with another designer on Monday to get his take on it. The first guy was free and we just talked about what the plan would be. The second guy charges $50, but will draw up a whole design. They also do driveways, which the first company does not do. The one thing that I really didn't like about the first guy was that I felt like I had seen all of his ideas in my neighborhood already. I don't want something crazy that doesn't fit the house or neighborhood, but I also don't want the same thing everyone else has. How do you get your house to stand out from the others but still "fit"? Just because everyone else has "x" number of garden beds and "x" amount of front yard grass doesn't mean I have to, right? I did read over our HOA docs and they simply state that no more than 20% of the yard can be raised garden beds or container gardens. I would really like to make maintaining the lawn easier and to shade the front a little more. He wasn't on board with that. As I said before our yard is quite short, only 25 ft deep from the sidewalk to the front brick. So that will definitely play a big part in the design. The front tree is a cherry tree (with fruit) and I have been told that it will grow large enough to provide cover for the front window, not too sure about the door. Every arborist and landscaper that I have talked to seem happy with that tree and tell me not to touch it. The shutters have actually done quite well with all of the sun and heat that they get exposed too. No warping or anything. Considering the roof color is a good point. I think the wrought iron color would look great. I still don�t know what I want to do with the door. I have been playing with pictures of the house for days now. I've cut and pasted so many different designs I'm stuck. I think that there are some styles and looks that definitely work, some that definitely don't work, and then there are the in-between ones. I don't mind having my house look a little different then the neighborhood. I have two tri-levels on each side of me and three true 2 story colonials across the street from me. From my mock-ups I think can get away with some different looks that neither of the other two styles could pull off. And that is why I'm stuck. Too many ideas. I think a designers eye is what I need. The other challenge I am having right now is prioritizing what to do with the house first. The inside still needs to be painted. I could use some new furniture too. If I did do painting I would want to update the lighting while the ceilings are getting a fresh coat. As far as the outside goes, we obviously need landscaping. But we could also use new gutters and soffits, possibly a new door, and new hardscaping. My husband would also like to close in the carport. There is just so much to do and I don't know where to start. The changes we have already made to the inside were easy because they were done out of necessity. Really none of these other things have to be done. I think that I would like to focus on the outside simply because I have a 4yr old and 1yr old that make it a little harder to maintain the inside versus the outside. And I can handle the inside myself. I obviously need professional help with the exterior. So, any ideas on how to prioritize my projects?...See MorePlease help with Front Door and Curb Appeal
Comments (34)I can totally relate to your situation. We bought a retirement home five years ago, just one month before the real estate market started to collapse. We still had our other home and thought we would have no problem selling it. We were anxious to get all the "equity" we had in the first house. Now we can't sell either home. We don't want to get into the "renting" business either, but we have no choice. My suggestions to you is forget any flowers since you live out of state and can't take care of them. I would paint the front door a "brick red", almost like a burgundy. I would not paint the garage doors, take down any shutters or do any more work. If that is grime on the siding, I would get the house pressure washed. Anyone that buys it will know it is a fixer upper. I know from personal experience, as we sunk a lot of money into our first house ...new stove, new countertops, new cabinet hardware, had the entire house painted, had the porch steps ripped out and redone...believe me, any $$$ you spend (except getting rid of the pink door, lol) is going to be a waste of time and money. The market is bad and no amount of expensive repairs, color changes, is going to change that. It's definitely a buyer's market, not a seller's market. Chispa is right on the money! What WILL change it is lowering the price. We chose not to lower our price because the house we moved out of is a better house than the one we moved too. We couldn't get anymore for it than what we pay for the "downsized" house. It's really sad the market is so bad, but if you and your husband don't mind waiting, you may be able to get a little closer to the price you want, but don't count on it. By the way, our first house we tried to sell is on three beautiful acres, close to shopping, close to the interstate...none of that accounts for anything in a bad market. I wish you the best of luck!...See MoreHelp! NO Curb Appeal on our Colonial, what can we do?!
Comments (58)All great points NHbabs! Thank you. We will have to see how quickly the boxwood grow, but can plan to trim them each year if needed. The Arborvitaes may have actually all died over the winter, so we will have to wait and see if they come back and if not perhaps replant new ones further apart or plan to have them topped each year. Once again, thank you!...See MoreHelp us give our ugly investment property some curb appeal
Comments (17)First off, thank you all for the quick and detailed responses. I already have so much to think about and love your suggestions. Here is a little more info on our intentions, budget, etc. This is an upstairs/downstairs set up with 2 beds and 1 bath in each unit. We plan on renting out both units long term after renovating them both. So although this isn't a house we will live in, it is something we will regularly see and want it to stand out as a beautiful property. Since they will be rentals, we are required to provide at least 1 parking spot for each unit off street. My thoughts were to utilized the minimum amount of the front for this and use the rest for grass/land scaping in the shape of a T, across the full front of the house, with a strip in the middle going to the street. Budget wise we are pretty flexible because I am skilled in most trades and can do everything myself or with the help of friends. I love the idea of a porch on the front and will be leveling off the lot as soon as we take possession. I think these two are my best options moving forward. Knowing that I need to keep spaces for two vehicles, can anyone suggest a great layout for the front grass/walkway etc? Thank you!!...See MoreMeaghan Fritz
4 years agoMrs. S
4 years agoMrs. S
4 years agoMeaghan Fritz
4 years agolast modified: 4 years agoMeaghan Fritz
4 years agoMeaghan Fritz
4 years agoMrs. S
4 years agoMeaghan Fritz
4 years ago
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