what would you do to improve the exterior of our house?
Hi Houzzers, we are finally nearing the finish line of our front exterior renovation, which included ripping out dying grass, plants and ugly rock strip on front lawn area. Also removed the 70s faux stone, wood trim and shutters around front windows, replaced windows, and removed the weird siding above garage. And added lighting! We had it all stucco’d with a more neutral beige color. It was too yellow before. We’re working with a landscaper for the yard. in California zone 10a, and are going with a Mediterranean garden with a dry creek bed, boulders, white roses, lavender, sage, rosemary, some grasses, rock, and mulch.
We need to get the trim painted. I don’t like the reddish brown of the trim around the roof. And the lighter trim around garage and front door also needs painting. We are want to try to stain the brick on the driveway a dark brown. We hate it but can’t replace just yet.
So my questions are:
-what color would you paint the trim along the roof/gutters? Dark brown/bronze to match the gutters or a lighter color (darker beige, grey??
-what color would you paint the trim around the garage? Beige to match the house or something else?
-would you do anything to the garage doors? Replace or paint? Or leave as is? They are in good shape.
-would you add wood stained shutters to the front windows? Maybe matching our gate stain? I love how wood warms up a space. (See example photo)
-I want to get 2 tall-ish teal/blue pots for in front of the front porch area to add some color. Good idea? How tall?
Anything else that you can suggest or think of would be so appreciated!! And any mock ups would be awesome! Thank you!
Here are a few photos. 1 current (not yet ‘after‘ ;)) and 2 before. Plus one of shutter idea.
Comments (15)
littlebug zone 5 Missouri
4 years agoRelated Discussions
What would you do to improve this deadzone in yard?
Comments (5)Do try the scones. Jeffrey, we need a Mozart violin sonata, very soft, please....See MoreWhat do you guys think of this exterior design for our home? (render)
Comments (15)Before you go any further pick up the book What Not to Build. Trust me it will help you. I can say it helped with my build. I'm sorry but this is too complicated. The book I recommended will explain why in more detail. The thing that bothers me the most other than those oversized windows all competing for attention is the feeling that the second floor is going to crush the first floor. It feels taller than the first floor! And second floor windows shouldn't overpower the house by being larger than the first floor windows. There are 4 different materials on the front elevation and 4 different window styles which have no relationship to one another. The garage door wood is vertical yet the wood under the windows is horizontal. Then you have the chimney? sticking up with no relation to anything else. It just cuts the house in half and doesn't even continue up to the second floor. On the left first floor you have stucco above the windows but on the right side the windows continue up to the ceiling. Again nothing cohesive between them. There are too many competing things with too many materials and too many different planes. There is no focal point....See MoreWhat can I do to improve the home exterior with these windows?
Comments (4)getting a window and siding quote shouldn't be that hard. the indoor part patching the drywall can be done by a skilled handyman. you can probably remove the grills yourself and that would change things right away. I would also add cedar or cedar-looking shingles to the peaks to warm up the front. The problem in estimating what this will cost - it is incredibly regional. At this time, some parts of the country are booming and you just cannot get skilled help for smaller jobs....See MoreImproving Curb Appeal - What would you do to improve curb appeal?
Comments (15)Shutters should appear to be operable, so they would need to be as wide as the window... so if closed, they would cover the window. So no shutters on your house. I agree with taking out the boxwood that have been butchered. If you take the bed all the way to the sidewalk, you need a pocket bed on the left side. Yes to learn more about pruning the Crepe Myrtle. Ever heard of Crepe Murder? It's a thing. LOL Honestly you don't even have to prune them. We had several over 30ft tall at our last house, but you don't want one too tall right next to the house. Having lived in the South all my life, I don't have a problem with the grass since we get rain. No idea where you live, but the grass looks healthy. Unless you want to spend every weekend gardening, or hire a gardener, I would not go to the extreme of removing the grass. If there room for a wooden bench on the front porch?...See More
suezbell
4 years agodonnatrus
4 years agodonnatrus
4 years agosuezbell
4 years agodonnatrus
4 years agodonnatrus
4 years ago
Sigrid
4 years agorochk
4 years ago- PRO
User
4 years agoBefore you do anything else I would wait until your landscape is in. I don't think your home needs much and it has come so far! However, I definitely would not add shutters. I would darken the trim more so there is less of a red tone. If you paint the house I would darken the garage. If you don't paint the home I would leave it as is.
Kitch4me
4 years agodonnatrus
4 years agoThanks all!
Ok, so no shutters. Got it! 1 less project ;)And we are actually fog coating with that beige color stucco. No paint. I do love the mock up of the darker color! But I wanted a lighter color for hopefully keeping the house cooler. I would have loved off-white but afraid of looking dirty. I’m happy with the color. Need to get the other 3 sides fog coated now.
And I think I like the darker brown trim along the roofline too. Our windows are brown/bronze so I think that’s a nice compliment. But I’m still unsure about the trim around the garage and front doors. I like the idea of a lighter color (grey/green or a greige) there. Something that will compliment the house & the landscaping which will have all shades of green. And also my teal/turquoise pots (that I don’t have yet). I’m trying to get it to have a Mediterranean feel even though I know it’s not a Mediterranean style. ;)
But I’m having a hard time envisioning the grey/green or greige trim. Can anyone mock that up? Any other thoughts on the trim?
Here’s a pic of our front entry. It’s a work in progress! But you can see the trim. And clearly I need to tile the floor but we might extend it a bit. I’m thinking travertine. It was a very 70s dark brown time with flowers (?!?). We’re getting there!
Thanks all! Keep the ideas coming please :) Love them!
Greg Davis
4 years ago
Dig Doug's Designs